The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-28

1 10 u Iuttu IN W0lcu tue buENlNt1 vi "
strongest is the recognized ftile, and whe
no pretensc can deceive and no glamol
can mislead. The real man Is discovers
bis worth Is impartially weighed, his ran
Is irreversibly decreed.
With possibly o single exception Ga
heid was the youngest member In &
House when he entered, and was but sever
teen years from his college graduation. 81
no had not been in his seat sixty days b.
fore his ability was recognized and b
place conceded. He stepped 10 the fror
with the confidence Of one who betouge
there. The House was crowded with str0n
men Of both parties; nineteen Of them hav
since been transferred TO the Senate, an
many Of them have served with distinctio
IN the gubernatorial chair Of their respe'
tive States, and on foreign missions Of grea
consequence; but among them all non
grew 50 rapidly, none 30 firmly as GartielC
AS lis said by Trevelyan Of his parliamentar
hero, GARFIELD succeeded "beCause all III
world in concert could not have kept hir
In the background, and because when one
in the front he played his part with
prompt intrepldity and commanding eas
that were but the outward symptoms {
the immense reserves OF energy, on whic
II was in his power 10 draw" Indeed III
apparently reserved force which CARTEL
possessed was one oil his great characters
tics. He never did so well but that 1t seem
ed lie could easily have done better. H
never expended so much strength but tha
he seemed TO be holding additional powe
at Call. This Is one OF the happiest an,
rarest distinctions OF an effective debatel
and often counts for Us much in persuadln
an assembly as the eloquentand elaborate
argument.
The great measure Of Garheld's fame wa
filled by his service in the House Of Rep
reEentatives. His military life, ILLUSTRATED
by honorable performance, and rich il
promise, was, as he himself felt, pro
maturely terminated, and necessarily in
complete. Speculation as to what lie NIGH
have done In field, where the great.prixei
are so few, cannot DO profitable. 1t il
sufficient to say that as n soldier he did hi
duty brayely; he did 1t intelligently; he
won an enviable fame, and he retired from
the service without blot or breath againsl
him. As a lawyer, though admirably
equipped for the profession, he can scarcely
be said TO have entered on its practice
The few efforts he made at the bar were
distinguished by the same high order oil
talent which be exhibited on every field
where he was put to tho test, and II q man
may be accepted us a competent Judge Of
his own capacities and adaptations, the law
was the profession to which Garfield should
have devoted himself. But fate ordained
and his reputation in history
will rest largely upon his services in the
House OF Representatives That service
was exceptionally long. He was nine
times cohsecutively chosen to the House,
an honor enjoyed by not more than six
other Representatives fthe more than FIVE
thousand who have been elected from the
organization Of the Government to this
hour.
As parliamentary orator, as a debater
on an issue squarely Joined, where the
position had been chosen and the ground
laid out, Garfield must be assigned u very
high rank. More, perhaps, than any man
with whom he was associated in public life,
he gave careful and symtematic study to
public questions, and he came to every
discussion in which he took part with eiab.
crate and complete preparation. He was a
steady and indeiatigable worker. Those
who imagine that talent or genius can sup.
ply the. place or achieve the results Of labor
will find no encouragement in Gartield's
life In preliminary work he was apt,
rapid and skillful. Hepossessed in high
degree the power OF readily absorbing ideas
and facts, and, like DR.. johnson, had the
art OF getting from q book all that was
OF value in it by reading apparently SO
quick and cursory that it seemed like a
mere glance at the table Of contents. He
was pre-eminently FUR and candid man
in debate, took no petty advantage, stopped
to no unworthy methods, avoided personal
rarely appealed to prejudice, did
not seek to inilame passion. He had q
quicker eye for the strong point OF his nd.
versarY than for his weak point and on his
own side he so marshaled his weighty argu
mcnts as 10 make his hearers forget any
possible lack in the complete strength o.
his position. lie had habit Of stating his
side with such amplitude o.
fairness and such liberality OF concession
that his followers often complained that he
was giving his case away. But never ir
his prolonged participation in the proceed
ings Of the House did he give his case
away, or fail in the judgment OF competent
and impartial listeners to gain the mastery
These characteristics, which markeC
Garfield as great debater, did not, how
ever, make him n great parliamentary
leader. A parliamentary leader, as that
term is understood wherever free repre-
sentative government exists, is necessarily
and very strictly the organ Of his party
An ardent American defined the instructive
warmth OF patriotism when he offered thu
toast, "0ur country, always right, but right
or wrong, our country" The parliamentary
leader who has body Of followers who will
do and dare and die for the cause, is one
who believes his party always right, bHI
right or wrong is for his party. No mort
important or exacting duty devolves upon
him than the selection OF the field and the
time for contest. Hemust know not merely
how 10 strike, but where to strike and when
to strike, He often skillfully avoids thu
strength OF his opponents position ant
scatters confusion in his ranks by attacking
IN exposed point, when really the right
eopspess Of the cause and the strength o
logical iptrenphment are against him. Ill
d6nquers often both against the right ant
the heavy battalions; az when yopp,
Charles Fox, in the days Of his Tofyisni
carried the House OF Commons agains
JUSTICE, against its immemorial rights
against his own convictions, II, indeed, a
that period Fox had convictions, and, il
the interest OF a corrupt administration, il
obedience to n tyrannical sovereign, droVo
Wilkes from the seat to which the elector
OF AEiddlesex had chosen him, and instale,
Luttrell in dedanGe, not merely OF law bu
Of public decency. For an achievement Q
that kind Garfield was disqualiaed-dil
qualified by the texture OF his mind, by III
honesty Of his heart, by his conscience, AM
by every instinct and aspiration Of his ms
ture.
The three most distinguished parliamcr
tury leadcFs hitherto developed in Til
country arc Mr.. Clay, Mr.. Douglas and Nj
Thaddeus Stevens. Each wa5 a maa Of cor
summate ability, of great earnestness, {
intense personality, differing widely. enc
from The other; and yet with a signal ira
in colnmou-ttie power to command.