Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-11-10
TRIBUTE TO MORTON.
Ex-President Cleveland Eu1ogizes His
Secretary of Agriculture.


Secretary of Agriculture.
III the presence of 5000 persons, and
with elaborate ceremony, a statue of j.
Sterling Morton, Secretary of Agricul-
ture in the last Cleveland cabinet, and
founder of Arbor day, was unveiled at
Nebraska City, Neb. Principal of those
present at the ceremony were former
President Grover Cleveland former Vice
President Adlai e. Stevenson, Gov.
Mickey, Hilary A. Herbert, David K.
Francis and others associated with Mr..
Morton during his term of Office. There
were six addresses, principal of which
was that of Mr.. Cleveland, which was a
touching eulogy of his former cabinet
officer and personal friend. Mr.. Cleve-
land said in part:
This is but to testify to his lofty civic
righteousness, his simple and sure standards
of public morality, his stern insistence on
official honesty, his sturdy adherence to
opinions deliberately and conscientiOusly
adopted, his generous concession to others
Of every result of their efforts, and his pas.
sionate desire to serve the best interests OF
his fellow countrymen.
He believed that the same care and good
faith exacted by trust undertaken for an
individual were due to the people from
those who assume official responsibilities,
and he believed that waste in public ex-
penditure was sin.
The noxous atmosphere Of governmental
extravaganza could not blind his eyes, nor
could the ridicule Of those who had learned
to scott at official economy, or the threats
of those who perfdiously contrived to APP
propriate public funds to private gain,
drive him to compromise with wrong.
Thus it was that our friends fine moral
perception and his love Of rectitude shed
bright and unwavering light on the path Of
official
discernment of duty lend impressiveness to
his efforts towards the highest usefulness
in public Office.
Our friend loved nature with constancy
and delight; and through nature he was led
to reverent love Of the maker Of the uni
verse. He served the purposes of God on
earth and taught his ellow-countrymen to
realize their relationship to nature and the
father Of all created things, when he es-
tablished the planting of trees as a custom
or general observance among our people,
NO Deautlful crest or elaborate coat of
arms would so we'll illustrate his grand
simplicity or typify the spirit in which this
project mad its rise and completion as it's
symbollzation by growing tree surmount-
ing the homely legend, Plant trees
None OF us should go from this nlaca
untouched by the lesson which this statue
teaches. Here we should learn that Char.
acter, interrupted by the contagion of 10.
noole Things and unweakened by the zorro.
sion OF sordidness and money madness. il
and of every genuinely noble achievement
we nave fallen upon days when our
Peep People are more than ever turning awav
from their old faith in the SAVING rrace
OF character and focking to the worshin of Of
mo iIo making in idols Daily and hourly in
che idgnr OF Investigation and exposure,
charactefless lives are seen in annoIIin1
numbers NJ without chart or compass crowd
e easS upon on the rocks and shoals of faith1ess-
ness ness ana preach of trust. How i'll have
these wrecked lives exchanged the safe
course and the harbor of honor and usef sie
n nuss wnlcn S CHARACTER and rectitude point
pelf sedrcn Tor
trust our III people ever return again to their
Irust IN character as a steadying forca l.,
our restless enterprise and immens aolc g. ~ IN
RAJ rlal growth it will be when they take at e.
neart the full significance of such taA eor 70
menofatlon as this. We memorie1iza on,,
man VINO not only earned the lastin@ 49, d
t ~ us couthhtrymen but whose life. in a1l
antly successful ~ was aound-