Omaha daily bee., 1898-05-29
MEMORIAL DAY SYMPOSIUM
Who is Your Favorite Character in American
History, Washington Excluded9
THE QUESTION ANSWERED BY MANY MEl
Abraham Lincoln the Favorite by a
Large NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Frank
lin. Grant md Lee Next
in Order.

These war days are naturally recalling the
heroic deeds Of the past-and the heroes whc
wrought them. The question, Who is the
foremost man in American history? is al.
ready answered. Washington, as we all
know, Is first in war, first in peace, frs,
In the hearts Of his countrymen.' Blu
the annals of our country are so crowded
with shining names that it is hard to say
which among them-always leaving out thai
pre-eminent one--leads in the affectionate
admiration of the American people. with
n view of throwing light on this interesting
question, a large number Of representative
American citizens have been invited to reply
to this inquiry: who is your favoritc
character in American history (exceptine
Washington p, and. briefly, why do you
make the selection? Their answers. which
follow, disclose a wide variety of prefer
ences. 1t will be seen that the majority
choice is Abraham Lincoln, with Ulysses S,
Grant, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas
Jefferson as the second choice of about an
equal number of the persons responding.
1t Is worth noting, too, that Robert e. Lee
Is the leading ~favorite with the representa-
tive southern men who have answered.
Preferences of Statesmen.
Senator Julius C. Burrows of Michigan:
Take him all for all, Daniel Webster is the
greatest man this country has ever produced.
He was the greatest constitutional lawyer
and expounder of his time, and our country
has not known another such.
Senator Shelby NJ. Cullom of nlin ois: NY
:hoice falls upon Abraham LincC,. states
man, jurist, emancipation. No man since
Shakespeare could so rightly be called
myriad minded. 1t has been charged that
The generation that has succeeded him has
llnnls1aI D.. 49,.
The statement. We who knew the man per-
ionally and intimately. and who have made
his character and his public acts a pro-
found study, increase in our admiration for
The man. Patient, kindly disposed toward
Ill creatures; humane in the best and truest
tense, and a lover of his country. Brave.
'agacious, and unalterable in his purposes
when convinced that he was right: always
ioing the right thing at the right time.
A man of the people and one whom the
people trusted and whose trust he never
betrayed, he safely guided this nation
through the greatest civil war known in
history and when his task was finished
'ffered up his life on the altar of his coun-
Try. Those who were his bitterest enemies
low reverence his memory.
Senator Henry NJ. Teller of Colorado:
Thomas Jefferson has always been my favor
~ h"eiphii Nlii uCltT. ttlS creative powers
we're larger than those Of any public man
II his time. No public man since his day
las exhibited his exalted constructive genius.
Jefferson did more than any other man to
ound a government Of the people,
~ the people and for the people. Mr..
Jefferson stood for the equality of all
men before the law. He was the champion
Df civil and religious freedom. He succeeded
In Incorporating the principles which he
advocated with an inexorable logic into the
fundamental laws of the land. The
IDEAS Of Jefferson have survived the
lest OF time and will survive as long as men
aspire to be free and govern themselves.
Senator William Lindsay of Kentucky: My
tavorite national character after Washing
ton Is Thomas Jefferson. AS a constructive
statesman he has no equal in our national
history and no rival except in Alexander
Hamilton. No man has left so deep an i'm
press on our institutions and no man has
30 clearly thought out the problems Of
human government.
Senator John 7. Morgan of Alabama: o.
all our national characters none occupies
30 high a place in my esteem as Robert Il.
Lee-the Christian gentleman and knightly
soldier. One cannot read the story of his
life from early youth to ripe manhood and
Ierene old age without being deeply inn
pressed with the holiness of his character.