The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-10
ghe qiehita Daily gayle gnslay ornno arrh 10, 1891

| COuAeIy las pIOuuCeQ, even VI ol-SAA ~AAHe''
There were great men before them; there
have been very great men since; there are
] very great men now-the equals, in my
opinion, OF any who have gone before-and
| there are sure to he men Of commanding
influence and intellect in the future. Each
| generation produces men equal to the &C.
| casions which arise, and it is absurd to
think that the day of great men is past.
1t never passes. it never will pass, at least
| in country like ours
! knew that Mr.. Han,lin was great
| admirer Of Roscoe Corkiing, and while
+, discussing this matter of great men sug-
gested the name of Conkhng. The old
gentleman's countenance lighted up in
| stantly. By his manner more than by his
| words he indicated how great was his ap-
probation and admiration OF the late
| senator from New York He said that
| he had, since the death of Mr.. Conkling,
expressed in letter to Mr.. Conkling's
| nephew how greatly he admired Conk-
| ling's ability as statesman. and how won
derfuliy he had been impressed always
with Conkling's charm as an orator. He
| was inclined to think, take it all in all,
that Mr.. Conkling was the equal as an
orator of any of the men of an earlier gen.
grafton, and in some respects exceeded any
one of them.
He then spoke of Tom Corwin very
briefly, but with smile, as he evidently
recalled that distinguished wit and orator.
He pronounced Corwin very great orator
and a man whom it vas always a delight
to hear.
asked him if the tradition that JEFF
Davis had once visited Maine and had been
hU n a ha
knew Mr.. Davis very well, having served
In the senate with him. "He was man
Of impressive figure in those senatorial
days, of quite distinguished presence, most
courteous and charming in his personal
relations, although contrary to an impress
sion which now exists Mr.. Davis could not
be called handsome man, SO far as his
countenance is concerned. Yes, it is true
Mr. Davis once came to Maine, and saw
him there, but merely as a personal ac-
quaintance. l remember that he wore
great big goggles over his eyes. He was
threatened with paralysis of the optic
nerve, and had been sent to Maine with his
eyes imprisoned behind these goggles, be-
cause it was thought that the sea air might
improve him, and l understood afterward
that it did"
Mr.. Eamlin, however, could not be in
duced to express any opinion about Mr..
Davis abilities, and he followed his usual
practice in declining TO say anything what
ever about Davis in connection with the
tremendous events With which his name
was associated.
The trip through Connecticut seemed to
suggest to the old gentleman some of the
famous men of that state whom he had
known, and he spoke particularly OF it's
great war governor. Buckingham, with
whom Mr.. Hamlin served in the senate,
and whose funeral he attended as one of
the senatorial committee. He said, with
almost inexpressible tenderness of manner
and gentleness Of speech: "Ah, Bucking-
ham was the finest type of Christian
gentleman whom I ever saw! He was
skiilful and able as legislator, but I
think that his genuine Christian piety
was so striking and beautiful in its
development of his character that it
overshadowed his intellectual abilities.
When l think of men decrying the Chris
tian religion my mind tslrns to Bucking-
ham as refutation of all the disparaging
words that may be uttered against it. He
was in the highest sense true Christian
gentleman, and perhaps that made him all
the more efficient as great war governor"
He spoke of SOME of the other war gov
ernors-of Andrew, of Massachusetts,
whose courage and genius he praised; of
Morgan, of New York, whom he greatly
admired; of Curtin, of Pennsylvania,
whose energy and patriotism We're one of
the strongest supports the administration
had, and of Morton, of Indiana He seemed
especially to dwell upon Morton's genius
and splendid energy, and regarded his serv-
ices as of perhaps pre-eminent value. said
to him .,ilat in a recent publication an
Indiana statesman long in public life had
spoken well of the abilities of Jesse d.
Bright, and compared him favorably intel
lectually with Morton. l asked the ex-
vice president if that was his opinion For
the first and only time during the ride Mr.
Eamlin gave evidences of power of scorn,
the strength of his determination, and that
he had some memories of men which were
not wholly pleasant. Nothing could have
exceeded the dignity, the solemnity with
which he replied There Yves no twinkle
in his eyes now, but his glance was stern
He heightened mp his form, so that the
impressiveness of his manner was in
creased, and he said: Il was the presiding
officer of the senate when Jesse D. Bright |
was expelled for reasonable utterances,
the only senator from a northern state to
be thus Inundated. Mr.. Bright was
man of very ordinary capacity"
Then for some little time Mr.. Hamlin |
sat silent, looking so stern, so almost |
mighty in the majesty Of his recollections I
of that memorable event and of his own |
part in it. that it seemed almost as if he |
were again sitting in the seat of the vice |
president and presiding over that most /
awful of deliberations, the question of |
the expulsion of a senator. However, |
in a few moments his mood had passed |
and he made some pleasant remark, |
as though he wished TO forget his mo-
fash of indignation. We were
Long Island sound, and he
said: They tell me that very good clans
grow in the waters of Long Island sound,
but want to say that l stand up for the
clans of the Maine coast. 1t Is an humble
little shellfsh, but those we have are deli
cious. Years ago l used to sail through
the waters of the sound often. Why,
when I first went TO Washington it TOOK
me five and half days to get from Ban
gor there
After I got to Boston came by rail
road TO New Lont,on. took a steamboat
across to Long Island, took railroad from
Long Island 70 New York, and when | got
to New York / was three days from Wash
lngton- And now you can go there in five
hours. 1t took a day to get from Nex York
to Philadelphia l am really contempt
raneous with the development of steam
power | saw it in its infancy with the
very first steamboats,, and in my early man
hood all of our travelling was done by
steamboat or by stage. Twas nearly thirty