The Dickinson press., 1891-11-28

iAuotoS "hV PAoPoAoJ Wv ASh>tSASU W,
tally insecure This quality of man
ly decision stood him in good stead
in subsequent days when he had to be
the rock about which c%ontending
storms angrily swelled and fell back
into momentary level and calm.
l would name as II fourth trait Il
conscious possession of a character of
dignity and rectitude. His is the air
and name of Il straightforward man
walking in the light of conscience and
of God. 1t is a descent forsuch a man
to indulge in denials. His course of
life is its own v%indication. He goes
ahead to add to such a testimony by |
a continuance on the same line in
what is active, positive, constructive, |
until the solid result rises high, mass
i've, acknowledged. There is a mag.
nificent reserve in such men, and we
regard them after the manner in
which we would the great lakes, us
limitless reservoirs. This restful
| consciousness of moral worth and
| right action, which time could be
trusted to clarity, is conspicuous on
two occasions to which l may make
allusion. During the war of the rev.
olution, Il volume was published
abroad and republished at home,
which was a compilation of forged
letters, purporting to have been
written by Washington and proving
his insincerity in the cause of the col
onies. No word escaped him with re-
gard to the false character of the book
until twenty years afterward, on his
retirement from the Presidency,
when he filed i'll the department of
state a denial of its authenticity.
The silence of such Il man means
vastly more than loud asseverations.
A similar incident occurred during
his second administration. The con
stitution of the United States confines
to the executive and to the senate the
power of making treaties. BY resolu-
ton the house of representatives
called upon the President to lay be.
fore it all the papers pertaining to
the negotiation of a certain treaty.
This he declined to do on the con-
stitutional ground, that this part of
the public business was left to the
Senate. Imputations followed to the
effect that a communication of the
papers would be inconveniet to the
, administration, rejecting npon its
course. The decision of Washington
was i%rrevocable. The instructions
which he had given to the specia
commissioner in the case remained
untouched in the government arch.
ives until 1926 when there was oc
casion for the Senate to refer tt
them. The examination which was
, then made disclosed the fact tina
there was nothing in the paper!
which could have been construed a.
damaging to the personal character o
Washington IL his administration
, and that he had been governed b,
constitutional principles in his de
. Ginning to comply wife the resolution
> of the House. His consciousness Of
> rectitude stood him in the stead of al
immediate vindication, and the i'm
preston of character which lie mad,
: rendered unnecessary in the case o
!, others the revelation which came il
after years.
. l come to the fifth trait when l sa,
> that nature and culture gave t,
' Washington a judicial cast of mind
:, He was not an orator or a pam
phleteer. Had he been. lie would il
in the nature of the case have out
lined and urged policies, committee
himself to lines of action which i
would have been difficult subsequent
ly to yield or modify, in a word woul,
have peen an advocate and a partisan
AS it was, he could sit back and SUI
vey the contest, detect weaknesses
discover stength, and weigh his sug
gestions with every appearance o
). impartiality, candor, reflection. Sucl
> an impression as he made upon Pat
rick Henry is what might be ex
pected. On returning from the frs
continental congress in Philadelphia
Mr.. Henry was asked to name til
greatest man in the assembly. Hi
reply was; elf you speak of eloquence
Mr.. Rutlege of South Carolina is b,
. far the greatest orator; but if yo,
: speak of solid information and SOUND
judgment, Colonel Washington is I'm
questionably the greatest man on tn
floor"
The most meager outline of tn,
character of Washington must no
omit to mention his patriotism
! That it was genuinely disinterestee
can not be doubted by one who
j combines any insight and faith il
human nature. The estates, which
had come into his hands and beer
! administered by his prudence, con
stituted a property value at about
half a million of dollars when the
j, war broke out and he was sum.
. moned to command at Boston
During the eight years that it last.
ed he visited Mount Vernon bu'
4 once. He declined the salary O
five hundred dollars a month which
was proposed, and signifed an un
willingness to accept more than {
E strict reimbursement for expenses
of which he kept an itcmized &C
count which is still extant, a cours,
which he repeated as President