The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-12-27

close Of the war had a good chance to know
him as he fought for a long time dire city
under me-. NO Drawer man ever lived than
John A. Logan. He had great personal
courage ana was magnificent in action in bat
tie. He manifested intense devotion to his
cause and TO his country. Probably at the
time of his death he was the most conspicu-
GUS example OF q volunteer soldier living.
OF late years in political life he was very
ambitious, but his desire to be President was
laudable and fully warranted. His death Is
a great loss to the military profession.
Press Comments.
The Sun says: 'The frery spirit and
headstrong will that made Logan slave
hunter and secession Tsympathizer before the
war characterized his later political relations
Everything else was changed. There Is a
cloud of doubt over the circumstances that
determined his choice of sides at the out
break of the Rebellion. Perhaps it is not
important to clear it away. Not many
months after he made a speech from which
we have quoted, Gen. Logan was fighting in
the Northern army. He fought bravely and
successfully, and when he entered politics
again few people cared to speculate on the
motives Of his extraordinary change. His
intellectual qualities were not of the finest.
His hold on the people was of the strongest.
His methods were as effective as crude. His
sincerity was seldom questioned. He will be
remembered as an aggressive, manly, shrewd
and pertinacious politician; and in many re-
spects a representative American of the
West.
The Times says Of Gen. Logan: He was
in no sense asstatesman, and his mind had
many limitations in important directions.
But he was true to his convictions; He was
firm friend and manly foe. His errors
We're of the head rather than of the heart,
and we should esteem it misfortune for
American citizenship if the faults he showed
in civil life should weaken the grateful re-
gard OF our people for the service OF this
rude, strong, simple, and faithful man rem
dered at a time when such service turned
the scale in which the life Of the nation hung
trembling.
The Tribune says: Gen. Logan did not
owe his commanding position to happy acci-
cents. He was the architect of his own hon
orable and distinguished career. In war
gallant soldier; in peace a forceful states
man; at all times an ardent patriot. The
key note to his character appears in the
age OF his convictions, and whose c0nvic-
tions were the outcome of hard practical
sense.
The World says: Gen. Logan has been a
brave soldier and a capable commander, the
ablest volunteer general of the war. If he
carried into political contests after the war
ended much of the bitterness of that strife
and did not extend to Southern people the
cordial hand Of fraternity in the spiait of
Grant it was because his nature was narrow
tuu iilbtuSe TdtutI ILdu UfOdu anu StucI-
Gus, and because the essential secti0nalism
of his party encouraged him in that cause.
Gen. Logan was ambitious, but in thorough
ly manly way, and in patriotic spirit. Had
he lived he would have been a strong cOntes-
tant for the next Presidential nomination of
his party. His death adds another to the
long list of disappointed aspirants for the
highest place and illustrates anew the vani-
ty of fame.
The Herald says: Logan was gallant
and capable soldier but it cannot be justly
said of him that he was statesman. But 1t
can and ought to to be said Of him that he
was honest to the backbone, frank and out
spoken and if ambitious, most honorably so.
He was disappointed at the Republican de-
feat in 1886, and believes that If he had been
at the head of the ticket the Republicans
would have won, in which perhaps he was
not entirely wrong He hoped for his par
tvs nomination in 1888 and if he had lived
would no doubt have made gallant and de-
termined fight for it. His death removes
one of the three most prominent Republican
candidates, the other two being Messrs.
Blaine and Sherman. 1t will in some meas
ure necessitate recast of the Repu bliean
forces and will no doubt bring forward other
candidates.