St. Paul daily globe., 1891-03-16

ann the gallant Fremont found, in this
| man OF the wilderness. Il genial and
worthy companion. His home was the
court life of the frontier, and shed
warm and genial luster over the rude
usageS of that era. His tastes. too, were
correct. He possessed critical iudg-
ment i'll both art and letters. His
| marked. His chirography was as
delicate as that of the most re-
| fined woman. 1t was an index
to the man. His composition was as
| pure and smooth as the polished pen Of
Addison. have letters from him as if
! written with a womrn'S hand and flow
| ing from wOman's heart.
We can but admire the sincerity of
| his character. His frank and undis-
sembling manner laid open Ills real
| views and sentiments. The fanlt the
| gross fault of multitudes of public men,
IS their absolute and shameful inSineer-
| ity. There was nothing dubious about
| him. If he was your friend. lie was
your friend indeed. If he believed
thing. it was to him a conviction. There
was none of that facile agreeing with
YOU which characieriZes weak men.
| And yet his frankneSS and firmneSS
| were without arrogance or the gross as
sumption of superiority. | do not be-
in life which his Judgment did not de-
lOerately approve. he always main
tanned, to my mind,
Singular SeIf-PossessIon,
a-quiet lirmneSs, never losing his equi-
poise, which gave him at all times the
! fulleXercise of his best Judgment And
| yet have seen him hotly indignant at
some outrage, as when the audaciouS
| GlaZier sought to rob his friend School
craft of the glory of the discovering of
the true fountains of the Mississippi.
deem him TO have been quite incapa-
bic Of any littlenesS or maanness. He
was cast III too magnanimOuS mold
for that. He was generous. too, even to
| an enemy. He was charitable without
ostentation. fnlly believe that IN his
life he did more real acts of kindness
/ and beneV0leucc to Indian people than
all the humanitarians Of Boston COM
bined
His sense of justice made him the fire.
| Quent referee of both the interests of
the state and of private contests as well.
1t was nO ordinary compliment that his
determination i'll matter affecting the
public interests was the undebated con-
cluSiOn of the whole matter. Like A riS-
tides, before all else. he was Just.
Whatever public office came to him.
Of high or low degree. he discharged its
duties with conscientious rectitude. un
tagging industry and unqueStoned 10y
atty to the public veal.
His moral character was simple and
unaffected. and his daily life bore ample
testimony to the sincerity of his con-
duet. As commander he forbade the
sale Of Intoxicating liquors TO his troops.
He forbore to march upon the Sabbath
! day, except when forced by the enemy
to move, and fe resolutely maintained
Sabbath service in his camp.
His domestic feelings were unusually
strong. aud the love of home and of
children and of wife ran through his
busy life like
4 Thread Of Gold.
lie was Democrat. yet no partisan.
| Sometimes it would appear that TO be
Democrat was q natural attribute of
| frontier life, Just as in England. on the
| other hand. men are naturally members
of the Conservative party. At least
| Democracy was the political condition,
If not the normal Quality of the frontier
citizen. and noble specimens were they
OF that political faith. Our robust piO-
neers were mostly Democrats.
say he was Il Democrat. but not Il
partisan. He believed in the noble
maxim that he who served his country
best served his party best. In party
matters he stated facts as they were,
and reasoned fairly upon them. He
| never heSitated to perform that noble
| act OF independent sovereignty in
scratching his ticket when his party
placed bad men in nomination. II
there was artitice or craft in politics, as
there was, they were not by his inten-
ton, nor knowingly used by him.
His patriotism was untarniShed, and
his love of liberty as strong as that of
Patrick Henry. He believed that the
war for the preservation of the Union
was just and holy one. Nature made
him a soldier in bearing and in spirit
lie was of the Fabian type, and, like
W ashington, ,characteristically cautious,
which peculiarly fitted him for the
work which came to his hands. Was
he great commander? ! answer un-
hesitatingly, yes. III the care and COM
fort OF his men the economy Of human
life, in all precautionary measures to
forefend disaster, in thoughtful plans
to secure just the precise objects in
view, he has not been surpassed, if
ever equal ed, in Indian warfare. An
thony Wayne would have fought at
times when Sibley remained in his
camp. But we remember also the fear
ful disaster which befell
The Faled Esraddoci,
when he neglected to provide against
surprise. Gen. Sibley never sacrificed
the ultimate good to be accomplished
in a campaign by bold and CuSter-like
dash to WIN a moments applause. As
tine passes, and the judgment OF events
becomes more accurate. the wisdom and
skill of his campaigns become more
apparent,
do not think he had predominant
passion. If so. what was it? 1t was not
! 70, tr-noifI, Of n frin Il
him were greedy Of riches. and lie had
ample opportunities of increasing his
fortune which he did not improve. 1t
was not for civic preferment. Nearly
! every office of the many he held came
TO him unsOughT. 1t WAS. not for social
distinction. He accepted without show
the position in society which his merits
awarded him. He was symmetrical and
harmonious III all his mental struct-
ure.
TO rising young men ne was a safe
mentor. They songht his counsel and
proiited 10y his wisdom. Even govern
ors were not ashamed to consult his
| Judgment and follow his advice. 1t
would be a surprise if the public knew
how many state papers he was called OIL
to revise before they saw the light of
day. One of our most distinguished
governors, OF opposite politics, said to
him in asking him to orevise his message:
Gen. SIbley, the politics is my own, but
all the balance is yours to revise
lie surely possessed i'll all an admi-
rable spirit, a spirit that won friends
and held them: a spirit that gathered
men to his heart and counsel.
1t is worthy Of notice TO observe how
he seemed to live and labor for great
public ends. The university, the pub
lie schools. the historical society, our
state Institutions, the development of
the state, were all the subjects of his
anxious thought and care. Like a
father, he nursed them with love in
which there was no affectation. His
death would seem to leave the university
i'll orphanage.
Do you ask was he great man? His
tory speaks of Alexander the Great OF