OCR Text |
Show ' DEATH OF CARL SCHURZ. - ' . . So Carl Schurz is dead. The stormy petrel has at last folded his wings. A etrange compound was I he. No man had a greater desire that the masses of men should be free; no man loved better to rule than he. His idea.of liberty was like the old Puritan ; idea.of religious freedom freedom to worship God, ' but unless after the Puritan formula, why then burn , -the offender for witchcraft or some other craft to ' Bare bis soul. ' , Possessed of a marvelous intellect, gifted with I intuitive' and acquired knowledge beyond his fel-(low fel-(low men, but utterly lacking in judgment, except j .when he was rising on the crest of an excitement or !. revolution, he was an utter failure, for so soon as itehad the calm to think and to plan the innate envy fend selfishness of the man caused him to clash with : those of steadier judgment than himself. ' He came to this country a refugee, and reaching our shores '.just when the flames of an upheaval were being flighted, his soul at once took fire and, being a nattir-al nattir-al orator, in States where there were many of his ;wn race, he blazed like a meteor. In quick succession succes-sion he was twice elected U. S. Senator. 'r When, the war came on he obtained a command ' .and vent to the front, but quickly demonstrated his potter incapacity as a soldier in all things save per-sonal per-sonal courage. But oblivious to his own imperfec-?tions, imperfec-?tions, he did not hesitate for a moment to accuse others, and even had the temerity and foolhardinesB : : to address a personal letter to President Lincoln reproaching re-proaching him for his weak conduct of the war. That letter caused many a man to express regret :lhat Schurz's native country did not succeed in cap-rturing cap-rturing and hanging him before he had a chance to ileave its shores. But the answer to that letter by Mr. Lincoln in a .measure made men glad that Schurz had written to ihim, for nothing more effective than the reply was ; ever administered to ablatherskite who was posing as a statesman. Schurz always hated Gen. Grant, we believe for ,jioTeason on earth except that the silent General demonstrated ability and patriotism which kindled Ull the envy in Schurz's soul. And Grant, almost at ?a glance, fathomed the full nature of Schurz, and aerer for a moment had the slightest use for him. So long as Gen. Grant lived Schurz hated and pursued him, and because he with a few others j could not control the Republican party, he abandoned aban-doned it. When Senator Sumner died Schurz delivered the eulogy oVer him. This was most appropriate, for the two men had much in common. Both had great i intellects, boundless egotism, supreme selfishness jand that species of envy and jealousy which made 'them unfair to the verge of dishonesty toward all ;they did not like. For many years Schurz was editorial writer on the New York Evening Post and Nation. His pen -;.was both strong and brilliant, but . in hatred of Blaine and Conkling it was never able to see any virtues in the Republican party, but advocated the ;English policy of Godkin and came nearer finding an ideal statesman in Grover Cleveland than any other man in America. Aside from personal friends and a few men of .German birth or ancestry, whose original admira-'tion admira-'tion for him was because he was one of the children of Fatherland, he will not be much mourned, and . never missed. He was bright and strong, but a Tvorld filled with such men as he would make of it a little volcano. |