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Show THE UEATH OF GRESHAM. The unfortunate death of Walter Q. Gresham,secretary of state of theUnited States , yesterday, while it will not alter very trreatly the national policy with regard to foreign nations, will nevertheless never-theless be productive of change-and delays of various kinds, eome of which are vastly important. We can see no event to follow which is likely to embroil em-broil or complicate this government with any foreign nation. We therefore there-fore may bow our head3 in humble submission to the will of God without being distracted by fears of any unpleasant un-pleasant results to follow. Mr. GreshHm was of a type of men rare in the United States within the last quarter of a century. In a time of the iD tensest partisanship in politics he was almost totally devoid of partisan instincts or feelings. No man today can Bay truly if he were a democrat, a republican or a populist. He has acted at times with each of these parties, ana when Mr. Cleveland selected Judge Gresbtai for his secretarj of state-corresponding state-corresponding to the minister for foreigD affairs in European eovern-ments eovern-ments ;reat surprise was felt by ail, and fcii t indignation was expressed by ultr pH-tisan democrats. But with all of zmgwuropery, he has made an ic" . officer. His policy has ever been- pg. decisive, honest and fair. Perhaps it zh public were better acquainted ac-quainted all the circumstances eurrou- -y. rases in which h 3 was ealled u a.t. tuero would be little or no adverse ; rlt :is:as of the man or bis. official policy acts. His high oiuco came to him in troublous troub-lous times. T'je world has been uneasy un-easy and m&ny nations have been on the point of rcEhing to arms to settle disputes, and many actual wars have been waged in the two and a naif years he has held office. But no serious complication com-plication of this government has occurred. oc-curred. It is difficult to determine if in all thiB Hawaiian trouble Mr. Gresham has been wrong. Indeed we doubt not but his every act was, in his judgment, solely and only for the best Koo- ot tbe goveruinenu There was no shadow of jingoism about him. He was a strong man acting for a strong government under the direction of a strong ruler and he acted with dignity, force, and openly and above-bosrd, as was meet and proper. There was never any apparent doubt or uncertainty uncer-tainty about the man or his work. He acted and never with hesitation or doubt. Nor has his name ever been connected with any unclean, dishonest or doubtful matter. Be goes out of office challenging the severest criticisms criti-cisms and his fame is safe. The fact that his distressed wife spent theJ'Haatt-'s reading the scripture scrip-ture to the dying statesman speaks . ' volumes for one phase of his character. While he has been a man of affairs, yet he found titne to pay Lis humble duty to the Heavenly Father, and chose His words for his guide as his footsteps tended to the brink of the other world. This example will prove of unestim-able unestim-able value to the world. There is a lesson in this circumstance of grand import Let us all take it home to our own hearts and treasure it as a rich legacy bequeathed to us by one of the great men of our own times. Mr. Gresham stood by the president in the policy he maintained, save and except in the matter of silver. There, we think, he departed widely from Mr. Cleveland, at least he did a few years since. His private, professional and political career has Deen honest and such as an honest citizen may copy without shame. We did not agree altogether al-together with his views, yet we are glad to be able to eay that there was much in the man that we very greatly admired. |
