The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-04-21

one occasion, when Roscoe was quite young,
his father was announced to speak at .
political meeting in Livingston county.
When no came forward on the platform, the
chairman introduced him as Judge Conk-
ling, the father of Roscoe Conkling." The
judges dignity was offended, aud after tho
meeting he took the chairman to task for the
manner Of the introduction
Senator Conkling has given graphic &C
count OF his determination to devote himself
to the law. al lay dangerously i'll at Utica
no said; "my breath coming painfully, tho
shadow Of the King Of Terrors darkening my
bed, and then reflected how little had &C
cumulated for those depending upon me-
had given the twenty best years OF my life to
my country instead Of to my family; and
there | rededicated myself, and promised
that, il God would let me 1.-Two, would de-
vote my remaining years to those having
right to my protection. So am giving my
whole attention TO the law"
That his devotion TO law practice Is com
plete, his opponents in many important cases
can testify. Speaking of tho necessity Oh
concentrating his attention, he once SAID:
"The law is a jealous mistress, and In TINS
coun, y 50 vast and wide, ii an attorney at
tends to the calls Of his profession he viii
find that his waking hours are too much
taken up with his business to allow him to
devote much attention to anything else. In
England-which, leaving out Wales, Is
about the size Of New York state-a
man can DO in the house OF commons
and still can practice law, but in Amer
lea, where q New York lawyer Is e1-
pected to do business, not only in the
many courts Of that state, but in the neigh
boring states, and even in Illinois, Missouri
and California, it is simply out Of tho ques-
ton for him to NEEDLE with politics or any
thing elss. For many years / ignored this,
to the injury Of my practice, but assidu-
ously refrain from attending to anything
else but my business One Of the greatest
proofs Of the divinity and authenticity Of tho
Christian religion is its survival OF hypocrisy
within and attacks upon its faith from with
out So the strongest surely that our gov
eminent will endure is that il an adminlstra-
ton makes grievous blunders, as We some
times think all the losses are made up and
disappear in the grand avalanche of prosper
ity. But why do you ask mo about politicsa
1t would be immodest for me to attempt to
talk about matters in business Of which
know nothing. 1t is as though should give
q long talk about the manufacture Of glucose,
when there are hundreds of men who know a
thousand times as much as do about it."
1t has been well said that Roscoe Conkling
made but one notable mistake in politics;
but it was monumental one. The attempt
to introduce English methods into congress
by resignation and an appeal to the peo-
ple," was such colossal blunder that the
first announcement Of 1t stunned the people.
It was funny feature Of the excitement of
1881 that the oldest and shrewdest politicians
were as much bewildered by the designations
of Senators Conkling and Platt, and as I'M
certain Of the final result, Is the novices. 1t
is claimed that their reelection was, in .
sense, prevented by trick. The so-called
"Half Breeds" in the legislature saw q little
in advance Of the "Stalwarts," or supporters
Of the two senator's, that tho people were not
pleased with the resignation, and that il
time could be gained for members to hear
from their constituents the defeat Of the two
for reelection could be secured. Accordingly,
two or three "HaK Breeds concocted
scheme for adjournment and carried it just
before Governor Cornells message announc-
ing the resignation reached the assembly. The
needed time was gained, and Messrs. Platt
and Conkling were defeated The assassina-
ton Of Garfield also came at the most unfortu-
nate time for the two aspirants. Against
such formidable combination Of men and
circumstances even the mighty organizing
genius of Roscoe Conkling could not prevail.
The ex-senator has for some time been q
familiar and very pleasant figure in New
York city. Straight and manly in bearing
as ever, though somewhat stouter, no shows
few signs Of age, save in his silvery hair and
beard. His firm and we'll knit frame was ap-
parently as strong as ever when the great
blizzard of March - struck New York He
was then engaged three hours in a struggle
to reach his home, and arrived completely ex
hausted; from that came neuralgia pains in
his head, an abscess In his cor, and many
other Ills, which showed too plainly that bis
strength had been overtaXed