The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-28
GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN.

The death OF General John a. Logan
comes more as a shock to the nation
than as something 20 turn the nation
TO grief and mourning. Until Christ
mss day no one outside his family and
close friends knew OF his illness. The
first intmaii3n that the country gen
orally had hat he was not in the
enjoyment Of his accustomed good
health. was on Sunday morning, when
the Associz.ed Press telegram was pub
lished giving the news Of his alarming
condition. This announcement being
followed Few hours later by informa-
ton Of his death, the news OF the de-
cease fairly shocked the nation.
General Logan has long been among
the most conspicuous characters IN the
Republic; for twenty-five years his
name has been before the public, and
for the past fifteen years it has been one
OF the most familiar in the land. 1t
was the war which brought him
into prominence. 1t IS true, he
served as quartermaster in
the war with Mexico, was
a member OF the Illinois Legislature
three or four sessions and had been in
two Congresses; but not until the
breaking out of the civil war and his en-
listment in the Union army had he at
tracted attention. Because he was
known to be a pronounced Democrat,
and was understood TO be more or less
in sympathy with the South. his &C
ceptance of a colonel's commission in
the Federal army turned eyes in his di-
rection. His course was q surprise, and
a good many people have not yet en-
tirelv recovered from their astoRish-
ment. But whatever may have been
peoples ideas in regard TO Logan's mo-
tiYes IN entering the army, nobody'has
since had any occasion TO doubt his
patriotism or be suspicious OF his &C
tons. We must judge men by their
acts, and applying this standard to
Logan, We find him true as steel TO the
Union cause. He was among the BRAY
est OF the soldiers, and there was no
more earnest, fearless or more deter
mined man in the army. Long be
fore the war closed, whatever OF
doubt had been experienced at the
beginning in regard to his sincerity,
had Oeen dispelIed, and Logan surren-
dered his commission the idol OF his
soldiers. and enjoying the confidence Of
his countrymen. This was the begin
ming Of q career remarkable for its
steady upward tendency. The man
advanced in popular favor from the
moment be bucKled on his sword until
death struck lin on Sunday. Retiring
from the army ne declined some i'm
portant appointments, among them
that of Minister 10 Mexico, and in 1866
was elected to the Fortieth Congress,
and two years later was returned to the
Forty-frst Congress. HIS ability and
honesty were recognized from the first.
as was his vigorous partisanship, all
three of these pronounced characters
istlcs, aided by personal aggressive
ness such as is rarely encountered, COM
bining 20 keep HIM at the front. Be
fore completing his term as Repre-
sentative he was elected TO the Senate,
succeeding Dick Yates in 1871. and with
the exception of a brief period con-
tinuing a member of that body until his
death.
Logan showed what can be done by
energy and push. He was not great
intellectually, nor was he statesman in
the broad and better sense Of the term,
but he possessed ambition and was
blessed BY that qualification TO win sue
cess, known as push. No opposition
was so formidable as to alarm him: no
obstacle so great as TO deter him; no
prize so valuable as 70 prevent him from
3 irving for it. He had the viii,
the energy and the push TO
crowd himself forward and ahead
OF ADLER and better men: modesty and
: regard for the prophecies in politics
stood no chance in a contest with him.
He knew that victory could not be won
without an effort. and he had the cour-
age lin some instances it was akin to
to try. Honesty was also a
characteristic with the man. He was
liable TO get of wrong" as the story
goes, bus he was ever honest and sin
cere. and this commanded respect /.
where confidence in him as a leader
could not be felt. There are not few /
people who believe now as they did two .
years ago, that if Logan had headed /
the Republican national ticket. he. in
stead OF Cleveland, would have been in
augurated President of the Republic.
We cannot agree with the many
opinions expressed in our telegraphic.
this morning to the effect
hat General Logan was a strong man,
md that his death will produce
ID iTreparable loss to the nation. He /