The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-03-01
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ana so well but that il seemed he conid
easily nave done better. He never expended
~ much strength but that he seemed
w w oe holdlng additional power at call
nls 's one OF the happiest and rarest dis
','. '',v',Vns e VI an eueeuVe debater, and often
count for as much in persuadinr nm assem-
bly, as the eloquent aud tlabora,e arrr.
ment' The great measure of Gar6eIdis
lame was filled by his service in the house
OF representatives. His military life illus.
trated 10y honorable performance and rieh
IN promise, was rs he himself felt, prema,
tnrely terminated and necessarily incom
plete Speculation as to what he mi.ht
have done ina field where great prizes are
so few, cannot be profitable. II issuncien,
to say that asa soldier he
mn ms puTy
brayely, he did it intelligently, he won an
enviable name, and he returned from
the service without blot or blem-
ish against him. As n lawyer, though ad-
mirably equipped for the profession, he can
scarcely be said to have entered upon its
practice. The few efforts he made at the
bar were distinguished by the same high
order OF talent which he exhibited on every
field where he was put to the test, and ifa
man may be accepted as competent Judge
OF his own capabilities and adaptions the
law was the profession to which Garfield
should have devoted himself, but fate
ordained otherwise, and his reputation in
history will rest largely upon his service in
the house of representatives That service
was exceptionally long, lie was nine times
consecutiyely chosen TO the house, an honor
enjoyed by not more than six other
representatives of the more than five thou
sand who have been elected from the or
ganilation of the government 10 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 \ VERY HIGH RANK.
More, perhaps, than any man with whom
he was associated in public life, he gave
careful and systematic study 10 public
questions, and he came to every discussion
in which he took part with elaborate and
complete preparation. He was u steady
and interchangeable worker, Those who I'M
agine that talent or genius can supply the
place or achieve the results of labor will find
no encouragement in Gariicd's life. In
the preliminary work he was apt,
rapid and skillful He possessed in n high
degree the power of readily absorbing ideas
and facts and, like Dr. Johnson, had the art
OF getting from book all that was of value
IN II by reading, apparently 50 quick and
eursory that 1t seemed like mere glance
at the table OF contents. He was u pre-
cminently fair and candid man in debate,
took no petty advantage, stopped to no un-
worthy methods, avoided personal allusions,
rarely appealed to prejudice, did not seek
to inilame passion. He had u quicker eye
for the strong point of his adversary than
for his weak point, and on his own SIDE he
so marsha,cd
HIS wEIGHTY ARMAMENTs
as to make his hearers forget any possible
lack in the complete strength of his posi-
tion. He had II habit of stating his oppo-
l nents side with such amplitude of fair
ness and such liberality of concession that
his followers often complained that he was
giving his case away, but never in his pro-
!, onged participation in the proceedings of
! the house did he give his case away or fail
( IN the Judgment of competent and impair
u tial listeners to gain the mastery These
+ characteristics which marked Garfield as n
: great debater did not, however, make him a
great parliamentary leader A parliamen-
Q tary leader as that term Is understood
wherever free representative governments
. exists, Is necessarily and very strictly the
u organ OF his party. An ardent American
defended the instructive warmth of patriot
y ism when he offered the toast. "0ur coun-
0 try always right, but right or wrong our
!, country" The parliamentary leader who
d has ability and followers that will do and
: dare and die for the cause, is one who be.
Q lieves his party always right but right OF
J. wrong Is
" FOR HIS PARTY.
G No more important or exacting duty de.
L wolves upon him than the selection of the
y field and the time for contest. He must
: know not merely how TO strike, but where
i to strike and when to strike. He often
i skillfully avoids the strength of his opno.
:, nent's position and scatters confusion i'm his
4 4 ranks by attacking an exposed point, when
u really the righteousness Of the cause and
: the strength of logical intrenchment arc
u against him. He conquers often. botb
u against the right and the heavy battalions
!, as when young Charles Fox, in the dnvs of
: his toryism carried the house ol
u commons. against Justice, against Its
immemorlal rights, against his own
convictions, il indeed at that period
i FOX had convictions, and in the interest ol
u corrupt administration, in obedience 10 a
: tyranncal sovereign, drove Wilkes from n
= s'at to which the electors OF Middlesex had
: chosen him, and installed Luitrell,
' IN DEFIANCE,
:, not merely of law but of public decency.
y For an achievement of that kind Garfield
was disqualified by the texture OF his mind,
y by the honesty of his heart, by his con.
, science and by every instinct and aspiration
y of his nature. The three most Distinguish
/ ed parliamentary leaders hitherto deyel
y opod IN this country are Mr.. Clay, Mr..
= Douglas and Mr.. Thaddeus Stevens. Each
{ was man of consummatc ability, OF great
earnestness, OF intense personality, differ.
ing widely each from the other
aud yet with a signal trait in
common-the power TO command in the
. givc'take of daily discussion, in the art OF
controlling and consolidating reluctant and
refractory followers, in the skill to over.
come all forms of opposition and TO meet
!, with competency and courage the VARYING
phases OF unlooked.for assault or unsns,
, pected detection, II would be dinicult 10
rank with these fourth name in ali our
congressional history but of these Mr.. CLAW
>. WAS THE GREATEST.
" would perhaps be impossible TO find in
the parliamentary annals of the world n
: parallel to Mr.. Clay in 1871, when at GI
years OF age he took the control of the
wing party, from the president who had
received their sullrages, against the power
oil Webster in the cabinet, against the elo.
quence of Choate in the senate,
against the herculean efforts of Caleb
Gushing and Henry A. Wise In.
the house. In ushared leader
ship, In the prime and plenitude Of power,
he hurled against John Tyler, with deepest
scorn, the mass Of that cenquering column
which swept the land In 1910 and drove his
administration to seek shelter behind the
lines Of his political foes. Mr. Dourlns.
achieved victory scarcely less wonderful
when, IN 1881, against the secret desires of n