The daily gazette., 1882-03-08
STILL ABUSING CONKLrNu.
Great Leaders Of Defeat.


From the Baltimore American (Rep.)
In his funeral Grafton upon Garfield
Mr.. Blame drew distinction between
. great leader and great statesman. 1t
Is possible for the same man to be b ,th,
as Thomas Jefferson was, but usually
the two are gu to distinct. Amont the
great leaders may be classed Clay, Doug
lass, and Thaddtus Stevens. Among
the great statesmen who were not Lead
ers may be classed Daniel Webster, Sum
ner, Fessenden, and Thurman. Thefe
10 still another class the ssbrllliant"
leaders of def'at--among who may be
classed John q. Calhoun, Aaron Burr
and Roscoe Conkling.
Thaddeus Stevens, With not q 1.-THE
OF Sumre,'s greatness, was a born ruler
OF men; and he ruled not always wis ,ly.
Still, be was the leader of victory aud
not the leador of defeat. Iu his days
the RepublicaH party never knew defe It.
But Thsddeus Stevens was sincere, hon.
est, single minded, strai aishl-forward, and
t0ok the whole American people into
his confidence. He was strong with
their strength. He made no bargains
nor concesi iions, but carried cut Repub-
lican ideas, as be understood t. em, to
their logical outcome In action.
Since his time there has been great
leader, but . leader of defeat the
leader of q persistently routed
faction. Roscoe Conkling has
never been the leader of the RepublI-
can party as whole, but always of q
minority factien. His successes, such as
he has had, have been won upon the
local arena of his own State, and won
not by appeals TO the minds and hearts
of his followers, but by appeals to their
interests. On all the great questions
of policy which have divided the coun-
try for the past twelve years he has
been silent. He has never originated an
important measure of any kind; never
taken any interest in the great pro.
blems of finance, commerce, tariff, etc.,
but has devoted his whole time to
operating the "machiue. The only
questions that have ever rouse hi
great mind into action have been re
latiye to office and patronage. States
manship cannot be claimed for him
the utmost that his admirers can CLAIM
is Leadership, and even that cannO
be granted, for he has led only q
minority faction, and led it to defeat
He has constantly misunderstood tn
temper Of American people, while the
true leader feels it like an intuition.
Lincoln never made a mistake on thu
point; he understood what the peOpl
wanted before they understood 1t them
selves. he knew when to strike, whe
to call out the Northern arDi,s, whe
to otfeF refuge to the "contrabAnd
slaves, and, finally, when TO issue tn
Emancipation Proclamation. He was
leader. But MIR. ConklinR has no pc
| ception of the sentiment and thought {
the people. Like Aaron Burr aud job
U. calhoun, Roscoe Uonkling mistake
the minority for the majority ,and tbru1
upon the people ideas that they loathi
and no brillianey can retriye tnat card
nal blunder. A certain resemblance
to be und among thesa bril- ant fai
ures-they were all limperlRlists. Aaro
Burr aimed to est 4bish an empire, an
was tried for conspiracy; John q. Ca
houn led Nullihcation; Jefferson Dawn
Sees ssIon Roscoe Conkling leads til
1906 FhIrd-ttrm Spartan Band," who's
objects are distinctly imperial. All I
thtse brilliant Inen mistook the tempe
of the American people, and sutfere
the defsats they deserved. There al
other men Whose ideas wfre victorion
but who never personally won the bigl
est prizes-Ulay, Webster, Douglas
ThaddenS Stevens, and sumner weT
never elected to the Presidency. Blain
has never been noml mated for the Pres
dsncy, but yet he has always lad I'll
victorious column. 1t is bscAure he hi
been and is nov the + uast exponent
republican ideas, a. they are held by Ii
vast mul.iiudes Sf American voters. u
has that fine TAG tbat intuitive sense
what Americans feel and think thl
makes the true Il adtr. He says at Il
right moment the thing that 90, ,000, 900
people are dumbly tbiuking, and sa.
1t In way that gees 20 the heart ]
the pr0clamations of Napoleon on Il
eve of battle.
Roth he and Conkling are now in r
tirement -Uns beeau of the nation
calamity of Garfield's assassination; I'll
other because of his own stupendol
fLlly ~ leader, resigning for "a Wind
cation.n But one is still the laitr
; victory anu the other the leader OF d
feat.