St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-08
GEN. JAMES SHIELDS
AS He Appears in Fiction and in

10 nave more of the touch-aud-go Quail
ity. In. Greville's Memoirs mention
Is made of d dinner at Lord Hollands,
where Maeaulay was drawn into talking
ABOUT tie fathers CT the church by Lord
Melbourne, who enjoyed theological
talk When he came TO Chrysostom, and
hogan TO give the substance of his SER
mon In praise of the bishop of Antioch,
the lrrepreSsible and eccentric hostess.
Lady Holland, turned with a sort of
derlSion 10 puzzle the speaker, and said:
pray. Macaulay. what was the origin
of a doll? When were dolls first men
toned in history?" But the mighty
talker was as conversant with dolls as
he was with the fathers, and instantly
replied that the Roman children had
their dolls, which they offered up to
Venus when they grew older; and
Grevllie adds that, if pushed to it. he
would have given the name of the first
baby that ever handled doll.
While Gen. Shields was hardly such
monopolist of converatism as Macau =
lay. he liked his topics, and discussed
them eXhaustively with people who
were interested in them equally with
himself, and had to the full as much to
say. In the set of former day in
Washington, his conyeuers wer Baron
Gerolt and Rudolph Schleiden. For
them he always retained warm liking.
and with them he had a sufficient meas
ure of give and take conversation, after
the manner of bis mind. Alas, in later
years, how could he get along without
their analytical conversations on Car
lyle's ''Friedrich,' as each volume
slowly came from the press
when the casual mention of
Grumkow and Sackendorf and
the Tobacco parliament made ordinary
listeners as dead-weary as the recital of
the battle of MolwitZ left Mrs Carlyle
herself. Life missed an irrepara bic
charm when the usual fate in politics
sundered Gen. Shields flo.n Washington
associations and ties.
One never returns quite the same to,
nor finds the same i'll. what one has
left,
IL has not been the purpose of these
recoliectionS TO give anything like a
connected biographical narrative of the
generals career The simple intent
has been TO correct some of the hap
hazard misre presentations that float
along the current Of newspaper and
magazine reading flom tiuIe to time,
and, because reiterated without contra
tradiction, are taken for authentic. No
man has been more persIstehtly written
up by the friendly and the unfriendly,
and it is IN some instances difficult To
determine which side has blundered
more than the other.
While the public records are in the
main correct, there is way of
putting them in the Interpretation
Of certain speakers that is deIracting
and damaging. From teaching the little
school in kaskasia, James Shields was
elected to the legislature, and later he
was elected and reelected state auditor.
His next advancement was the appoint
ment of justice of the supreme court of
Illinois. position that Douglas subse-
Quenily held. When the Little Giant"
went INTO The national house of repre-
sentatives, james Shields was appointed
by President Polk, and from thence, in
1916, lie was sent into the military serv-
ice of the country as brieadier general
Of volunteers i'll the Mexican war His
record in this strife is found in school
readers and histories, and is in no
danger of being perverted or forgotten
After the war he came back to Illinois,
ana was elected United States senator.
Here was the elimination of his poIiti-
cal career, which began in 1855 by his
election 10 the legislature.
And yet Senator Davis. speaking in
the senate on the acceptance of the Illi-
noiS bronze statue of Gen. Shields, said
that his political career began in Min
| nesota," which is Slipshod assertion
from one who is usually well Informed
| i'll speaking to the public. He might
better have said that it ended in Mime
sofa, molly and fifty. To the last syIla-
| bic of recorded time, whenever and
wherever there is mention of of his ''po.
| litical career throughout the country,
| but especially in this state, let this evil
| dence of his Craftsmanship be coInmem.
| grated, that he refused In vote for the
| Lecompton constitution bill, although
| implored by President Buchanan in
every personal and political plea.
The result of this refusal and Iowa
adherence to the wishes of his constitu-
entS was the chief cause in the delay te
admit this state. although his colleague
Henry NJ. Rice, stood pledged and ready
to vote for the obnoxious bill. His re
ward was the entire patronage of The
state afterwards, and Buchanan never
spoke TO Gen. Shields, albeit farmerly
warm personal friend.
In any event, the general had in taxi
Ing his courageous attitude against the
Lee0mptOn constitution bill in the prine
OF 1888. even in that early time. survived
any further triumphS i'll political life
He had no-genuine liking for politics
and, IN fact, never was politician il
the complex eXigencies of the characte
as we have come TO recognize the sue
cessful embodiment. He was poor, and
he was incOrruptible as a public man
In all his early advance from the kas
kaskia school to the legislature. to the
state authorship. to the judgeship, Il
the general land Office, ana to. the bat
tlefeid, he won his way by fitness
honesty, and by the enthusiasm mel
felt for his unaffected and ingrallatin!
qualities in combination with those two
| essentials.
| de Udleu the ldlteI-udy FOLLOWING ina
ambitious demagogues and successful
politicians are constantly fostering an.
STRENGTHENING. Coarse men, vulga
good fellows in the following, with
pull he held in aversion. in fact shranl
from contact with them: even the mil,
types known in his early experienc
were Objectionable. IT'S well that If
is short, for disenchantment make
death easier. Nothing can be more desc
late and deadening than 10 outive eve
the love of life itself. as kossuth did i
his long ninety-two years. pray ing, wit
each birthday address from Hungary
that il might De his last.
Gen. Shields reached an advance
age, and felt much OF the Bill
terness iEseparable from such
varied and exciting career as hi
had been. If he had victories h
had repulses, and honorS and humIli;
tons, too. Still. he had some sufficip
compensations, and one that he special
valued may be set down here. While h