Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-05-10
TRIBUTE TO THE DEAD
INGERSOIL BRINGSTHECHOICESTFLOWE
OF 0RATORY
To the Grave Of lis Fuali-A Touching
ard Eloquent address .a Memory Of
Roscoe COnkir- Delivered at
Albany, Yesterday.

/ iEALBANY, n. Y, May 9-Thirty-fve
hundred persons in the Academy o! Music
in this city, tonight, listened to an Grafton
by Col. Robert c. Ingersoll to the memory
Of Roscoe Conkling The ceremonies were
unde! the auspices of the Senate aud As
sembly. Col. lngersoll said:
"Roscoe Conkling; a great man, an ora
tor, a statesman, a lawyer, distinguished
citizen Of the republic, in the zenith of his
fame and power has reached his journeys
end and we are met, here in the city Of his
birth, to pay our tribnte to his worth and
work. He earned and held a proud posi-
tion in the public thought. He stood for
independence, for courage, and above all,
for absolute integrity, and his name was
known and hOnored by many millions OF
his fellow men.
In the grave should be buried the pref
udice9 and passions born of conflict.
Charity should hold the scales in which
are weighed the deeds Of men. Peculiar
ities traits born OF locality and suriouud-
ings-these are but the duet OF the race
these are accidents, clothes, drapery,
fashions that have nothing TO GOwith the
man except 10 hide his character. They
are the clouds that cling to MOUNTAINS
Time gives us clearer vision. That
which was merely local fades away. The
words OF envy are forgotten, and al there
il OF sterling worth remains lie who was
called a partisan Is q patriot. The revOlu-
tlOni3t and the outlaw are the founders OF
nations, ard he who was regarded ~ 4
schemiog, selfish politician becomes a
statesman, philosopher whose words
and deeds shed light Fortunate is
that nation great enough TO know
the great When great man
I de5-one who has nOhIy fought
the battle OF life, who has been faithful
| to every trust and has uttered his highest,
noblest thought-One who has stood proud
ly by the rIght in spite of -er aud taunt,
neither stopped by Toe, nor swerved by
| lrieud-in hOnOriug him, in speaking
words Of praise and love above hts dust,
we pay tribute to ourselves.
"Rosc0c Conkling was n man of superb
/ NbAlaENs ihN h'A WIN tlilNb " lllllNl ltAl q
/ but ne had that ioItitude of s0u that
! haGTg the consequences Of the course pUr-
| sued without complaint. lie was charged
with being proud. The charge in true-hc
was proud. His knees were as iuhrNible
as the 'unwsugable and gnarled oak But
| he was not vain. Vanity tests on the
| opinion of others, pride on our own. The
| source Of vanity Is from without, o! pride
from within Vanity is vane that turns,
willow that bends with every breeze;
pride is the oak that delies tine storm. One
Is cloud, the other rock. Ole is weakness,
! the other strength.
Roscoe ConklIng was an absolutely hon
est man, He MAS the ideal representative,
faithful and incorrupuble. He believed
taat his constituents and his country
we're eliitlvd II the fruit Of has eN-
perlence to his best and highest thought.
No man ever held the standard o
responsibility higher than We. lie
voted according To his Judgment, his con
science. lie made no bargains he neither
bought nor sold. His hand was never
touched by ANY pnce, and on his sou
there never was a sUTdid stain. POveTty y
was his priceless crown.
lie was a great lawyer. He understood
the framework, the anatomy, the tOunda'
tlons OF law; was familiar with the great
! streams and currents and tides OF author
lty. lie had no patience with pretense-
with patriotic reasons for unmauly acts.
| lie did his work and bravrly spoke his
| thought Sensitive 10 the last degree, he
| keeDly iclt the blows and sLab3 OF the en-
| ylOus aud Obsuure--Dl the smallest, OF the
weaRest-but the greatest could not dnve
| hlm from convictIon's field. lie would
not stuop To ask or give an explanation.
| He felt mis- words aud deeds to iusiliy
themselves.
lie was an Americln-prOud Of his
country, that was and ever Will be proud
Of him. lie did not find perfection only
in other lands. lie did not grow small
and shruuken, withered and apOlOgetlc, III
the presence OF those upon whom great
ness had been thrust by chance. lie
could not be oyerawed by Dukes
or Lords, nor tattercd into
vertebral subseryenCy by the patronizing
smiles OF kings. In the midst of conven-
tiOnIltleS he had the feeling OF suliJCa.
tiOn. lie believed in the royalty Of man.
in the sovereignty of the citizen,
aud in the malchless greatness Of
those public lie was OF the
classic moud--a figure from the antique
world. He had the pose of the great
statues-the pride and bearing OF the in
telIectuGl Greek, OF the conquering Roman
and he stood in the WIDE free air as
though within his veins flowed the blood
ol hundred kings.
And as he lived he died. Proudly he
entered the darkness Of the dawn-that we
call death. Jnshrinkingly he passed be.
yond our horizon, beyond the twiIghts
purple hills, beyond the utmost reach OF
harm or help--to that vast realm OF silence,
OF OF Joy, where the innumerlbe dwell, and
he has left with us MS wealth Of thought
and deed-the memory Of a brave, imperl-
Ous, honest man.