Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-04-26
ROSCOE CONKLING

New York Mail and Express.
Few men could be more conciliatory
and fascinating than Roscoe Conkline
knew so well how to be, when friendship
or favoritism or party loyalty moved him
to the display of his best gifts and traits
1t required most extraordinary combi.
nation of these qualities, and the strong
est will and most unwayering purpose as
well, for him to get and keep the hold
upon Gen. Grant that he maintained SC
long. And even those who became most
alienated from him because of his atti-
tude toward Presidents Hayes, Garfield,
and Arthur-each in turn the object of
his hostile epithets and epigrams
feel inclined to linger on that period of
Mr.. Conkling's career in which he was at
his best-supreme arbiter of Federal pa
tronage in this State, yet showing many
high and noble traits, both as Senator
and as loyal and answering friend;
revelling in the display of intellectual and
moral powers that were all meant for dis
play; dangerous antagonist and hard
hitter, but capable of magnificent cour-
tesies, fighting for honest finance, proud
of the Senatorial dignity and maintain
ing it without reproach.
Mr.. COnkling went to the House for
the first time in 1859, but made no mark
until his second term, when the emergen-
cies of civil war compelled an extra ses-
sion, and his patriotism, courage and ac-
tivity were of great value. OF the men
who were leaders in the House during
that Congress, the ablest-T -Thaddeus Ste
vens-took a great liking for him, and
the old tyrant of the Republican major
ity took up the brilliant and handsome
Young New Yorker as his special favor
ite. Even as to that early period Ben:
Perley Poore, in his "reminiscences, speaks
of Conkling as one "who had just enter
ed upon the theatre of his future fame,
commanded attention by superb choice
of words in debate and by his wonderful
felicity Of expression and epigrammatic
style"
The turning point of Mr.. Conkling's
career was when, as Senator, he managed
to obtain that perfect confidence which
President Grant came to repose in him,
and the mastery of the Federal patron
age in this State. The full history is yet
to be written of the political and personal
troubles and tragedies that came out of
this remarkable bestowal of Presidential
confidence and power. There was no ne
cessity for the alienation of Senator Fen
ton and Horace Greeley from President
Grant. There was time, not very long
before the "Greeley bolt" began to be
when both Greeley and Fenton
were ready to be on good working terms
with Grant, and he was glad to receive
their assurances to that effect. We speak
we know. But Mr.. Conkling
prevented the attempted reconciliation,
and the breach between Grant on the one
side and Greeley and Fenton on the other
and deepened, and the Repub-
lican divisions developed greater and
greater bitterness, until the whole party |
and all good citizens felt in common the |
sincerest sympathies and regrets, as they
the death of Horace Greeley.
OF Mr.. Conkling's Senatorial career |
dlGoI Ho ocCdulO Ilio icCOShiLcu dulHihIo-
tration leader, the most important histOr-
ical facts are yet to be recorded. He was
a splendid Senatorial figure, not an en-
bodiment Of great sentiments and prin-
ciples, as Sumner was; nor great con-
lawyer, in the sense that Car
penter and Edmunds were; nor legis-
Iator whose history is recorded in stat
1tas az TOhn Sherman wac-hut an i'm /
perious and adored party chieftain, pow
erful in committee and secret work, tn-
equalled in his control over patronage,
and the admired of an army of politici- !
ans of all sorts and sizes.