The record-union., 1893-06-22

among them in the period to which Gov
ernor Stanford belonged, and in the
events of which he bore a conspicuous
part was that relating to the develop
ment OF the resources of nation.
! 1t is not our purpose here to place
Governor Stanford in his appropriate
historical settings, carrying with the
story Of his life the parallel events of the
history of his time, but rather TO present
| in brief outlines the salient features of his
strongly marked character. The i'm
I pressions which individuals make upon
our minds are largely subjective. Our
Judgment of character is not unmixed
with our own personality. We uncon-
sclously measure men by personal stand
ards and compare them with our own
individual ideas of greatness. In pre-
sentng, however, a simple outline of
distinguishing features of character, we
may eradicate the coloring due to the in
/ fusion OF our own personality
! The distinction which Governor STAN
/ lord achieved among men was in his case
less the result OF fortuitots circumstances
or lucky chance than will be found in the
| career of most men of eminence. The
successes of his life were, in a most en-
phatic sense, the outgrowth Of his char
acter. Coming into manhood at the in
| clpient beginning of the conflict between
freedom and slavery, which contended
for the supremacy in this nation, Gov
ernor Stanford allied himself with the
cause OF freedom, as by the law of natural
selection. Migrating to a new State.
whose population had been suddenly
] TDN sy1A in oh,
the contending sections Of the country,
his calm and judicial counsel, his great
personal courage and the nobility of his
personal character were of service in plac-
ing California in the column of loyal
| States.
! Governor Stanford possessed in the
highest degree the power Of attracting the
confidence of the masses of men. Thera
was repose in his nature which men in
stinctively felt to be the equipoise of a
well-balanced mind. To the most casual
| acquaintanceship it was apparent that his
| opinions were not swayed by the currents
OF thought which eddied about him, buE
that the conclusions of his judgment were
/ the results of thoughtful, even judicial,
! determination. Men everywhere have
| an instructive respect for opinions which
they believe to be the expression Of pro-
| found conviction. ImpulsiVeness rarely
inspires confidence, and seldom attracts a
| large following. Enthusiasm ofteh supp
| Plies the picturesque and ornamental in
an advocacy, but seldom produces COM
vlction. Purposes born of enthusiasm
are seldom long sustained. Throughout
long and most arduous life Governor
| Stanford's continuity of purpose was not
stimulated by enthusiastic temperament,
| but was referable to that deliberateness Of
| judgment and oalm foresight which pro-
claim the constant exercise of reasonings
from existing causes to future effects. At
the same time there were few men of
whom a portrait painted from casual i'm
pressions, as compared with that produced
from intimate relations, would present
such striking contradiction and variation
of feature. To a casual acquaintanceship
Governor Stanford would be remembered
for the genial cordatity of his greeting,
for the polite, almost complimentary
| Difference to the opinions or peculiarities
of one in first contact.
! If an accurate standard OF measure
ment existed, whereby one could discern
what each of the individuals in a first
conversation had learned of each other. it
would be discovered that Governor Stan
lord knew far more Of the mental attri-
butes and the character OF his visitor than
the latter had learned Of him. This trait
of character is attributable to the absence
of egotism in the subject of our sketch.
To casual acquaintanceship, therefore,
Governor Stanford presented the character
of one possessing the attributes of genial
suavity, coupled with modest reserve;
one slow in thought and deliberate in
| judgment. To a more intimate acquaint-
| anceship, however, these features, while
| not wholly lost, underwent many radical
changes. As he stood revealed to his
friends, and those who knew him most
intimately, he is remembered as possessed
of the most active mental traits, as hav-
ing mind constantly in motion; as en-
dowed with quick sympathies, imagi-
native perceptions, and most magnetic
influences. In the largeness and chari-
tableness of his mind, friendship was felt
to have strong anchorage ground. In the
judicial fairness of his conclusions, ac-
ton found the assurance of just judg-
ment.
A careful student Of motive, he sell
dom misjudged the intentions of men,
and never judged them in the spirit of
uncharitableness. Notwithstanding the
great diversity of character and motive
with which he must have come in con-
tact in conducting the vast enterprises in
which he was engaged, and in the high
public service to which he was called, he
Judged the motives of each from the
standpoint of the individual character
revealed to him. He. therefore, avoided
those broad congratulations which try in
dividual motive and action by the stand
ard of unfortunate experiences. He did
to dreamers. He did not impute to all the
actions Of all men the underlying motive
of self-interest. Thus, in his life that
fountain source of human sympathy and
philanthropic impulse was kept clear and
flowing by profound belief in the exist
ence of honor and virtue among men.
1.-The people are honest" was one of the
maxims by which his political life was
guided. 'The majority of men desire to
do right" was a remark of frequent
repetition from his lips. Upon a scale so
broad as that covered by Governor STAN
ford's business experience, many in
stances Of betrayal of trust were encoun-
tered, but the offenders were not pursued
by malignant resentment, severity of
punishment or uncharitableness of judg-
ment. There is, perhaps, no case Of
recreancy where the final determination