Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1893-02-23
DoNNELLY's TRIBUTE TO BLAINE.
Delivered at Memorial Service Held by the
Minnesota Legislature,

Delivered at Memorial Service Held by the
Minnesota Legislature,
With one or two exceptions there is
no more gifted orator in the United
States than Ignatius Donnelly. The
following eloquent tribute is worthy
OF preservation:
SIT was my privilege to bein the con.
gress of the United States for six years
with Mr.. Blaine. / knew him well. In
beginning of that service he attracted
little attention. He gave no promise
ot his future prominence. But he had
the faculty of growth. Each year
found him greater than the last. He
possessed vast energy, a vast activ-
ity, a vast ambition. He was deter
mined, Cesar-like, to be first or moth
ing. He boldly attacked the leader OF
the house that splendid controver-
sialist and orator, Roscoe Conkling
1t was like q battle royal OF lions.
The conflict was fierce, but neither
could claim a decisive victory. | saw
Mr.. Blaine, also, when he was fighting
fer political life and personal honor
against innumerable assailants. He
defended himself by attacking the cor
don of his enemies. He charged upon
them like wild boar, plunging, with
white tusks and foaming mouth, into
the ranks of the hunters, and scat
tering them right and left.
"He was a great man and greatest
in his tribulation. The basis of his
mind was a combative instinct, and
he was ut his best in the heat of con-
ffict. He was, alas, but a shred and
remnant of himself in these latter
years-illustrious among the debris of
his great powers.
81 shall never forget that scene in
the house, which | was fortunate
to witness, when at a critical political
juncture he aroused the wrath of the
southern leaders and provoked them
into incorporate expressions, which
ing In the north. 1t may not be called
craftsmanship to reopen the wounds
OF q nation, but it was political STRAIT
egy of the highest order. Although
carefully studied and prepared it ap-
peared as the spontaneous and pas
sionate outburst of the occasion. 1
can remember as he charged up and
down the central isle of that great
hall, his prominent eyes blazing, his
voice ringing like a battle cry, every
nerve and muscle wrought up to in
tense excitement, while his scintillant
thoughts flashed and smote like the
whirliDg sword-blades OF squadron
of cavalry. The dazed leaders of the
south were overwhelmed, paralyzed
by his splendid genius and sublime
audacity, and when they recovered
speech they burst into just utter
ances as that great master OF the fence
sought to drag from them.
Mature, ever fecund, vigorous and
original, and more generous than our
cowardly provincialIsm would ask,
seems resolved that this mighty ma
ton shall produce no barren copies
of the great men of other lands; but
she sends forth new creations, with
the flavor of the fresh soil in their
souls, and the free life of new condi-
tions upon their lips. She gave us
Lincoln, the back woodsman, the
quaint, modest, towering, tremendous
figure, fit to stand beside -Esop and
Socrates, Henry of Navarro and Will
liam the Silent in the gallery OF the
worlds immortals. And even as she
expels the lava flood from her bosom,
so she she sent forth this striking, pic
turesque, combative, daring, soaring,
and immensely energetic figure whose
loss we deplore today, and for whom
there is no precise parallel in the his
tory OF mankind. He was preemi-
nently an American of the Americans.
He had our weaknesses; he had our
greatness. We loved him because he
was like ourselves. Hewas composite
in his composition as our population.
He was the happy accident OF many
commingling strains of blood. He
united the strength OF the Goth with
the firesof the south. The Mediter-
ranean and the Baltic were welded in
his mental constitution. From the
former he derived passion, vehemente,
intuition - the genius of emotion.
From the latter he inherited hardi-
hood, persistence, power-the genius
of action. In him the blood OF one
poor, oppressed, handicapped, perse-
cuted, subiugated people, released from
its chains and given continent for
its arena and liberty for it's inspira-
ton, assembled on luminous wings to
transcendent heights and fixed the ad-
miration of mankind.
Gas he grew older certain hereditary
traits of melancholy and extreme SEN
sitiveness came to the surface OF his
mind and he lost something OF the
forceful directness of his earlier days.
From the heights of achieved success
he began to drop the plummet OF his
thoughts into the profound depths OF
the unknown world, and in the pres
ence of the inscrutable he recognized
the littleness OF all human endeavor.
ellis life was fortunate and unfor-
tunate. The gloom of disappoint-
ment shrouded the brightness of his
career and domestic SORROWS darkened
his declining years. A native of Penn
| sylvania, he was an alien in tho state
OF Maine; and she enthroned him in
her heart, sealing him amidst it's ten
derest chords. All honor to that
noble, northern commonwealth whose
love for the great child of her adop-
tion never faltered even through terri
BILE trials. As the clouds darkened
and the bolts of detraction crashed
through the blackened heavens she
drew him closer and closer within the
grasp of her sheltering arms. Even
money, the universal wrongdoer, could
not buy her to betray or desert him.
| Sha paver permitfed shallow u0ldan