Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-08
Randall,s Death.

WASHINGTON, Mar 1.-The death of
Randall has revived hundred stories
illustrative of the character of that
statesman. 1t is the old story of man
more honored in death than in life. Not
that Randall ever lacked respect from
friend or foe, but that factional hatred
in his own party was SO rife and bitter
against him during the latter years OF his
life that his removal from the scenes of
political activity was necessary to clear
the vision of the men whose
gratitude to him should have been ever
lasting and to reveal him to them in his
true proportions. 1t was enough to
make him turn In his coffin when some
of the Southern Democrats, who had
for years charged him with being Re-
publican spy in the Democratic camp
and paid advocate of protection, joined
in the laudatious of his patriotism, in
tegrity and devotion TO Democratic prin-
ciples. No doubt it is ingrstious to re-
fleet upon mourner's sincerity, but in
some cases such reflections come uubid-
den to many lips and are very generally
expressed.
There is no doubt, however, of the
substantial unanimitY of grief of people
here without regard TO party. No great
man in civil life since Conkling has been
followed TO his grave with more generous
sorrow. The position of these
two statesmen was unique, and
not dis-similar in this, that
while each was a pronounced partist n,
each had quite as many admirers in the
opposition party as in his own. With
very different intellectual equipments
and accomplishments, Randall and
Conkling were also alike In the intensity
of their preiudices, in their devotion to
personal friends, aud in their absolute
dnwillingness to allow these personal
friendships, strong as they were, to i'll
fluence them in the discharge of their
public duty.
"Had it not been for Samuel ]. Ran.
dali, - said Col. Ochiltrae, "the bill to
restore Gen. Grant to the grade OF gen.
eral of the army would never haye been
passed. was member of the house at
that time. Every time the bill came up
it was antagonized by filibustering by the
brigadler element, and the case seemed
hopeless. This was the situation
within forty minutes of the close
of the second session OF the Forty eighth
congress. Several important bills, in
Guiding the sundry civil and general de-
firienUy bills, were yet to be passed and
Randall had them in charge. l was the
whip of the Grant bill. Randall was
standing in the aisle and said: Il now
call up the Grant bill. At once there
was an uproar. Wellborn, of Texas land
others rushed toward him exclaiming
'You shan't pass that bill Randall
stood as firm as rock and replied loud
enough TO be heard all around: Il will
pass It by, aud nothing shall be
done till It is passed. The DIRECTORS
howled louder than ever, only to make
HIM frmer than before in his determine
ton. He held his ground against all
threats and pieadings and won the fight
by sheer force of will.
''Not until then was general leg
islation allowed to go on.
We hadn't moment to
spare The bill was engrossed In a
hurry. 1 grabbed it up and gave it to
Butler Malone, who ran with it to the
senate. That body passed it Immedi-
ately. President Arthur was at the
capitol and signed it forthwith. 1t was
his last official act, and IL was Cleye-
lands first 10 make the appointment
authorized by the act. But for Samuel
]. Randall Grant would not have died
general of the United States army, and
Randall always had an honest pride IN
the thought. This scene and the one in
which he resisted the passage of the
Force bill stand out most wildly in his
tory among all the events of Randall s
life, -