, 1880-06-20

!
close until he had demonstrated that, had nj
I inclination and the needs Of the country nc
drawn hin, to tho army and the forum, he voui
have made an incom. parable head Of one OF GU
Ereat universities. lam now to follow him to
i Up to Isl; Gen. Garfield had taken no partte
occupied with other matters. But now that hl
general c1ucution was finished and he wa
! ready to devote himself to the Work or IN
world, his political pulses began to stir. 4 yea
| or two before
! THE REPUBLICAN PARTY Had SPRUNG UP
! as an immediate consequent to tho Kansas
! Nebraska Legislation. Its original mission hA
ngen thus stated BY It's present stanaara oatos a
| and souls Of men had paralyzed the con
| sciences nf u majority Of our people. The bale
ful doctrine Of state.soverelFnty haa es,e, snnke
| powers Of the National Government: and tn
| Er,splnr power of Slavery was scizing the virgil
| Territories Of the West and dragging them int
the den Of externnl bondage. At that crisis ths
Republican party WIS born. It drow It's frst IN
epirz,1ion from TINT fire OF Liberty which Co
tho powers Of IGNORANCE aud tyranny can neve
wholly e1ttnguish. The Republican, part.
came to deliver. and save the Republic
bcleaFuerci e and assslcd territories Tere strus
CLING for Freedom, and drew around it the sacret
circle of Liberty which the demon Of SLAYER,
forever Strengthened By Its victory on ths
frontier, the young. party. under the leadership
OF that great Inan who on this spot twenty years
Capital and assumed the high duties Of govern
mcut-'
young party with such aims as these ap-
pea!ed to his judgment, TO- hts q feeiines' ano e
UNDER THE REPUBLICAN BANNER
at once; and well do remember the pride with
which we Hiram boys heard the frst political
speeches Of our Young hero! In ls59 he was sent
to the State Senate hy the PortAge-Summit Dis
trict~ Hurc he served his term. and stood with
the ablesr OF his compeers. In the spring Of
1851, us he left the Senate, the storm Of Rebels
hold the .lag was demanded both by patriotism
md by tho logic OF Republican doctriue. 1t was
the second stage of his resistance to Slavery.
ond Ohio Regiment His military life cannot
n,inutclv follow. He cleared the Sandy Valley
OF the Rebels; he commanded brigade
Staff to the Army Of the Cumberland, and stood
by the sidc Of Thomas at Chickanauga- In the
tsro years of his soldier-life he had shown dis
tinginshcd ability and courage; and then, rs the
double buttons were put upon his breast by the
direction of Secretary Stanton. he left tho tent
of the soldier for tho halls OF Congress
.ativcs OF the Thittyeighth Congress in Decem-
Der. 1stS Naturally, the Speaker paced him on
the Military Committee. In the next Congress-
In the Fort!eth Congress he was Chuiru1an of the
Military Committee. Then he WIS the head Of
the Committee on Banking and Currency, and In
Appropriations When the Democrats took pos
session Of the House, ho went back to the Why's
and Means. where he hns since served. On all
these Committees he
PERFORMED VALUABLE SERVICE.
He WIS thorough In commfttee-work, assiduous
in private study or pending questions, and IN
able debater on the hoor,-Dy no means Il com
Of lcgisiAtion with which he was direct
~ connected through his regular com
ni1ces did NOT absorb his ability and his energy.
did he conduct the investigation Of the Gold
Panic OF 1870. Ho interested himself In MANY
subjects OF great importance to the public, in
which your common Congressman has small in~
tertst,--iu the census. In education, In the Sci
entfc surveys. in the saving service, and in
many more. He became the leader Of his party
in the House, and its best-known member. He
would have been Speaker had not shift In pol
itics given that office to the opposing party. All
the time. he was rendering his party and the
country Distinguished service On the STUMP not
more natural, then, than that, when the last
election gave them the Legislature, the Rcpub-
licans of Ohio, in lt"'ktng for q successor to
Judge Thurman in the Senate, should, with one
voice. call for the statesman who, chosen by the
Ohio District, had come TO be really
ne , Of the Nauoa: q he WIS
the first day that they could choose him under
the law
But must drop the life OF Gen. Garfield, that
may attempt an estimate OF his character and
services.
!. HIS PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION.
There rises up before me the Garfield whom
first saw in 1653,-strong framed, six feet high,
bruad-shouldercd and deep-chested. massive
and and q large blue - eyc. y l IL had The puipy Il'
adolescence that belongs to tho ago Of =. He
Is the same to-day, only time has rounded OUT
marked bis face with lines OF thought. He is Il
good eater and sleeper, works easily under high
pressure, nnd has power Of physical endurance
that can hardly he overtaxed.
:. MY ESTIMATE OF HIS MENTAL CHARACTER
has nlreads been fureshudowed. His power OF
logical analysis and classification is very great;
Of rhetorical exposition, hardly surpassed. He
me o5 ahe nd
aelishts il ~ poetry t. and other worss 't 81 the he
akes hf eesn nte1sse Rs G a
1ouse the facts Of history and politics; md
,wu originality. or course, he is not scaliKer,
4 Des Cartes. Newton; no man in public life
not oven Gladstone-cnn be those But his
ae has the best instincts and habits Of tho stu
lent and the scholar. Probably no man in
Congress these twelve years past has more won
Il literature. He Vas the friend Of Henry and of
Agassiz; he Is the frenQ Ut Howells, Ut Lowell,
md Of Parknaan. quite agree with George
alfred Townsend in saying that no man since
!ohn Quincy Adams has carried to tho Presl-
lential Chair SO thorough a training. SO wide AN
ntellcctunl appreciation, or so ricn n scholar
hip. Witha}, he is an orator. He has not the |
nassive grandeur Of Webster, the brilliant |
Of Clay, or the feryid passion Of !
henry. But his speeches are strong in fact,
!bbed with principfe, lucid in argument, |
'olished In iic.ion. rich in illustration and !
:arm with the vital power of g noble heart.
). HIS MORAL. CHARACTER I
5 the at crown to his physical and intellectual |
lature. No man has 4 kinder heart or IL purer |
niud. His generosity Of nature is unsttnted; |
IL his life. public and private, IS marked by |
reat unsclGshncss. For the most part, he has |
Neglected material acquisition: but his means,
$ web his time and t,slents. arc ut the call OF
ht,se who need them. AL these points could be |
!ustr3ted by volume Of incidents. The other |
ay. the representative Of great public jour |
a asked me, What do the people who know
len. Garfield think Ut his intcgrity?'' Had my /
ITS been about me, I should have answered: |
Did the n,eu who saw Cheyaitcr Darurd hold I
he hrid9e ut GariEhn1lO nguust the SpuuiRrda
Quit his courage? Did those who saw Sir !
'hiiip Sidney fait on Zutphe,a-teid question his
h:y:;lry? AS /. was, first answered in gen.
raj way. and then added: ~ have known Gen.
fairfield twenty seven years. ] do not say that
Etloss him rs well as one fnun can know an
thcr.-t know niul as well rs cun know an |
ther; and there is no interest thAt one man can
ontde to his fellow-ruan that would not
FREELY IsTNEsT TO HIM.
little Inter. another reporter called upon me !
my study to obtain s01nc facts that might be !
f interest tn the public, bud just thrown the |
tiyare letters that Gen. G;rtictd had written to |
.c upon the hoor. There we're some hundreds