River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-05-17
PRAISE FOR coNKLIN0.

His Record rs a Legislator. Patriot,
Citizen and Leader Ills Unfinching
Honesty, Matchless EIoquence and Love
OF Truth.
ALBANY, n Y. May I0-Thirty-five hun
dred persons listened in the Academy Of
Music in this city last night to an Grafton
by Colonel Robert G.. IngersOll to the mem
Dry Of Roscoe COnkling, and one fourth as
many more bcsieged the barred doors,
while many climbed TO the roof
and peeped through the sky-lights
Ine ceremonies were under the au-
spices Of the Senate and Assembly The
Grafton was an eloquent eulogy Of the char
actSr of the dead as political lawyer and
a man. The speaker was at his best and
his words were listened to by the great
audience with close attention. Colonel In
gersOll said:
Roscoe Conkling-a great man, an orator.
statesman, 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 20 pay our
tribute 10 his worth and work. He earned and
leld proud position 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
q 5 fellow men.
The literature OF many lands IS rich with the
tributes that gratitude. adm ration and love
nave paid 70 the great AMI honored dead. These
tributes disclose the characters OF naiio S, the
ideals of the human race In them we ind the
stimates 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 shadow, and that faults and failures mingle
with the lives OF all. In the graves should be
buried the preiud ees and passions born Of con-
hiot. Charity should hold the scales in which
are weighed the deeds of men Peculiari-
lies, ira Is born Of locality and surround
ings-these are but the dust of the race; these
are accidents, drapery, clothes, fashions, that
have nothing 10 do with the man except TO
Tide his character. They are the clouds that
cling TO mountains. Time gives US clearer vs-
ion. That which was merely local fades away.
The words OF envy are forgotten, and all tGe.e
is OF sterling worth remains He who was
called partisan is patriot The revolution
ist and the outlaw are the founders OF nations,
ana he who was regarded as scheming selfish
politician becomes a statesman, a philoso-
pher whose words and deeds shed light. Fort
innate is that nation great enough 10 know the
great. When great maa d es-one who has
nObiy fought the battle OF a lie, who has been
faithful 10 every trust and has uttered 5 high
est, nOblest thought; one who has stood proudly
by the right in spite Of .leer and taunt, ne Their
stOppH5 % foe nor swerved by friend-in honor
inC m, in speaking words OF praise and love
r.Oove his dust, we pay q tr butte } ourselves.
How poor this world woull l. without its
graves, without the memories OF its mighty
dead, Only the vOiceless speak forever. Intel-
ligence, integrity and courage are the great
pillars that support the State. Above all, the
citizens Of a free Nation should honor the
brave and independent mantle man OF
stainless integrity, OF VIII and intel
lectual force Such men are the Aliases on
fsrF,g assr obs
OF the republ c. F!atterers. eringers, crawlers,
time-seryers are the dangerous citizens Of
democracy. They who gam ap-
plause and power by pandering 10 the
N stakes, the preiudces and passions OF the
multitude are the enemies OF liberty. When
the intelligent submit to the Clamor OF the
many, anarchy begins, and the republic reach
es the edge OF chaos. Mediocriy, touched
with ambition, fiatters the base and ealumni-
ates the great while the true patriot, who will
DO neither. is often sacrificed. Ia govern
ment OF the people a leader should be
a teacher-he should carry the torch Of truth.
Most people are tue slaves of habit, followers
OF custom. believers Ct wisdom in the past;
and were It not for brave and splendid souls
1.-The dust Of antique time would e uawept and
mountainous error be too highly heaped for
truth 10 ever peer Custom is prison, locked
and barred by those who long ago were dust,
the keys OF which are in the keeping Of the
dead.
Nothing is grander than when strong, in
trepid man breaSs CHAINS, levels walls and
breasts the many-headed mob like some great
clin that meets and mOcks the innumeraGle
pillows OF the sea. The politician hasiens 10
agree with the matority-insists that their
preiud ce Is patriotism, that their Ignorance is
sd m not that he loves thep, but because
he loves himself The sta.esman-the real re-
iormer-pOints out the mistakes OF the multi
tUde, attacks the preiu Ices o. his cOuntTymen,
laughs at their foll.es, denoauces their cruel
ties enlignIens ana enlaIges their minds,
and educates the conscience, not because
he loves himself, but because he loves
and serves the right and wishes TO
make his country great and free. With
him defeat Is bat spur 10 further
effort He who refuses to stoop, who can not
tie bubed by the prom Sc OF success, or the
fear OF failure who walks the highway OF the
right and in disaster stands erect, is The only
victor. Nothing is more despicabie than to
reach fame by crawliug-poSitiou by cring-
ing. When real history shall be writ
ten by the truthful and the wise, these
men, these kueelers az the sh ines OF
chance and fraud, these brazeI dolls wor-
shipped once as gods, " Il be the very food OF
scOrn, while those who bore the burden OF de-
feat, who earned and kept their seli-respect,
who would not bow to man or men for place or
power, VIII wear upon their brows the laurel
mingled with the oak.
Roscoe ConkIing was a man OF superb cour-
age. He not OILY acted with ut fear, but he
had the forti;ude OF soul that bears the conse-
Quencss OF the cOu Sc pursued without COM
plaint He was charged with being proud. The
charge was true-he as prouL lis knees were
as luficxibe as tie unwedgeat lie and gnarled
oak but he WAS not vain. Vanity rests on the
opinion OF otbCrs-pr.de on our own. The
source OF vanity IS from w.thCut-of PRIDE from
with u. Vanity is a yane ih,t tuins, a willow
that bends with every bret ze-pride is the oak
that uefes the STERN. One IS cloud. the other
rock: enc is weakness. the 9TH strength. This
imperious man cntei ed public lie n the dawn
Of The refoi matiOn-at a tine IN the untry
needed men OF pride, prncipi, ID courage.
The institute OF slavery had pc soned all the
springs CT power Before this crime ambition
fell upon lis knees, pol ticians, judges. clergy
men and merchant princes lowed low and
humby. with their hats in their hands. The
real friead OF man was denounced as the enemy
Of his county. the real enemy OF the human
race called a statesman and n patriot.
Slavery was the bond and pledge OF peace, of
union aud Natioi al greatness. TIE temple OF
Amer can lii erIy was finished; the auction
block was The cornerstone. T. IS hard TO
conceive OF The utter decentralization, OF the
political blindness and immortality, Of the
patriotic dishonesty, Of the cruelty and degra-
dation OF a people who supplemented the n
comparable Deciai alton OF Independence with
the Fugitive Slave Law. Think Of the honored
statesmen OF that ignObe time who wallowod
90 this mire, and who. decorated with ipping
filth, received tie plaudits OF their fellow men.
The noble. the really patriotic, were The VIC
tins OF mobs, and the shameless were clad in
the robes OF office. But let Us speak no word
OF blame; let us feel that each one acted &C.
cord ng 10 his lght-accordIng 10 his darlSLess.
Al last the conflict came. TIE hosts OF light
aud darkness prepared TO meet upon the fls!ds
or war. The quest on was presented; Shall the
Republic be 5 ave or froes Tae Republican par
" had tri-mphed at the polls. The greatest
man in cur history was Pres dent-elect. The vic
tors we're appalled-they shranx from the great
re 81 !b:ity OF success In the presence Of re-
be!lou they h5sitstcd-they offered 70 return
the fru Is OF victory. Hoping to avert war they
were willing that slavery should become m
mortal. An amendment TO tue constitut on
was proposes, 10 the effect that no subsequent
ameudme 4 should ever be made that in any
way should interfere with the RICH; of
man 70 steal his fellow men. Tn $, the
most marvellous proposition ever sub
mitted to "A Congress OF evil zed men received
in the House an overwhelming majority, and
the necessary twc-thiras in the Senate. The
Republican party, in the moment % its tri-
Umph, deserted every principle for which il had
SO calamity conteudcd, and with the trem bling
hands OF fear Land !ts convictions on the altar
Of compromise. Fzzxs
The old guard. NUMBER NJ but sixty-fys in
the House. stood as firm as the so at Ther-
mosvlas TnaAdeus Stsvens-as mahciousiy
GOT as any other man was ever wrong
refused to kneeL Owen LoyeJCy. rernem-
ber.ng his brothers noble blood, refused
20 surrender, ard on the edge OF dis
un.on. IN the shadow Of civil war, with