New-York tribune., 1883-06-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS

Brothers. -. -, =. too,
-s,a =, ,u, history beginning with the early Gays
.hen neither parties nor institutions hau iaAe"
dasn,te shane aud ending VITA the complete organ
;gat;an of eur own day. So vigorous was sir' az
character. and so high his political slaha.R' 'AAs
80 ry of his ifc is the story of many OF the most
interesting events OF the century, his con 'eis ~
x,th all the advantage OF intinaey an"
that fellow feeling which springs rom siiri-
lar views IL his style as NOT ai""S9
s.rv animated il has certain old-time dignity
that eomports we'll with his subject The besinuilH
,s hv Gevernor Dix himself, and IL pleasantly
vr;4taa Many Of his most characteristic qnai'ties
.n-ea,ed IA ear}v boyboed-his love OF DOCKS ana
esld snorts his Independence, energy ana moueTa-
4ion. HIS description of his Sunday suuerings ni
the old meeting house, unprotected against wntrv
cold and midsummer sun, rs worth turning 10 as
pieture of the darker side of the old worsip' -,
The hoy was at school in Montreal when the war
or 1870 broke ont, aud was forced to return oy
the statute expelling thoso who w"nid ho' '~NO
ihe oath of allegiance Ia Great i".''.s @
A few nonths later while he was sun ieSs 'n'n -"
toon wears he received an euslgns commission ou'
Naturally le did not see mach hard service ana "o
tails us how he cried when be was not ai'o"eo "
go ,n.o the thick of the fight at Chrystlers f'e'u
sma,o otber sss.using things he describes no"
Mo;ar Miller rallied his frightened troops 10 sue
Al
c..ss,l charge undor hot fire by Iushing 10 tie
front. waving hs sword aud shouting, Come a'oiR
howl What are yuu afeared oil NOBODY WahVs
to surt you" e.
The autobiographieal Part ends 1e"
years later, with q story OF the eceehtro
John Randolph and Edward Everett, thon
mn eloquent young Unitariaa sIalsIer. he was
10 preach 10 the Hsil oil kepreseh'a'Ne9 W
Washington. and Mrs. Dickinson invited Randolph
a.. l,,sb ba na1p "A
p1ying IN iIIs sententious sqGeaAy st5le' N~n'
patrcnize Aptivhrist. NaaaIn.'
In 1896 CaptaiE Dix married, and family lniiu-
ence pushed him forward. He resigned ms com
mission and studied law but the wider neld Oh poi
1ics attracted hiu. and his writings and speeehes
attracted attention. 1t was curious tlne' iaei"
was an unrccosnized desire for a new party move
ment. and before long the abduction anc murder Oh
Morgan by the Masons gave an OCCASION
This ssenea slight basis for new
marty, and the violent political agltstloh
that followed even surprised It's leaders feoP'c
wanted something new. instead of the old personal
,ssu.e and soon the Wing party appeared. Those
who Lament the degeneraey of our days wouid co
we'll to turn 10 those old elections with their ap-
meals To vulgar passion and vulgar prejudice. But
Mr DIX held To the old democracy. aad bel1eVed
that a politician ought still to be gentleman. Ills
ability made him leader; and for hait dozen
wears he was one Of themembers OF the group caiel
the ALBANY Regency" which ruled the State IN
manner very different ,rom modern ring Inc
friumph of the new party ana the e~cI'on
of Mr. Seward in 1889 for tine iofcea
AFR Dix back, but it was only temporary. ana ne
was soon elected TO the Assembly, ana III 1o4o 10
tbe limited States Senate. The time grew troubled.
o,d tha slavery question doomed up in terrible pro-
portions Senator Dix wss no Abolitlonisi, ana op-
nosed all interference with the peculiar institution
IN the slave States Bus al the same time he dld
not wish il extended 10 the Free States and joined
Cor tine the free-soil movement OF lS4S- hls son
reg,rds this as blot upon his consistency, out we
cannot SO esteem if. The oDly time when he really
abandoned his principles was when the CiVilWar was
at hand and he tried TO staYe IT on by lendihs
his weight to the miserable Pine-st. gathering oil
1856. which offered to give up everything and allow
,be Sc,tf 10 carry It's slaves everywhere If only it
would not fight. This abortivc and cowardly
n,oxemeut was under the shadow of a terrible dan
rer. The clearest minds were unsettled. and We
world not dwell upou ii too harshly, but it is iui-
possible to defend IL
The South never forgave Senator Dix's tree-soii
corrse and he did not venture TO take the Northern
side untI the roll of the drum had reused hin and
his friepos 60 nobler independence, and 50 his
eourse for time satisfied neither party Once or
twice his son speaks in an unsatisfactory
way of his father as yielding against
his Judgment to personal pressure, bat we are unwi
ing to believe that be was OF such poor stnh. lie
made mistakes, certainly, aud some of them were
serious. He tried for a time to take an
impassable middle path, and avoid dangers
which ought TO have bren boldly faced
For a time he preferred dis
uuios TO war but these errors Of judginentnot
weak concessions to opinions he did net beleve 30
well known was his unconqaerable integrity that
when the feeble Buchanan tried to concIliate the
North inst before the end Of his terra. iD order to
obtain the money without which his
Government threatened TO collapse, wan
Street made it condition that Ar.
Dix should BECOME Secretary of the Treasury before
If would give the necessary support. And when he
left Office two months later the bankrupt treasury
had becn refiiicd and he turned over six millions to
his successor Mr. Dix tells a number OF inter
estine details about that trying spring time,
Buchanan evidently felt that his new Secretary
was an enfant terrible when he was Informed OF
that celelrsted order. ' If any one attempts 10
haul down the American flag shoot hun on the
spotv an order which .althoDgh 1t was not
obeyed in KeW-0rleans, rang through
the North like a clarion call to battle,
ana showed that there was whole
souIsS taan in that paIsIed Government.
II seems hardly far to print StaDtons letter TO
DIX the next June in waich he speaks OF the
weakness aud panic Of the Administration and the
paipfal iihbeelity of Lincoln, If it represented
his inal osuioa. whereas il vas really nasty and
violent communication made before the President
had demonstrated that sterling ability which
Stanton afterward freely Recognized
When the war had begun all Secretary
D,x's early secession fancies disappeared at once
and he threw himself heartily into the war.
He was speedily appointed Msjor-General. but
was given little opportunity to show his
abilities IN the field. though tbs reason does not
appear very plainly. Probably the experience with
General Scott and some OF the other elderly army
officers had made Lincoln wary of the older-fash-