Year: 1879

The death or ZacDarian Cnanuler removes
a rugged figure from our politics. Mr.
Chandler entered Congress at time when
the general excitement attending the last
struggles for the extension Of slavery brought
to the front of public affairs class of
men who heated their politics with an almost
religious ardor, and were ready to fight for
their party as the martyrs suffered for their
church. Political zealOts, who delighted in
the fury and roar of passionate conflict, they
were the natural product of a season of dan
ger and universal disturbance; and they were
also the combatants for whom perhaps the
country Just then had the greatest need.
They lacked the composure, prudence and re-
finement of statesmenj their political methods
were somewhat rugged, like their manner In
debate; but they had a power IN rousing the
people and filing them with enthusiasm for a
great cause which many leaders of finer
quality never obtained. And, after all, the
rude but fervid and thoroughly heartfelt ora
tory of the Michigan Senator who in
1857 presented himself In the seat of
Lewis Cass contrasted not unfavOrably
with the braggart insolence OF the slave-dri-
yers he had come to fight. That was the era
of the worst school of politicians our country
has known,-the high toned brawlers in broad
cloth, who came up to Washington from the
plantations, redolent of brandy, tobacco and
eunpowder, and tried to rule Congress by the
same methods they applied to their mig
"gers" who fought duels, and played cards,
and swore, and did not pay their debtsJ the
basest counterfeits of & gentleman and a man
of honor the world has ever seen. Mr..
Chandler was prince by the side of most of
the slave-State Congressman and there was
many time during the last days of the
struggle when his courage, his earnestness, his
fiery zeal gave O magnificent support to the
weary and discouraged partisans of freedom.


After the war it was the misfortune of Mr..
Chandler that he retained all the heat and
fury of his earlier conflicts, though his party
had cooled off The North was tired of battle;
the South-as we then thought-was as anxious
as we were to he just and to be friendly. There
was need of different order of statesmen
from the politicians of the storm -and-stress
period and when Mr.. Chandler was no longer
in accord with the common sentiment of the
people, he met with the common fate; the
memory of his past services faded, and we
saw only his errors and failings. His appoint
ment as Secretary of the Interior In General
Grants Cabinet was denounced with great Bit
terHess He had shown no aptitude for
political administrative Office; and his selection
as the head of one of the most troublesome
and complicated departments of the Govern
ment was the occasion not only of general dis
pleasure but of general surprise. Mr.. Chand
Ter as Cabinet officer, in an era of cOncilia-
tion and civil service reform, was said to be
"a frightful anachronsm.n


But if the President astonished everybody
by choosing Mr.. Chandler. Mr.. Chandler as
tonished everybody still more by making one
ment has had in many years. He
hunted out frauds he broke up rings,
he applied to the Strengthening of various
crooked arrangements the experience of sue
cessful business career and the sternest
honesty-for he was always rigidy upright in
the handling of the public mOney-and when
he left Office his vigorous administration was
highly c0mplimented by successor who
cherished for him both personally and poIti-
cally special antipathy. Chandler, in short,
was one of the few conspicuous members of
the Grant Administration who left Office with
n higher character than they took into il.
Perhaps the consciousness that they had mis-
Judged his abilities as an administrative Off
Ger made people the more ready to believe
that they had also been mistaken to some cx-
tent in decrying his political opinions. Events
have proved that the millennium Is still great
wayt of, and that there is likely still to be
abundant and useful employment for the stall