Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-07-29

ceeding of his next OF KIN and tn,
ruling OF the court which has adjudg
ed him incompetent. Incompetent a.
to worldly matters and in the world
ly sense, he certainly is; though when
in these regards, was he not? w,
often read of those living before theil
time, in advance Of their generation
and their day. He was one living Ions
after; one of Barbarossa's men lef
out In the final muster; one of tn,
Clan-Na-Gael of Richard Yea, strange
ly omitted from the roster displayed
in that queer old cathedral of Mieux
a chevalier of Arthur and the Table
Round; a paladin of Charlemagne anC
the Middle Ages. These last two cen
turtles he could have existed nowhere
else on the face Of the globe than in
Kentucky; for Kentucky time out nj
mind has been the home of all that
is nobly barbaric-tne last refuge OF
the battle axe in human nature and
destiny-justly earning, and that in
many aspects, the sobriquet Of "the
dark and bloody ground"
The outbreaks Of violence in other
parts Of the country are as frequent
and as flagrant as they are with us
There Is as much outlawry on the
other side of the Ohio river as on
this. Yesterday Illinois furnished the
horrid example; today it is Indiana
Tomorrow 1t may be-which of the
self-righteous states from Rhode Is
land to Delaware that is so handy In
the matter of casting stones? At least
in Kentucky we order these things diff
ferently, and Cassius Marcellus Clay
led the procession three-score-and-ten
years ago; at once frenzied and fear
less; conceiving himself an emissary
of heaven; god-like, yet a walking
arsenal; aggressive, dangerous, intol.
Grant; the armed apostle Of the gos'
pei of freedom and force; the AFRO.
CANT, belligerent minister OF the low
ly and the poor; his word on his ton
que, his knife and his gun in his belt
his life in his hand, such was Cassius
Marcellus Clay from 1886 to 1861.
When Lincoln came in the old lion
,ood at the front. He was a hand
some, distinguished man in personal
appearance. But, even as high dip
lomatist, and subsequently as sol
der, he lacked moderation and self
restraint. His character. spirit and
method belonged to feudal times. He
was by no means without ability and
culture. Man to man he was away
above the average. His failure to i'm
prove the opportunity which had come
to HIM through such strenuous events
and had been so long coming, was
ascribable to his inability to adjust
himself to any fixed condition impos'
ing any kind of discipline, particular
ly any kind Of subordination. Mr.
Lincoln regarded him with alternate
admiration and amazement; but he
soon discovered that he could not
trust him with responsibility requiring
either delicacy of touch or self-efface,
ment.
We live in canny times-in times
of opulence and peace-that is to say,
we think we do-and the world. we
fancy, is adjusting itself TO the chang.
ed conditions. Certainly men Of the
kind who live to shoot and shoot 10
kill-as distinguished from the crimi-
nal classes-admittedly inconvenient
as neighbors and visiting acquain-
tances-are, happily becoming fewer
and fewer. Their final going will not
be the occasion of very much regret.
Yet, no one of us can withhold a GER
tain admiration of the spirit which
has burned within the bosom OF the
old Lion of Whitehall even as we
are bound to confess a certain ire
sistible awe in his majestic presence.
Who shall fathom the depths of that
overpowering personality, that bot
tomless abyss of transcendent Quix-
otism?