Omaha daily bee., 1898-05-29

III opposition barred Jackson's path, eithe
Jackson or the opposing force had to &,
Gown. AS a general rule it was the opposini
force that suffered.
General Wesley Merritt, u. S. A., com.
manding the Division of the East: Genera.
Ulysses S. Grant; because, in my opinion
he was the greatest war leader that America
has yet produced.
Lieutenant Commander Mark, u. S. N.
late judge advocate of the Maine court o.
inquiry at Havana: Stephen Decatur, be.
cause, as Lord Nelson said. ''he committed
the most daring and successful act of this OF
any other age"
Rear Admiral James e. Jewett: Admira'
Farragut; first, last and all the time. Why
Because he was our country's greatest nava
commander-a fact fully demonstrated in
the many engagements in which he took
part. Farragut was the Nelson OF the
United States.
General John B. Gordon, ex-governor OF
Georgia: l choose General Robert e. Lee,
my late illustrious commander-in-chief
This l do, without any sectional bitterness,
but simply because l regard Lee as the
greatest of all American generals greater
general, in the higher sense of the word,
than Washington. In succession he beat
Aht,iSliuu, IODt, 11OOkeT ana BURNSIDE, ana,
with equal resources at his command, he
would have beaten Grant.
General Joseph Wheeler of Alabama
General Robert E. Lee was the most per-
feet character the world has ever produced.
He was a man always actuated by the high
est principles and utterly without personal
ambition. When the war closed q New
York insurance syndicate offered to employ
iva nc etntN nr~,.. -
year. General Lee said that he knew moth
ing about insurance and could not perform
the duties they would expect of him. The
new YORK company, in answer, sent a
representative to the south to tell General
Lee that 1T did not expect him to perform
any duties, that they wanted his name as
their representative, and, If necessary, it
would give him even a larger salary than
the one first offered. The reply of General
Lee was: IF 1 have influence with
some people. it is not for SALE
l knew General Lee at West Point, although
he left three years before / did to Join the
army. Even at that time he was the hand
soonest specimen Of manhood l have ever
seen. Later in life he travelled greatly in
foreign countries and everywhere met with
the greatest alteration. The grandeur of his
personal character was demonstrated when,
at the close of the war, he devoted his
life to the education of youth.
General Oliver o. Howard: Ny favorite
American hero, take him all in all, is Abra-
nam Lincoln. To me in some respects he
is in advance of George Washington, who
had until Lincoln been my beau ideal of
manhood. The great, loving kindness OF
Abraham Lincoln alweys draws my heart
towards him; for me he still lives. Next
to him l place General U. s. Grant, whose
achievements were extraordinary, whose
courage was unfailing, whose modesty and
Kindness were not excelled by any of his
compatriots. These two heroic men be-
come every day dearer to the American
people.
From Representative Citizens.
Hon. Henry Watterson, editor of the Louis
vile Courter-Journal: You ask a question
impossible, as 1 conceive, of a direct an
swer. The hero worshiper may concentrate
his admiration perhaps upon a single OBJ
ject; but as well might you require me to
pick out of the world of art a single picture,
statue or musical composition; out of the
world of letters a single romance or poem;
out of the culinary world a single dish or
Wand. In each of these worlds the range
of choice is too extensive for arbitrary
$500 sAS tahS apPiiSo Sluuily
to the world of heroes.
There are SO many of them! They have
so many sides to them! In the war Of the
revolution there were-after Washington
Israel Putnam and Nathaniel Green, Henry
Knox and Alexander Hamilton, Ethan Allen
and John Stark, Mad Anthony Wayne and
Light Horse Harry Lee, and Morgan end
Marion and Sumter, and know not how
many more. In the war of 1S12-after Jack
son-there were William Henry Harrison
and Dick Johnson and Scott and Gsines, and
the naval heroes Hull and Perry and De-
catur and cambridge and Preble. In the
Texas war-after Houston-there were
Travis and Crockett and Milan and Bowie.
In the Mexican war-after Taylor and Scott
were a score or more worthy the
hero's crown: and, when we come down to
the civil war-after Lincoln and Grant,
Stonewall Jackson and Lee-the number be-
comes legion. AS isolated heroic pictures,
Paul Jones make a fine and almost perfect
figure upon the sea, and Daniel Boone upon
the land. Was not old Ben Franklin a hero?
Was not Thomas Jefferson? Then there
were the two Morrises, Robert and Gouver-
neur. and the two Adamses. John and Sam,
none the less heroes because they did not
fight in battle, and likewise George Mason
and John Hancock and William Warren and
Charles Carroll. And what about Farragut
and Worden? 1t is quite out OF the
question to particularize. l dare say
this hasty enumeration omits many
names which ought to appear upon
any authorized roll of American heroes.
hero without fear and without reproach,
the ideal hero, exists only for the ldolatrous,
and then only in the land of dreams, or
else he comes down to us from a time
whereof the memory OF man knoweth moth
ing except upon tradition. The greatest
hero" ! ever knew was a woman, and next
to her a child.
Thomas A. Edison; Abraham Lincoln
the clearest-cut American yet born.
Hon. John Wanamaker: Bejamin Harrl-
son is my ~fayorite American hero-for his
all around equality to Gladstone.
Dwight l.. Moody: Lincoln.
General Benjamin +. Tracy, ex-secretary
of the navy: Benjamin Franklin, the man
after whom ! was named, and whom, in a
sense, l regard as my godfather. Franklin
practically assured freedom to the embryo
United States when, on February 6, 1878, he .
brought about the treaty of Paris. His
victories OF peace were no less signal than
the war victories of Washington. | have
always regarded 1t as a calamity that he
did not survive to become president. al