New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-22

|
tried their hand at blackguardism. But all
these expressions OF furious cnmity recoilcd upor
themselves. and Gddings wen, on his way un
moved.
When he had been in Congress but four years
he was indeed already weary OF the strife, and
seriously contemplated retirement. But he was &c
! carry the standard OF freedom eighteen years
longer and was 10 sec the desire Of his eyes before
I've left the scene of his long conflict When he
entered the House. and for several years after only
three antislavcry votes could be counted upon.
When he left his seat finally there a hand
some antslayrry majority. Gddings was Wing
by principle. but lie would not yield his conscience
| TO partisanship. Wien the Wings surrendered
| their principles and became "dourh faces he re-
fused to stand by them. Which he was required to
adhere TO the caucus decision to support Winthrop
| for Speaker, he was again conturnacious for he
| knew that Winthrop. with his conservatism would
not appoint the committees to give anti
slavery fair chance His provision in this case
was fully vindicated nevertheless Giddngs was
assailed fcrcely BY the Wing prcss. Not that
this disturbed him in any way. lie was indeed
lover Of peace, but he was one of those lovers
OF peace who rather than not have it, would
| fight for it. lie never pretended TO be non
combatant.
| Throughout these busy years he was ever At
| the front. working his own lines. a veteran
AboitioniSt observed that lone good Congress
man was more useful to the c,usc than six hundred
| lecturers" and the work done by Gddings amply
proves the truth Of this. Gradually, too. results
began to appear. The mails brought him thanks
| and cheering words. New friends grew up at his
side. Charles Sumner clasped hands with him
and became his ally. A sentiment. ever strength
cning. developed on behalf of freedom The Kansas
Nebraska troubles came in good time To advance
this feeling and u rouse the North. AS the dcs
pcratiOn Of the slave power increased, lis inso-
lcnce mounted, and what could no longer he
accomplished lawfully was to be won by violenc"
and fraud. Joshua r. Giddings at no time
in sympathy with lawessness. and always
held that the only way to fight slavery
was through the Constitution But he was for
no compromise and this was one reason why
generation OF politicians who were all for com
promise regarded him as an impractcablc en-
trmSt. History had no meaning for these men
They could not see that every so-called compro-
mise had really been surende? to the slave
power; that Northern interests had in every such
case been sacrificed; that every such case had en-
couraged the slave-power 10 make further ana
more audacious attacks upon the liberties of the
North.
When Webster betrayed bis constituents in his
eth of March speech Giddings of necessity parted
company with him. lie not surprised NJ what
had happened and therefore expected We -
pro-slavery State documents. But he perceived
that the North was now too fully awake TO for
give such pusillanimty even in a Statesman of
Daniel Wehster's standing and reputation. That
speech sounded the dcath-knell Of his fame as a
patriot and marked III, decline of his estimation
in the minds of his contemporaries There are
lottn boro hcf,r
Charles Franci1 Adams and other distinguished
men, which illuminate this period Of American
history. They moreover tcstfT 10 the great re-
pute the valiant ant-slavcry champion had at
tanned lie was indeed the Father Of the House
for years before he left il, and tie esteem and
respcc. generally paid him were felt even
on the Southern side for the Southern men were
brave, and knew that Giddings was focman
worthy OF their steel. The great crisis ap
preaching when, in $50. a heart complaint from
which he had long suffered became mcnacing
that he felt lie had better retire. Yet he would
not have done so even then had NOT his friends,
by their careless guardianship Of his political
interests, allowed him 10 be defeated for the
nomination. AS stated by Mr.. Julian II had
become so mattcr-of-coursc an affair 10 renominatc
Joshua II. Giddings that nobody thought II nece-
sary 10 take any precautions The result was
his defeat
lie took it quietly, for he knew that lac was
liable TO drop dead at any moment. and more
over he was feeling his age, and he was very
tired. In s6l Mr.. Lincoln appointed him 70 the
Office of nsul-Gencral for the United States AMI
then, after few months, he died the death which
had been expected, quickly and painlessy. His
son-in-law thus sums up his character He was
wholly wanting in genius He deficient in
imagination and the graccs OF rhetoric. There
are passages in his speeches which rise 10 the
height Of cloquence, but as a rule they are merely
the compact statements Of man Of strong con-
victions and commOn-scnse, whose ruling purpose
was 70 impress others with his opinions.
and whose profound earnestncss made
him Indifferent to literary art. He was
always bravely himself. He was we'll
aware that his whole life had been handi-
capped by the trials and privations OF his earlier
years, while ho native difldcnce and love of peace
would have lured him into the walks of private
life but his warfare with slavery the travail
of his soul, and he prosecuted it with nnlaltcrng
faith and unouenchable zeal lie could not do
otherwise 1t was sufficient for him that his con
science commanded him, and he succeeded by the
strength of a great moral purpose which found an
answering throb in the hearts Of the people, and at
last made him their prophet.
Mr. Julian's biography is in many-wc may say
in most-respccts an admirable one. II is indeed
absorbingly interesting the chronicle Of highly
important phase of the great anti-savcry struggle.
and as q witness to the devotion skill and pcrsc-
vcrancc Of one simple American citizen in facing
an immense, INSCRIPTIONS and evil power during
the space OF an average lifetime. Giddings was a
patriot whose life eminenty deserved 10 lie written
with the care and fulncss Of knowledge which his
present bo2raphcr has brought TO the task and
It is very unlikely that the work will ever be
better DONE
THE PHONOPHORE TELEGRlPH-