The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-05-19

From that vote to the last moment os his
| life he was a champion OF equal rights, stanch
and stalwart. From that moment he stood In
| tho front rank. He never wavercd and he
never swerved BY his devotion TO
| principle, his courage, the splcndor OF
| his diction by his varied and profound
knowledge his conscientious devotion to the
| great cause, and by his intellectual scope and
| grasp he won and held the admiration OF his
| fellow men. Disasters In the field, reverses at
| the polls did not and could not shake his cour-
| age or his faith. He knew the CHASTITY meaning
OF defeat. He knew tnat the great ship that
slavery sought to strand and wreck was
| freghted with the worlds sublimest hope. He
battled for Nations life for the rights OF
slaves, the dignity OF labor and the liberty OF
| all. He guarded with fathers care the rights
| OF the hunted, the hated and despised. Hc
| attacked the savage statutes OF the recon.
| structed States with u torrent of invectve,
| scorn md execrntion. He was not satisfied
| until the freedman was an American citizen,
| clothed with every civil right, until the const-
tuition was his shield, until the ballot was his
| sword, md long after we are dead the colored
man in this aud other lands will speak his
| name In reverence and love. Others wavered,
| but he stood firm; some wore false, but he
was proudly true--fcarlessly faithful unto
death. He gladly, proudly grasped the
hands OF colored mon who stood with
| him as makers OF our laws. and treated them
| as equals and us friends. The cry OF social
L
| the base, was to him the expression OF great
| and splendid truth. He knew that no man
| can be the equal OF the one he robs; that
| the intelligent and unjust are not the superors
| OF the ignorant and honest; and he also felt.
and proudly felt, that II he was not too great to
reach the hand of help and recognition to the
slave no other Senator could rightfuly refuse.
| We rise by raising Others and he who stoops
| above the fallen stands erect.
| Roscoe Conkling was an absolutely honest
man. Honesty is the oak around which all
| other virtues cling. Without that they fail,
| and groveling die in weeds and dust. He be-
| lieved that Nation should discharge its obli
| cations. He knew that promise could not be
| made often enough or emphatic enough to take
the place of payment. He felt that the
| promise of the Government was the
promise OF every citizen-that National
obligation was personal debt, and
that no possible combination Of words and
pictures could take the place OF coin. He ut
tered the splendid truth that 1.-THE higher OBJ
legations among men are not set down in
| writing signed and sealed, but reside
| in honor" He knew that reputation was
the sacrifice of honor, the death of the
| National SOUL He knew that without
character, without integrity there is no
| wealth. and that below poverty, below bank
| ruptcy, is the rayless abyss of reputation. He
| upheld the sacredness of contracts, OF plighted
| National faith, and helped to save and keep the
| honor OF his native land. This adds another
| laurel to his brow. He was the ideal repre-
| sentative. faithful and incorruptible. He be-
lieved that his constituents and his country
| were entitled to the fruit of his experience, to
his best ana highest thought. No nan ever
held the standard OF responsibility higher than
| he. He voted according to his judgment, his
conscience. He made no bargains-he neither
| bought nor sold. To correct evils, abolish
abuses and inaugurate reforms, he believed
was not only the duty but the privilege of a
legislators He neither sold nor mort
gagged himself. He was in Congress dur
ing the years OF vast expenditure, of war and
waste, when the credit of the Nation was
| louned to individuals, when claims were thick
| as leaves in June, when the amendment of q
| statute. the change Of single word, meant
millions, and when empires were given
| TO corporations. He stood at the sum.
NIT of his power-peer OF the greatest-
q leader tried and trusted. He had
| the tastes Of IL Prince the fortune OF peas
| ant, and yet he never swerved No corpora.
| tion was great enough or rich enough to pur.
chase him. His vote could not be bought "for
| all the sun sees, or the close earth wonbs,
or the profound seas hide" His hand was
never touched by any bribe, and on his
soul there never was q sordid stain.
Poverty was his priceless crown. Above
his marvellous intellectual gifts, above oil place
he ever reached, above the er,nine he refused
. rises his integrity like some great III o,intau
peak, and there it stands, firm us the earth be
meath, pure Us the stars above.
The speaker then spoke OF Mr.. Conkling us q
lawyer and an orator, in both of which charac
| ters he declared him to be without peer. Con
tinuing, he said:
He abhorred the Pharisee and loathed all
fraud. He had profound aversion for those
who insist on putting base motives back Of the
good deeds of others. He wore no mask
He knew his friends; his enemies knew
him. He had no patience with pre-
tense, with patriotic reasons for un
manly acts. He did his work and bravey
| spoke his thought. Sensitive to the last
| degree, he keenly felt the blows and stnbs oi
the envious and obscure, of the smallest, OF
| the weakest. but the greatest could not drive
him from conviction's field. He would not
| stoop to ask or give an explanation. He left
his words and deeds to justify themselves. He
held in light esteem u friend who heard with
half believing ears the slander Of foe He
| walked q highway Of his own, and kept the
| company of his self-respect. He would rot turn
aside to avoid foe, to greet or gain a friend IL
his nature there was no compromise. To him
there were but two paths--thc right and wrong
| He was maligned, misrepresented and misun
derstood, but he would not answer. He knew
! that character speaks louder far than any
words. He was as silent then rs he Is now, and
his silence, better than any form OF speech. re-
futed every charge.
He was an Americnn-proud OF his country
that was and ever will be proud OF him. He die
not hnd perfection only IN other lnnds. lie die
not grow small and shrunken, withered ant
apologeticin the presence of those upon whom
greatness had been thrust by chance. He could
not be overawed by Dukes or Lords nor flattered
into vertebruteless subserviency by the patron
iZng smiles OF Kings. III the midst of convcn
tionalities he had the feeling OF sufiocation
He believed in the royalty of man, in the soy
ereignty of the citizen, ana in the matchiess
greatness of this republic lie WAS OF the
classic mo!d--a figure from the antique world.
He had tn c pose Of the great statues, the pride
and bearing Of the intellectual Greek, Of the
conquering Roman, and he stood in the wide
free air as though within his Veins there flowed
the blood Of a hundred Kings.
AS he lived he died. Proudly lie entered the
darkness-or the duwn-that we call death
Unshrinhingly he passed beyond our HORIZON
beyond the twiights purple hills, beyond the ut
most reach of human harm or help, to that
vast realm OF silence or OF Joy where tho innu
merable dwell, and he has left with US hi:
wealth of though. and decd-the memory of 9
brave, lmperious, honest man, who bowed
alone to death.
After the address General Hustled said
few words and the memorial services ended
CROSSED THE DARK RIVER.