Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-05-11
COL. INeEasoLps MEMORIAL ORA
TON ON THE LATE SENATOR.

n
zenith of his fame and power, has reached
his journeys end, and we are met, here
in this city OF his birth, to pay our trib-
ute to his worth and work. He earned
and held a proud position the public
thought. He stood for independence, for
courage, and, above all, for absolute in
tegrity, and his name was known and
honored by many millions of his fellow
men. The literature of many lands is
rich with the tributes that gratitude, adj
mfration and love have paid TO the great
and honored dead. These tributes dis
close the character of nations, the ideas
of the human race. In them we find the
estimates of greatness, the deeds and
lives that challenged praise and thrilled
the hearts of men. In the presence of
death, the good man Judges as he would
be judged. He knows that men are only
fragments, that the greatest walk In
ctoucNt lo pnttbH AAlllS hAA IfiltiTtb
fningle with the lives of all. In the grave
should be buried the prejudices and pas
sions born of conflict. Charity should
hold the scales in which are weighed the
deeds Of men. Peculiarities-traits born
of locality and surroundings-these are
but the dust OF the race; these are the
accidents, drapery, clothes, fashions, that
have nothing to do with man, except
to hide his character. They are
clouds that cling to mountains.
Time gives us clear vision.
That which was merely local fades away,
the words of ~envy:are forgotten, and all
there is of sterling worth remain Of he
who was called q partisan patriot. The
reyolutionist and the outlaw are the
founders of nations, and he who was re-
garded as a scheming, selfish politician
becomes a statesman, a philosopher,
whose words anddeedsshe light. Fortu-
nate Is that nation great enough to know
the fact when a great man dies-one
who has nobly fought the battle of life,
who has been faithful TO his trust, and
hiss uttered his highest, noblest thought;
enc who has stood proudly by the right
in spite Of ieer and tannt, neither
stopped by foo nor sweryed by friend,
nhenering himainZspeakingg gGgar.ts
of praise and love above his dust, we pay
q tribute to ourselves. How poor this
world would be without It's graves, with
ont the memories of It's mighty dead.
Only the yoiceless speak forever. Intelli-
Eence, integrity and courage are the great
pillars that support the state. Above
ali, citiaens Of 8 fifss mutton should
honor the brave and independent man,
the MAJ of stainless integrity, of will
and intellectual force. Such men are
the ALIASES on whose mighty shoulders
rest the great fabric Of the republic.
Flatterers, cringers, crawlers, time-sery-
ers are the dangerous citizens of ademoc-
racy. They who gain applause and power
by ~pandering to the mistakes, the preiu-
dices and passions OF the multitude, are
the enemies of liberty. When the intelli.
gent submit to the olamor Of the many,
anarchy begins and the republic reaches
tho edge of chaos. Mediecrity, touched
with ambition, ~fiatters the base and
c~alqinniates the great, while the true pa
triot who will do neither is often sacri-
feed. In a government of the people a
leader should be q teaeher-he should
carry the torch Of truth. Most people
are the slaves Of habit; followers OF Gus
toms; believers iii the wisdom of the
past, and were 1t not for brave and
splendid souls 1.-THE dust OF antique time
would lie nnswept and mountainous, or
be too highly heaped for truth to eve
peer
Custom liz apxison locked and barred
by those who long ago were dust, the
keys Of which are in the keeping of the
q cad, Nothing is grander than when Z
strong, intrepid mar breaks chains, levels
walls, and breasts the. En~any-headed mob,
4 a great cliff that meets and moeks the
lnnrmerable pillows of the ssa. The
politician hastens to agree with the ma.
jority; insists that their prejudice is Da-
triotism; that their ignorance is wisdom,
not that he loves them, but because he
loves himself. The statesman, the real re.
former, ~dencunoes the mistakes OF the
multitude; attacks the preiudices OF his
countrymen, laughs al their follies, de
neunces their credulities, enlightens
and enlarges their minds, and ed
ucates their consciences, net be
cause he loves himself, but because
he loves and serves the right, and wjshe.
&c make his country great and free. VIII
MIN defeat is but a spur to further effort
He who refuses to stoop, who cannot bs
brlbed by the promise of success, or thu
lear OF failure, who walks the highway O,
The right, and in disaster stands erect. i,
the only victor. Nothing is mere despic
able than to reach fame by crawling
position by cringiHg, When real histor,
h be written by the truthful and TIL
Wise, these men, these kneelers at tn,
snrfnes of chance and fraud, these braze,
idols, ~worshipped once as gods. will h
the very food of scern, while those VIII,
bore the burden of defeat, who earne,
and kept their se~lf-respect, who woul,
not show fear to man or men. place q
power, will wear upon their brows til
laurel mingled with the oak.
Roscoe Conkling was q man of courage
He not only acted without fear. but i
had that fortitude Of soul that bears til
consequences Of The course pursued with
out2eomplaint. He was charged wit
being proud. The charge was true-h
wa proud. His knees were as infexibl
as \ "unwedgeahle and gnarled oak,
put he was not vain. Vanity rests q
I~hesopinion OF others-pride, on Il owr
q source OF vanity Is from without-c
prades from within. Vanity is a van
Ina tufTs,a willow that bends with ever
preeze--pride Is the oak that defes til
storm. One is a cloud, the other a roc
-one IS weakness, the other strength.
Ihls imperious man entered public III
"a sne dawn of the reformatiou-atn tim
Wnen the country needed men OF pride
OF principle, and courage. The institr
lion OF slavery had poisoaes all til
springs OF power. Before this criiaa an
pltlon fell upon its knees. Politician.
Judges, clergymen and merchant prince
bowed low and hnnbly, with their hat
10 their hands. The real friend Of ma
was denounced ms the enemy OF his cour
try. The real emsIny of the human rae
was called o statesman aud q patrio
Slavery was the bond and pledge {