Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-14

the people OF communities MI aI6h1e ,tne
home and found the population Of =
whole region practically massed around
the sthtton, hushed, reverem and sor.
everybody what d potent force there Is
In character when the death Uf one man.
a quiet, unassuming man. can so Impress
himself upon whole community that q
great commonweaitn should should toll its bells
friends Of his childhood. the pastor who
had watched oxhr. his manhood in church
affairs. TO which he was 40 sincerely de-
voted, paid tributes to the memory Of 4
great and good man.
Mr.. Speaker, these services are held To
furnish his late associates In this body
an opportunity to speak their Judgment
upon him rs a man, as an associate and
as d friend. and II II my purpose simply,
today, to inatisurntc this tribute a.. q
fellow member by the few remarks which
into a detailed record OF his life Or :
detailed eulogy of his characteristics.
For myself his death has come as very
severe blow. The State Of Maine has a
small delegation IN numbers We have
stood here Slice | became. a member.
only four Of us. One passed away year
ago; another has recently followed; and
the shatterins 81 delegation by dhe re- Re-,
| the hand Of death IL "a serious blow. And
the death of Gov. Diiiglry, while 1t will
be Iamentcd and felt throughout tbs coun-
trN anu especially ny othtt, 10 ptNu-
+, iiarly heavy blow to the delegation
| from the State of Maine with whom he
| has stood here 80 staunchly and so faith
fully during all these years: IL Is a
delegation. of which the Governor was
| so conspicuous and influential meni-
| Der, stood together In all the great
stresses tifnt have come upon US. ana mo
| one of the surviving members Will ever
| fail to remember how often ana bow Sc
curely we have depended upon the wise
| counsel, sagacious views. ana iaithfui
| patriotism of our deceased colleague,
Nelson Dinsley.
MI IiurIeluh. who spoke near the
close Of the afternoon. said
Mr. Speaker In view Of my short SER
| vice in this House, II seems but fitunS
| that / should leave to those who were
| longer and more Intimately associated
with Nelson Dingley in its work the dnty
of testifying to the distinguished charac-
| ter of his serxices here.
| In the brief but heartfelt tribute de-
sire to offer. | wish 10 speak more par,
| ticularly OF his relations To the social
| and political life Of his own State. Maine
| has ever been loyal 10 her Representa-
| tives III the national capital, and has
never failed Ia feel a just pride in the
successes achieved by them. 1 WAS for
some years in a position to know and APP
prociate how strong TINS feelinE WAS III
the ease OF Mr.. Dnglsy No man ever
greater degree the love and respect Of
the people of his Stat. and district. The
knew his sterling worth and had an abid-
ing faith In his sound Judgment and
purity of purpose.
Born on one of the rugged farms OF
Maine. In section where nature In the
dispensation of scenic beauties had been
protligai OF her gifts but eNacted toll as
the price of existence. he inherited the
sturdy self-reliance OF an honest, Cod
fearing ancestry, and was early schooiea
in those habits OF industry ne retained
through life.
His father. who combined the pursuits
of agriculture with the running OF
country store, was man of sterling
worth: possessed great energy. together
with strong tenacity OF purpose. His
mother. who, prior TO her marriage. had
been successful teacher. was woman
of rare attachments and beauty of char
acter. To her gentle influences may be
attributed no small part of her sons
steadfaSt devotion to duty ana the not
able success That attended MN IN the
work OF life.
The qualities that 80 distinguished him
in later years were early manifest; me
child was father of the man. In his
early Years he evinced a power of self
control. a tcnacity of purpose. wonder
fully rejentive memory, and love of
truth that gave bright promise OF his lat
er distinguished career AS he pro-
crossed into manhood these qualities de-
veloped with his growth. His aspirations
were ennobiing. his associations helpful
that he did not complete. and none that
was not done thoroughly and we'll
Following his graduation from college
he pursued a course of legal study and
was, in due time, admitted to the bar.
He was "A man of judicial temperament
with marked powers of concentration.
There can be no doubt that had he con-
tinued in the practice of law the same
high qualities of head and heart, the
wonderful insight. the intuitive grasp of
the salient points in a case and the great
o.l y IitV fny R1nSa
that SO distinguished him as Il member
of this House, must inevitably have Sc
cured him eminence in his profession.
His tastes, however. did not ruin in this
direction. He had been for some time u
successful contributor to various news
papers and soon abandoned his legal pur-
sumo the editorial duties of the Journal.
weekly paper published in the growing
city of Lewiston.
No man was ever better equipped both
by nature and attainments, for duties of
this character. He was an interchangeable
worker. and his paper soon became a re-
added daily edition, which speedily
pushed to the front in Maine journalism.
II position it has ever since maintained.
In those days the ; editorial writer rte, was $; far
the present time, when the personality of
a writer is frequently merged and prac-
tically lost in the name and character of
his paper.
To the readers of the Lewiston Journal
Nelson Dingley was living, breathing
reality-a potential force. They soon
came to entertain Il profound respect for
the sterling qualities of his character and
the soundness of his judgment. The
number of those who came to him for
counsel and ADVICE was large, and the
circle of his personal influence became
second only to that of his newspaper.
How much Mr.. Dingley owed to this alb
solutc accessibility. this habit of taking
his neighbors and friends into his immc-
diatc confidence. it would be difficult to
conceive. But undoubtedly here was the
source, and, in large measure, the foun-
dation of the strong hold upon the peo-
pie of his district and his State which he
retained to the day of his death.
Mr.. Dingley carried into his editorial
work the same direct and attractive quail
tiles that characterized him in his per-
sonal relations. He was Il clear and CO.
gent writer, though never Il maker OF
phrases. Language with him was merely
Il vehicle for the transmission of thought,
and never in any degree an end in itself
There was in all his writings an atmOS-
pherc of truth and sincerity. He at
tempted nothing by indirection, nor was
he a man who ever sought to evade or
ignore the strong points of an opponent.
He met them courageously and manful-
ly. A man of absolute convictions, he
was always ready with reasons for the
faith that was i'm him.
Party workers sometimes imagined that
he gave opposing views altogether too
consideration, for he had the