Oxford Democrat., 1909-08-31

these great open places, on bills and
mountains like these, that ever have
reared men devoted to freedom and to
public service.
And Hannibal Hamlin was man of
this type. In these days we find large,
and sometimes I am afraid, a growing
incredulity, that any man should risk
his own future for the cause that he be-
lieves to be right. We have come az
people too largely to estimate the acts
of public servants as from q purely self
ish standpoint. 1t is not wise to claim
too much flor this frequently reacts) but
In all you may read of Hannibal Hamlin
you will find that he never hesitated be-
tween what he thought to be right and
what he thought to be solely for his own
interests. If the two conflicted be chose
the path of public service. This made
him great; this crowned his life with
something better than mere success; !;
this made him fit to be set In the same
frame with Abraham Lincoln; this en-
d0ws this spot on which we stand to-
day, as hallowed with ten thousand
memories of his sweet and gentle nature,
his kindling wit, his broad human SYM
pathy, his devotion to the right. His
remarkable abilities, his unique intel
lectual achievements, his political sa-
gacity could not alone have accomplished
this. Other men have had these and
failed Others have been equipped with
all that makes men great only to become
little. At the height of his career Ham
lin risked his apparent future; broke
with the political faith of his fathers;
renounced the party of Calhoun and
Douglas in which he was born, and for
the sake of his self respect and at the
cost of an influence that had made him
for generation the favorite son of the
old democracy of Maine, allied himself
with a new cause that seemed almost
hopeless and helpless. The Douglas
democracy was at the climax of its
power; it had endorsed the repeal of the
Missouri compromise, and had stood
forth in its national convention as the
progressive pro-slavery force of the land.
The speech of renunciation OF that party
by Senator Hamlin in the United States
Senate was an epoch in his life. 1t was
apparently his political suicide. yet it
was but part of the creed of the man
who for twelve years had fought slavery
within his own party and who forsook
that party only when it became evident
that further fight on that field was use
less. He could now follow the impulses
of his freedom-loving heart and they led
him ultimately in the passing of the
next few years of storm and stress to the
side of Abraham Lincoln; for Senator
Hamlin became the leader and the hero
of new party in Maine, and that party
animated by the spirit of freedom swept
the Pine Tree State for Hannibal Hamlin
as Governor by an unprecedented ma
jority in 1856 and soon after sent Hanni-
bal Hamlin back again to the United
States Senate as an unfettered champion
of human rights, and thereby placed him
on an eminence from which he was called
into the seat of power at the right hand
of Lincoln in 1861.
If we dwell on this it is to emphasize
solely Mr.. Hamlin's loyalty to principle
Men wavered in those days. Those who
wavered fell; those who stood straight
marched on and on, reckless of their
fate in the advance of the flag of free
dom. The incident typifies Mr.. Hamlin
He was loyal. He was loyal to the
democracy until loyalty was stultifica-
ton. he was loyal to Lincoln. He was
loyal to the cause throughout the war.
The soldiers of the Union army never
had warmer friend than was Hannibal
Hamlin. I have recently received from
the state historian, Mr.. Henry Burrage,
hitherto unpublished letter, recently
found among some of Governor Israel
Washburu's papers, which shows Mr..
Hamlin's earnestness for the cause of
fir, edom, aud which letter am permitted
through the kindness of the state his
torian, to read to you for the first time.
1t is as follows:
"NEw YORK, Apr. %, 1861.
"Dear Governor:
| arrived here this morning.
The devotion of our people of
all classes is heart cheering. The
whole country is wild with ex-
citement. l have time to say
but a few words and those l
deem important. While Maine
should act with all POSSIBLE
DISPATCH and have her one
regiment in the field at the
EARLIEST PRACTICABLE
MOMENT, still, before they are
sent from home be snre and have
them all we'll uniformed and
equipped. Be sure Of that. |
kho l.. .;alo ~
least ten more regiments upon a
war footing, ready to march at
an hours notice.
Yours truly
II. HAMLIN."
This letter peculiarly illustrated Mr..
Hamlin's zeal for the cause; his per-
sonal interest in the comfort and welfare
of the soldiers and his pride in the good
name of Maine.
Mr.. Hamlin was especially loyal to his
native state. He was loyal to his neigh
bors. He was loyal to himself and to
the memory of those true-hearted people
from whom he had descended. Upon his
retirement from Office as Vice-P President
he became collector of the Port of Bos.
ton under Andrew Johnson. Again he
saw his duty in self sacrifice, for he re-
signed this Office of great emoluments
because, he said, he could not acquiesce
by his silence in measures that sought
to restore to power men who sought to
destroy the government. He again re-
turned to the United States Senate,
where he served through the administra-
tions of General Grant and his success
or, until at the age of u he volunta-
rily withdrew from his proud position as
the father of the senate in influence and
in wisdom in order to make way for
younger men then coming upon the field
of action. Mr.. Hamlin hoped to pass the
serene twilight of his life at his home in
Bangor, but he was again called into
active political life in the campaign of
Mr.. Blaine. Later he was appointed
| United States Minister to the court Of
Spain; resigned after year of service,
and, early 10 the eighties, came back tn
Bangor to live among his old friends
whom he loved and who loved him with
love that passeth words. Here he died
on July 4tb, when more than eighty
years Of age. His life had spanned the
history of the nation from Jefferson to
McKinley. He had seen the nation grow