The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-16
GENERAL JOHN c. FREMONT.

The death of General John G. Fremont
removes one of the oldest as well as one
of the most conspicuous characters this
country has ever produced. Hislife and
history has been so prominent in the his
tory of this country for the past half CEN
| tury that no one who is at all familiar
with the latter can fail of a tOlerably full
and accurate acquaintance with the for
mer Much of what he accomplished
was done in the face of adverse circum-
stances and against formidable Opposi-
| ton, yet these gave opportunity and
called into active exercise those stern
! qualities of his nature. his powers of will
and determination, and these developing
to remarkable degree, gave him prOmi-
nence through the successes they en-
abled him to achieve. General Fremont
was a positive character, in many re-
spects similar to Abraham Lin
coin, and with the latter so
impressed himself upon the country as
to form an important and indissolubIe
chapter in the country's complete history
Of the century in which he lived. Like
Mr.. Lincoln, General Fremont was a cit
izen Of and belonged tothe United States,
the accident of his birth or places Of sub
seqUent residence giving those localities
no greater claim to him as a citizen than
any others. If, however, any one sec
ton of the country could assert a stron-
ger plea for recognition as especially
interested in and identified with his life
work above another. that section is the
great west, which is largely indebted to
his genius and toiIsome researches for its
rapid advancement in civilization and
material development. although he never
had a permanent abode In the west until
within the past few years and then for
only a short time.
In reading the plain, unvarnished tale
of General Fremont's life, one discovers
one feature, common no doubt to the
lives of all eminent men, but particular
" marked and bold in his biography.
He did not wake up to fame He prob
ably never found an acme of happiness
in his attainments. The JOY that might
have animated from his successes was
almost always curtailed and benumbed
by trouble. First he was expelled from
school, and while this may seem trivial
to men, the youth must have felt the
disgrace keenly. Again his marriage
was opposed and had to be consummated
clandeStinely. He was beaten in the
presidential race. After heroic work in
the center of the continent beset by cold
and starvation and later in California,
with all odds against him defending
the union and her citizens against
Its enemies there, by very
pardonable mistake Of taking
the wrong man for his superior office he
was brought back to Fort Leavenworth
and the reward he received for his serv-
Ices to the country was a court martial
ard virtually dismissal from the army.
Later on in the civil war he was relieved
Of his command as major general and
the only appeaSement offered him in re-
turn was an uncomfortable post. Then
up TO few months of his death the gov
eminent cast an undeServed stigma on
his name. He was patriotic throughout
John {. Fremont may have had his own
nature and temperament to blame for
goodly portion of his misfortunes, but an
impartial judge would without doubt
call the republic ungrateful. 1t is an old
saw couched in a thousand different
words, but always meaning the samoa
man doesn't have to be great to be happy.