Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-11-14
TRIBUTE TO MOTION.
Ex-President Cleveland Eu1ogizes His
Secretary of Agriculture.

Ex-President Cleveland Eulogizes His
Secretary of Agriculture.
In the presence of 5000 persons, ana
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 r.
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
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 consclentlously
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
and he believed that waste in public eX-
penditure was sim
The noxious atmosphere of governmental
extravaganza could not blind his eyes, nor
could the ridfcule of those who had learned
TO ScoH at official economy, or the threats
of those who peridiOusly 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 a
bright and unwavering light on the path Of
official obligation; and thus did his clear
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 a reverent love of the maker Of the uni
verse He served the purposes of God on
earth and taught his felloW-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
of general observance among our people.
NO beautiful crest elaborate coat of
arms would so well illustrate his grand
simplicity or typify the spirit in which this
project had its rise and completion as its
symbollzatlon by growing tree surmount
ing the homely legend, Plant trees
None of us should go from tbis n1ooo
tsntouched by the lesson which this statue
teacheS. Here we should lrn that char
acter, interrupted by the contagion of TO-
noble things and unWeakened by the corro-
the corner stone of every truly usefuI life
ana OF every genuinely noble achievement,
we nave fallen, upon days when our
people are more than ever turning oyey
from their old faith in the saving @r ~%S
OF character and fiocking to the woTsbin of
money making idols. Daily and hourIy in
the light of investigation and EXPOSURE %
characterless lives are seen in appalling
numbers, without chart or compass. croIvd'
ed upon the rocks and shoals of foitbIo.
ness and breach of trust. How IN have
these wrecked lives exchanged the safe
course and the harbor of honor and usefnI-
ness which character and rectitude noint
out for wild and headlong rush over nm
pelf. 4or
II our people ever return again to their
trust IN character as a steadving forca IN
our restless enterprise and Immense mate
rial growth it will be when they take 70
heart the full significance of sncb go 10
memoration as this. We memorabilia a
man who not only earned the LASTING honor
OF his countrymen, but whose life in ali
thi5Gs worthy of high endeavor. was abund.
aQtlV successful - ''NNi4u-