The Irish standard., 1888-04-21
DEATH OF ROSCOE OONK.LING.
New York's Ex-senator Passed away a
l.5O O'clock " ednesday Morning.

| Senator from New York, and noted Re
| publican Statesman died at his home,
10 West Twenty fourth street, New
York city, at $50 o'clock Wednesday
morning. Death was caused by an op-
Grafton performed by cutting away a
portion Of the mastord bone behind the
left ear on April 9th, the operation
being the only remaining chance Of saw
ing his life, but unfortunatelya proved
a hopeless one. MI Conkling was born
at Albany, N. Y, October 80. 1929, and
was IS years OF age at the time Of his
death. At the age Of 19 he was appoint
ed district attorney for Oneida Coun-
! ty, in 1858 he was elected mayor Of
Utica. For four years he represented
his district in the NATIONAL House of
Representatives, being defeated for a
third term by Francis Herman. In 1856
he was elected to the United States
Senate and WAS reelected in 1872 and
1873. On March oath, 1881, the trouble
arose between the administration and
Senator Conk!ing which ended in the
defeat of the latter and his retirement
from politics. On the above date Presi-
dent Garfield sent to the senate the
name Of Gen. Robertson as
collector of the port Of New York. The
election of Mr.. Robertson WAS bitterly
opposed by both New York Senator'S
Conkling and Platt--but without avail.
Gen. Robertson was confirmed and the
designations of Roscoe Conkling and I.
G. Platt Of their seats in the United
States Seuate resulted. They sought a
vindlcation at the hands of the !4egisla-
ture of New York, but failing a re-
election retired permanently from poll
tics. Since then MIR. Conkling has de-
voted his whole time to his immense
law business. His success as a lawyer
and politician is perhaps unequailed by
any other man in our country's history.
Mrs. Conkling, who survives him, is a
sister of the late Ex-Governor Horatio
Seymour.
Roscoe Conkling was not without his
faults--faults that lost him opp ortun-
tiles within the limits of the Republican
party-perhaps they were such as Kept
him from becoming the chief magistrate
of this great Republic. Proud and
naughty in demeanor, he never became
popular with the masses Of his country
men. But who will say he was not the
soul of honor?-- fearless, honest, con-
sistent He was Republican and a
partisan in the strictest sense Of the
term; for this his motives cannot be
impugne6. Roscoe Conkling was a Re-
publican because he believed in the
principles set forth in that partY's early
history by men Of his own stamp AMI
honor, and if he erred in Judgment as
to the course to be taken or policy to be
pursued for the government of the
American Republic-for the best good
of all it's citizens-as we are won't to be-
lieve. it must be acknowledged that the
intent was good and pure-that heart
and soul were given to principle and
Justice, as he saw it, never deviating to
the right or left through an occasion
of fear or for any favor that might be
heaped upon him. He was partisan
there is something about the word to
be admired. Conscientious as Roscoe
Conkling was, for him there was no
middle ground. To be honest in pol
itics, as in everything else where great
issues are involved, he looked upon it as
mans bounden duty to be guided purely
by princlple-to stand upon the one
side or the other However much we
may have outgrown this idea in our
time and day the candid conviction
must still come back to all that it is one
of the purest and best traits of human
character. In Roscoe Conkling's death
the Republican party has lost one of its
ablest champions, the country one Of
its greatest statesmen, and from the
stage Of life has passed away a man
who, during his public career, the stain
|of jobbery, corruption Or dishonesty
never tainted, .sssss