Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1888-11-29
sEwARD's STATUE UNVEILED.
The City of Auburn, N. T., Presented an
Heroic Statue of William H. Seward
Speech by Senator Evarts.

AUBURN, n. ", Nov. 15.-The cere-
mony OF unveiling the Seward statue
took place to-day in the presence OF
large concourse OF people, including
many distinguished guests from out OF
town. The W. H. Seward Republican
club of New York came in body. The
statue is OF bronze, and rises from a
pedestal nine feet in height, the figure
OF Seward being just one-half larger
than life size. 1t represents him stand
ing in the act OF delivering his famous
higher law sentiment, his right foot ex-
tended, his right hand impressively
pointing heavenward With the ped
estal it's height from the ground is
eighteen feet. The sculptor is Walter
E. Robinson of Auburn, who waspres-
ent. The statue is presented to Au-
burn by citizens, and upon its east
face is this inscription:
Presented Nov. 10. 1883, to the city Of
| Auburn by the townsmen and friends of
William ii. Seward, ia commemoration oil
| his beneficient lie and of his distinguished
services to state, to nation and to man
| kind.
The north face is inscribed William
II. Seward, lSOlIS72, and the west
face has the last eight lines OF RAN
dolph's sonnet. viz:
How through these years in silence thou
| hast borne
| The cruel doubt the ISLANDERS Of debate
1 The assassin's knife, and keener blade oil
| scorn
Welded by party in its narrow hate.
How could d'st thou pause each step to vim
| dicate
| Of thy SURPRISING work Lo, il is done;
| Freedom enshrined ia our regenerate state,
And they who were divided made as one.
The south face bears a quotation
from Stewards California speech in the
senate March IL, 1850:
The constitution regulates our steward
ship, the constitution devotcs the domain
| to union, to Justice, to defense, to welfare
| and to liberty. But there is higher law
| than the constitution, which regulates our
| authority over the domain and devotes IL
to some noble purposes
| Below on the base i'm large capitals
is the name seward" The exercises
in Genesee opera house, and the for
NAL speech OF presentation to the city
was delivered by Hon. Theodore NJ.
Pomeroy In conclusion Mr.. Pomeroy
presented the statue to the city as
represented by Mayor Austin, who ac-
cepted it in brief terms, after which
Senator Evarts, the orator OF the oc-
casion, was presented and, in opening,
said:
Rich men wished to hasten, brave men
feared to meet, wise men prepared for the
inevitable outburst of the ''irrepressibe
conflict" From the time when in 1919
| Mr.. Seward took his seat in the senate. un-
til he left it to take his place in Lineolns
cabinet, he had no other view than this.
that slavery by his voice or vote or ac-
quiescence should gain enlargement Of
strength or spread or duration. and that 1t
must abide its fate under the constitution
and within the Union That this involved
of necessity its decay, its decline and itsde-
struction was as apparent to his forecast
rs il was uppermost in his purpose and de-
sire. Midway in his senatorial service the
repeal Of the Missouri compromise was ac-
complished. and an issue was handed over
to sheer trial of strength between two
geographical sections with whatever meth
ods and results might pertain to trial OF
right by might.
The speaker then dwelt upon Sew
ards admirable diplomacy in dealing
with foreign nations, his wisdom in
averting the dangers that menaced the
north, and said these exigencies de-
manded unsleeping vigilance and an
active and energetic diplomacy. Mr..
Evarts then referred TO the death OF
Lincoln, and then added:
| Lincoln alone held in one hand he moral,
political, magisterial gentle and powerful
domination over the minds and hearts OF
HE countrymen. which could sway them to
controlling duties and purposes, and that
hand had lost its cunning and its strength
, Suddenly the task was passed by the con
| stitmtlon into nnpreparel. unselected. IN
instructed hands. No statesman was ever
. placed in more difficult circumstances than
befell Mr.. Seward by this tragic calamity.
Yet nothing was more peremptOry than
that Mr.. Seward should stand between the
: living and the dead and attempt to stay
the plague of confusion Of counsels vehe-
mence oi passions and fight of factions
{ which ensued upon the death ri the pres-
dent. All these, as we know. eliminated in
, an attempt oi the two houses of congress
To depose the president through the const-
tutional process OF Impeachment. Failure
T saved MS from disaster which would have
been to our constitution reproach to the
, past, peril Ia the present and "A menace
to the future. And thus came to an end
the great drama Of civil war, and thus the
public life of Mr.. seward was brought to its
close.
Mr. Evarts closed with tribute to
Mr.. Seward's private life and char
acter.