The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-24

which, before that brilliant company.
 could remove one of the brightest laurels
 from his own brow and place 1t on the
 brow of Shexidan..' -
 In brief sketches Mir. ffoar has esti.
 mated the more prominent men with whom he served in Congress, paying a friends tribute to them. The chapter or Reconstruction Is especially interesting. He says:
 "It was the desire of many Republican leaders. especially of Mir. Sumner and General Grant, that there should be a provision at the national charge for the education of all the citizens of the South ern States, black and white so far ns the States were unable or unwilling to afford it, such as had been provided for in the States of the North for all their citizens. It was never contemplated by them to give the right to vote to large number of illiterate citizens, without ann ple provision for their education at the public expense. General Grant accompa- nied his ofticiai announcement to Con sress of the adoption of the fifteenth amendment with an earnest recommenda- ton of such a provision. Earnest efforts were made to accomplish thls result by liberal grahts from the national treasury. Many liberal and patriotic Southern Dem ocrats' supported 1t. But 1t was defeated bye the tfmidlty, or mistaken mo- tions of economy. of Nortne ss | statesmen. In my opinion tnis defeat accounts for the failure of the policy of reconstruction so far as It mas | failed. I do not believe that self-govern- ment with universal suffrage could be maintained long in any Northern State, or in any country in the world, without ample provision for public education" | MT. Hoar then discusses the negro ques- | ton briefly and expresses the belief that reconstruction has not been a failure, | concluding with these words:
 ''Let us not be in hurry. Evils. if | they be evils. which have existed from ! the foundation of the world, are not to be cured in the lifetime of a single man. | The men of the days of reconstruc- ton were controlled by the irresistible | logic of events; by a power higher than their own. could. see no alternative then, and see no alternative now. better than which was adopted"
 Senator Hoar thus speaks of James G. Blaine:
 James c. Blaine was man of many faults and many infirmities. But his life is a part of the history of his country. It will be better for his reputation that the chapter of that history which relates to him shall be written by a historian
 with a full and clear sense of those faults and infirmities. concealing nothing, and
 extenuating nothing. But also let him set ought down in malice. MT. Blaine was
 brilliant and able man, lovable. patriotic.
 far-seeing, kind. He acted in great
 way under great responsibilities. He was
 wise and prudent when wisdom and pru-
 dence were demanded. If he had attained
 to the supreme object of his ambition and reached the goal of the Presidency, if his life had been spared to complete
 his term, it would have been most hon. orable period, in my opinion. In the his- tory of the country. No man has lived in this country since Daniel Webster died, save Mckinley alone, who had so large a number of devoted friends and admir- CTS in all parts of the country"
 The autobiography touches with sim guiarly gentle pen most of the men it mentions. There is but one exception and that is when MT. Hoar reaches Benjamin F. Butler. A chapter of thirty-four pages is devoted to General Butler. Senator Hoar says:
 No person can adequately comprehend the political history of Massachusetts for the thirty-five years beginning with 1850
 without a knowledge of the character,
 career and behavior of Benjamin F. But
 Ter. It is of course disagreeable and in
 most cases it would seem unmanly to
 speak harsh1y of a political antagonist who is dead. In the presence of the great
 reconcilor death, ordinary human con-
 tentions and angers should be flushed.
 But if there be such a thing fin the
 universe as moral law, if the distinc-
 ton between right and wrong be other than fancy or a dream, the difference
 between General Butler and the men
 who contended with him belongs not to
 this life alone. It relates to matters more permanent than human life. It enters into the fate of republics and
 will endure after the fashion of this world passeth away.
 'T cannot tell the story of my life at a most important period without putting nature of his influence over the youth of the Commonwealth. Besides. it is to be remembered that he took special pains to write and to leave behind him a book in which he gave his own account of the great controversies in which he en- gagged, and bitterly attacked some of the men who thwarted his ambitions. This book he sent to public libraries, in- cluding that of the British museum, would be permanently preserved.
 T shall say nothing of him which I did not say in public speeches or pub lished letters while he was living and in the fullness of his strength, activity and power. History deals with Bene- dict Arnold, with Aaron Burr, with the evil counsellors of Charles and Charles IT., with Robespeirre, with Barere and with Catiline, upon their merits, and draws from their lives examples, or warnings, without considering the fact that they are dead. This especially is a duty to be performed fearlessly, though with due caution. when 1t is proposed in some quarters to erect monuments or statues to such men for the admiration of the youth of future generations''
 His military career was, with the ex- ception have stated (the war adminis- tration of New Orleans) disgraceful to himself and unfortunate to the country. From the beginning of Buffers recruit ing for the war, wherever he was in command came rumors of jobs, frauds, trading with rebels through the lines, and the putting of unfit persons in re- sponsible positions"
 Mir. Hoar reviews General Buffers mill itary career in considerable detail and with great frankness, concluding as fol- lows:
 'So the contribution of General But lers military genius to the success of the United States in the war consisted of scheme to blow up a powder-boat in the capture of Fort Fisher, some
 what after the Chinese fashion of war fare, which General Grant said hardly
 had the effect to excite the curiosity of
 the occupants of the fort which it had
 been intended to demollsh; and of his
 scheme of engineering at Dutch Gap and