Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-04

CAPTAIN aElsss saela.
rAs Eslssy PrsasssesA ~ Men. J. r.
Kla4srs Asssstats Jusslee q the ~.
prs1s OoaFe ~ Oakosa Territory.
At the bsr needing held ID vermiiliou
lat week III honor ofths memory Of Cap.
Nelson Miner, deceased. Judge J. p,
Kldder delivered the following eulogy, - .
response TO the complimentary resolution,
presented and adopted:
When I. came to this territory fifteen
years ago Nelson Miner was . practieins
lawyer and resided here. AT the time Of
his death he was the oldest prac.
t%itioner, that il, he had practiaed longer 10
the territory than any other lawyer, and
might, with propriety, have been called the
aFArH8R OF THn BAR.n
I 0 made his ac~quaintance-we occu.
pied the same Office for years; We were
friends from the first, and il gives me great
pleasure to ray, our friendship was unalloy.
ed to the last.
was attending . term Of the supreme
court at Yankton ct the time of hie death
and did not know he was sick until l re.
ceived the intelligence that "Captain Miner
Is dying" and I shall never forget the pro.
found sensation that pervaded all classes Of
people. and now in the stiffness that fol
lows the announcement Of 4 great calamity,
We felt like men who had been stricken by
q fearful blow.
The private and public life Of the late
Captain Miner are too we'll known here to
need repetition, but l can not discharge the
duty l owe to his memory Without briefly
abiding to both. He was peculiarly fitted
BY nature for the duties and relations Of
social life, and commanded in an
eminent degree the respect and love Of
oil who knew him a. q private citizen;
being in disposition frank. friendly and
social, bs was ~ engaging and agreeable
companion. He was as gentle as q child.
and full of the milk Of human kindness
He never turned hungry a0y person from
his door. He loved bis children and was
beloved BY them. At home with bis fam
ily there never was . kinder husband or q
more tender father; and great devotion and
pure affection we're lavished on him BY the
members of his domestic circle.
He was az little Influenced by personal
snimositics as any man I ever knew. and
never allowed . difference of opinion to
Influence his friendship.
In monarchial governments not only
wealth and rank. but political authority
descepds nv Inheritance from father to son.
The eldes, son of an English peer knows
from his earliest childhood that . seat
awaits him in the House Of Lords. If he
10 capable snd ambitious the dreams of his
childhood are directed to the great field of
statesmsnshtp
Our Institutions confer special privileges
on none, nor do they erect q barrier 10 the
honorable career OF the humblest American.
The fountains of our strength az Q nation
spring from the private life and
the voluntary efforts Of forty five
millions Of people. Each for himself con-
fronts the problem Of life, and amid it's va.
ritd conditions develops the forces with
which God has endowed him. 1t has be-
come q truiem in this country that "Men are
self made,"-and We all know from our oh.
servation that the best of them, without de.
teriorsting from Others, are 90 made. Our
emphatically . self made man, and whilst
really astute. He was able to grasp the
tails. While he chose with unerring Ger
tainty the strong point in his case, with
equal readiness and accuracy he discovered
the weak one in that of. his adversary. HI
had a peculiar aptitude for getting on to, al
We sometimes call ii, the 'blind side of the
Jury" He would bring with great skill tn,
favorable points Of his clients cause intt
prominence, and with like dexterity ane
acuteness- would exhibit what was prtjudi
cial to his interests. He never lost faith il
the trial Of a cause but worked faithfully
unto the end. IA
He was plain and simple in his manner
and tastes. He had not the dash which
sometimes elevates an empty headed dema
gogue to great popularity, which leaves
as suddenly and perhaps as unexpectedly
as it was acquired. But his conversation
was direct and to the point. He was q
peoples man, they believed he was honest
they knew he was capable and that was
enough for them.
The level Of the people is higher and il
3 more difficult for any one to appear above
the mass than in former days. The easy
commingling of remote people, the rapid
transit Of news and intelligence. the thou.
sands of books, the teeming printing press
and the easy acquisition Of knowledge have
raised the masses. The demand Of these
times is for the man of labor ; the man Of
detail, care and method and the man close
enough to his people to discover their wants
and necessities. and with the ~tireless energy
70 supply those wants and necessities. Cap
tain Miner was such q man, and, If he filled
full we'll the measure Of his life, if his
strength was ~ his days demanded, then
what prouder tribute could be paid to the
greatest man In the annals Of his race
An afectionate husband and father, an
upright lawyer, an honest man has fallen
from among the living and from his post Of
Il the halls of Liquidation, a an officer
in the gallant army Of the union, as fed
e,,l official; g . lawyer Of the bar. and il
he has always been capable, faithful and
honest. YT
u ui.fvork Il s~ccomnl;ehod he h.. ooro