Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-07-29
Ions CHARLES FREMONT


Fremont 1. dead. The new. bring,
ho.t ~ thronging recollection. Ia tl'c
mind. ~ men Who remember tho ~.
citing time. ~ ~. The Whig party hal
gone to piece. On the slavery Issue, snl
on u. ruin. had ari.~n ~. neN l.epubll-
can PARTY, whose slogan, "frrmpni, frrr
soil, frc- men." smnie omlnOu.ly On the
ear. of the .laVc.holding oligtrvhy ani
va. the nr.t determined preliminary
not. Ia th. irr-pt-..lblc coniiict cl1." at
hand.
Fremont Wis the central flgurr AZ
most critical junciurv iu the nition's
history. H. was not one II thr run-
.plcuou. aud we'll knosn leaders IN the
snii..la,rry movement, bat a young min
Of hiif.forrign anie,rient. ani south
cfn birth, vhose rom inilc ani ad'"nin-
rou. carver hal frri thu popular In
aglnation lni made the .ubjc,t popu-
lar hero. H. Nas known to q" oi pr'-
nounc-i anti-.liycry ,icSs, bat be- hld
not fgurri prominently Ia polltic'. IL
"a. the beet known a. ''thr pathfinder
the intrepid explorer 20 th" rrgions
north ~ the Missouri aui beynni thr
Rocky Mountains, Who had opened the
mountain pass-. aud nearly doubled the
are, of the country. 1h~.s we're hl.
..r,Ic-.. bat their fall measure Wns not
appf-ciateI in lSji, when he reviewed
tn. nomination Over Mr.. seward ani
Judge Mclean, a. the most available
candidate.
That VA. thlrty-fnur year. ago. The
rtmpaIgn which folloNcd cNc-'sl'sl even
the 'rppecanOe campaign Tor cNcii"ineni
aud intense feeling. IL could not b"
oth.rwi... for the issne va. for the first
time .duarely drawn between slavery
anil Freedom. frrmont was defeated,
bat th. fact that he received ! I electoral
vote. to III for Jane. IIuchInln, show
ed the vitality II the party then scarcr a
wear old. The hr.t Republican canii-
lat. for the Presidency llye,lto s"c the
second candidate elected. and every l.e-
publIcan candidate since but Que. lie
.aw the black clouds ot civil war roll
down and enVelop the country. lie took
AL. part Ia that war. aud -aw the triumph
of freedom. cause, tile abolition ot
slavery, aud the erection Of th. former
.lay. Into q Citizen. lie liNcl Ia see the
Great West which he explored, bccoine
rich ani populou. States. to .ec rail-
road. pierre. the mount in passes and
great elite. rice where he had found =
wilderness. IL had long outli'c'i both
buchanan and FILLMORE. his compctitor.
In l>5G, u. we'll a. seward aud Mciran,
hi. rival. for the nomination that year.
Nearly al the great hgurcs of the war
period, Lincoln, AMI his cabluct, Grant
and nj. generals, aud the leading states
men of the time, b. had seen cOlne upon
the stage. play their parts and make
their .xlt, Ia b. .ucceelel by new grn-
Grafton. AMI when lee had b"cotDc an
old man. lonely almost hut for hl. dss
voted hclpmttr. the daughter of 'fhomt.
BENTON, and broken la fortune, he eN-
p.rienccl the gratitude of iiis country
without regsrd Ia party, In tll" act oi
Last March placing HIN on ibe retired
Il.t Of the army with the rank ani pay
of n major general.
Ia the death of John Charlie. fremoni.
the country Loses a uniqne and interr.t-
ing figure. IIl. wa. long llfe-he
would have been - next January-aIld
II Ma. career crowded With romantic
incident ani adventure. Ills record Ia
the civil war I. the only part unworthy
Of him, ani that was due to his ardent
Gallic temperament aud impatience un.
der restraint, aud not to any want of
patriotism. III. service. before ls6l
were splendid In achievement AMI result.
and hi. coniuct IN Withdrawing from
the Presidential contest al a critical time
In lsst, wa. prsiseworthy. u viii be
long before the country forg-t- the
Pathfinder.