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About McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886 | View Entire Issue (June 19, 1884)
A Sketch of the Republican Standard Bearer-Tho Early rife of u Great Man. From a Biographies ! Bkotcli written byT.C. Craw ford. James G. Elaine was born at Indian .barm , Washington county , Ponn- \th ? 8l3fc d o Jan"ary 1830. - ? evcry advantagc- had instructors and the advantngo of a preliminarv training school at Lancaster , O. , where helifcdwith his lelatives , the family of Thomas Ewinff , the then secretary of the treasurv He was brought into contact with politic * when a mere lad of 11. HewasgrX ated from the Washington University of western Pennsylvania in 1847 before he was quite 18. His college guardian was his uncle , John H. EwmgT a mem ber of congress. Mr. Blaine excelled as a student. There appears no period m his early life where he was not suc cessful. Indeedin accordance with ordinary rules , Mr. Blaine should have had much harder times to have brought out his powers. As a teacher for sev eral years he fastened his college ac quirements , while his subsequent ten years' as a political editor developed bis powers as a clear and ready writer , Chairman of the republican central committee in Maine at the age of 26 , he' has since that time retained his ascend ency as a political leader. Coming to congress in 1862 he soon attracted the attention of Lincoln. It was Mr. Blame's habit at the outset of his career to make very short , crisp speeches. He never occupied more than a pao-e of the Congressional Record. He never spoke unless ho had something to say. This attracted Lincoln's attention. He was almost the first man to divine Blaine's future and actually prophesy what he would accomplish. At the age of 89 Mr. Blaine was made speaker of the house , and for six years filled that post with an ability that was conceded by all , although his enemies regarded mm as often arbitrary and high-handed in the administration of his power. SUCCESS IN RETIREMENT. Mr. Blaine is now in the prime of ft rigorous manhood. He is 54 years of age. His once shattered he.ilth is re stored. His eyes are now r.g keen and clear as when he was an impulsive , mischievous boy , while his voice is as ringing , deep , and strong as in his palmiest days as an orator. Retired from active politics now for over two' years , he has gained by the change. Instead of dropping into the obscurity where falls the average public man rel- gated to" private life , he has heldhw own in the public mind as no states man ever has before without the arti ficial aid of official position. Instead of retiring in his privacy Mr. Blaine has , with the energy of genius , immediately lound a new field to conquer. In the hard and untried path of literature he has accomplished in the brief period of one year as brilliant a success as has ever fallen to his lot inactive politics. His political history , the first part of which is now completed , will do more to make his name memorable than all oiher acts of his public career. Rele gated to private through no fault of his own , through the calamity of Garfiold's assassination , Mr. Blaine has shown such courage , such pluck in subduing the despair which would have over whelmed an ordinary man as to com mend him to the faint-hearted forever as the very embodiment of courage which acknowledges no defeat. IK HIS HOME. His magnetic power is the subject of many sneers. The enemies of Blaine deride the men who are fond of him by calling them victims of this 'personal magnetism. Analyze this personal xnagnetism-and you will find it is noth ing more than the fact of an unassum ing intellectual superiority , a keen , trenchant common sense that com mands admiration. Very few public men at short range fulfill the popular idea. They are apt to prove disap pointing through the exhibition of some incomplete , undeveloped side. It is rare enough that a public man of prom inence is a pleasant companion. Mr. Blaine is so many-sided as to be classed as a man of genius. He is an orator , a polished writer , a student of history , a wide reader of general liter ature , a successful financier , a thorough man of the world , a complete master of the art of pleasing in a social way. " As a conversationalist Mr. Blaine has few equals. He has a keen apprecia tion of fun , and can tell a story with wonderful simplicity. There is no dragging prelude , no verbose details preceding a stupid finale. The story is presented always dramatically and fired almost as if from a gun when the { point is reached. Mr. Blaine's ability jto entertain a private circle , as well ; as 'public ' audience , shows that he has great power as an actor. Yet even in His private talk he does not fall into the I habit of the average public manof .making speeches or soliloquizing. "He 'is ' quite willing to listen when any one' has anything to say , and never appears more at his best than when he is taking -part in a running fire of bright , sharp talk. OPPOSED to TRICKERT. Mr. Blaine certainly needs no de fense from the hands of anyone Everything that has been used against him is so much burned powder. I Should not allude to this record talk if it-were not for the fict that a certain < : las of republicans still persist in the liotion of believing that bo a really a , untrustworthy ream timiu.0 > ) ' iii u nun sti-mM t. ik. HIM - re life u * : i ij t-iU i r iu-l mut. . N mm is ( MM f - . . Mr IJ * uu < ) hm U' > ' 'uuhtuiily in ide Jui-i.'iUc-i , unil do IJH I'ecnscvori'l ; punin'iMil. ' But tbry i- no rcns i why tla : tni.-tttiltcs clioulil be dwelt upon aa this true jrnlicuiioiis of his charoctpr. II < 1ms shown hiiusolf to be as independent in spirit as any great party lender could have been. It should 1)0 remembered of him that he voted against-lhe junggling electoral commission bill , which was demanded by the rigid partisans of that day. Both Blaine and Conkling two of the high est types of 'the republicans 'of that period , opposed that bill. It was through Mr. Elaine's influence that the force bill , a measure of his par ty , was defeated in the house. While he has been always loyal to the close union of the nations on this continent with reciprocity treaties between thorn as against the old world would have given a now to his party when it wns right , he has never hesitated to n stvi lilo luilopoudonoo when it oloimod his allojlnuoo in ft courld which ke could ayUPPVOVQ , Vl\w bv-triuuj wL. ul MIBlttlub and la . 0110 th 5 ahouM not bo forgotten 'o thj fuoc thab ho is an American. He A vopubliotiu in the best sense of the rll. ITo ; a as much opposed to orthodox forms m politics for form's anko as Tu oraoll id in religion. There w nothing for which he has so sincere & auuteuipt as for affectation of any kind ' ' . " THE 'PLUMED KSIGIIT. [ Speech of Robert jG. Inersoll in present ing the name of. James O. Blaine for the presidential nomination 'at Cincinnati in June , 870. ] MR. CHAIRMAN , LADIES AND Gsar- TLKMKN : Massachusetts may be satis- lied with the loyalty of Btmiamin Bris- tow , so am I ; Cut if any man nomi nated by this convention cannot carry tho. state of Massachusetts , I am not satisfied with the loyalty of that state If the nominee of this convention can not carry the grand old commonwealth of Massachusetts by seventy-ftve thou sand majority , I would advise them to sell out Faneuil hall as a democratic headquarters. I would advise them to take Irom Bunker Hill that old monument ment of glory. The republicans of the United States demand as their leader in the great , contest of 1876 a man of intelligence , a man of well known and approved po litical opinions. They demand a statesman - > man ; they demand a reformer after as well as before the election. They de mand a politician in the highest , broad est and best sense a man of superior moral courage. They demand a man acquainted with public affairs , with the wants of the people , with not only the requirements of the hour , but with the demands ol the future. They demand a man broad enough to comprehend the relations of the govern ment to the other nations of the earth. They demand a man well versed in the powers , duties , and prerogatives of , oaoh and every department of thisgov- ornment. They demand a man who will sacredly preserve the financial i honor of the United States : one who knows enough to know that the national debt must bo paid through the prosper ity of our people ; one who knows enough to know that all the financial theories of the world cannot redeem a single dollar ; one who knows enough to know that all the money musk be made , not by law , but by labor ; one who knows enough to know that the people of the United States have the in dustry to make the- money , and the honor to pay it over just as fast as they make it. [ Applause ] . ' * ' The republicans of the United States demand a man who knows that pros perity and resumption , when they come , most come together ; that when they come they wm some hand in hand through the golden harvest fields , hand in hand by the whirling spindles and the turning wheels ; hand in hand past the open- furnace doors , hand in hand by the chimney with eager fire , greeted and grasped by the countless sons of tofl. tofl.This This money has to be dug out of the earth. Yon cannot make it by passing resolutions in a political convention. [ Applause. ] The republicans want a man who knows tiut this government should protect every citizen , at home and abroad ; who knows that any govern ment that will not defend its defenders and jtrptoot itajprotectors is.a . disgrace to the map.ot the worlcT Tiey demaocL a man who "believes in the eternal sepa ration and divorcement of church and state. . They demand a man whose Apolitical reputation is as spotless as a star ; but they do not demand that their candidate shall have a certificate of uioral character signed by a confeder ate congress. The mail who has in t'i i heaped and rounded measure all T.u-oo splendid qualifications is the present grand and gallant leader 'of vho republican party James G. Blaine. Our country , crowned with the vast and marvelous achievements of its first century , asks for a man worthy of the past and the prophetic of her future ; asks for a man who has the audacity ef genius ; asks for a man who has the grandest combination of heart , con- ofllanoe and brain beneath her flag suoh a man is James G. Blaine. [ Ap plause. for the republican host , led by this intrepid man , there can he no defeat. Tins is a grand year a year filled with recollections of the revolution ; filled with the proud and tender memo ries of the past ; with the sacred legends of liberty a year in which the sons of freedom will drink from the fountains of mthinnmnn ; a year in which the people ple call for a man who has preserved in congress what our soldiers won upon- the cattle field ; a year in which they call for a man who has torn from the thros of treason the tongue of slander for the man who has snatched the mask of democracy from the hideous face of rebellion ; for the man. who , like an intellectual athlete , has stood in the arena of debate and challenged all comers , and who is still a total stranger to defeat. [ Applause. ] Like an armed warrior , like a plumed knight , James G. Blaine marched down the halls of the American congress and threw Ms shining lance full , and fair the brazen .foreheads of the de- famexs of his country and the maligners of kit kpnor. For therepublican party to duett tto yalltnt leader now is ag general upon the Held of iMUfl. Ap- ptaue. ] Janes G. Blaine is now and has been for yean the bearer of the sacred stand ard of tie republican party. I call it sored because no human being cani stand beneath its folds without remain-1 ing free. Gentlemen of the convention , in the name of the great republic , the only re public that ever existed upon this earth ; m the name of all her defenders and of all her supporters ; m the name of all her eoldiars living ; in the name of all her soldiers dead upon the field of bat tle , and in the name of those who per ished in the skeleton-clutch of famine At AndorBonville and Libby , whose suf ferings he so vividly remembers , Illi- jnois Illinois nominates for the next 'president of this country that prince cf parliamentarians that loader of lead- erg kernes G. Blalne , TUB PLUMED KHIQHT. of Juilzo Weit , of Ohio , Horn- 1:1.11110 for the Presidency 12utliii8ln m on the Oocailon. E i tract from Coimntlon frocoedlngs. The ctill wag then proceeded with , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky and Louisiana , each being : called and each passing as called. When the state of Maine was called the vast assembly arose and an explosion of human .voices occurred. For several moments the roar coniinm dand only ceased because of the inability of the audience to roar any longer. Some of the delegates were ovei joyed to the extent of frenzy. Hats and Jans and canes were thrown in the air. Hags waived and general pandemonium reigned. The chair nipped with his gavel for order , but he might as well have tried to argue with a elyclone. No finer opportunity had wcurred to the delegates to express their feelings , and they expressed it in keeping with the opportunity. It is impossible to convey any adequate idea a * to the noise that reigned , but possi bly an estimate can be found by the btatoment that from 12,000 to 14,000 people were yelling like mad and could not be restrained. It was a glorious tribute to pay to any man. After the chairman had succeeded in producing comparative quiet , Judge West , of Ohio , was introduced and said : "As a dele gate in the Chicago convention of 1860 , the proudest service in my life was performed - formed by voting for'tEe nomination of the inspired emancipator , the first re publican president of the United States. [ Applause. ] Four and twenty years of the grandest history of recerded time has distinguished the ascendancy of the republican party. The skies have low ered and reverses have threatened , but our flag is still there waving above the mansion of the presidency. Not a stain on its folds , not a cloud on its glory. Whether it shall maintain that grand ascendancy depends on the ac tion of this great council. With bated breath a nation waits its results. On it are fixed the eyes of twenty millions of republican freemen in the north. On it , or to it rather , are stretched forth the imploring hands of ten million of political bondmen of the south , [ ap plause ] while above , from the portals of light , is looking down the immortal spirit of the immortal martyr who first bore it to victory , bidding us God speed. [ Applause. ] Six times , in six campaigns , has that banner triumphed , that symbol of union freedom and pro gress , some time by that silent Man of Destiny , the Wellington of American arms , [ wild applause j last by him for whose untimely taking off a nation Dwelled the funeral cries and wept . above great Garfield's grave. [ Cheers' and applause. ] Shall that banner tri umph again P Commit it to the bear ing of that chief , [ a voice , "James G. Blaine , of Maine/ ' ] commit it to the bearing of that chief , the inspiration of whose illustrious character and great name will fire the hearts of our young men , stir the fire of our manhood and rekindle the fervor of the veteran , and the closing of the seventh campaign will see that holy ensign spanning the sky like a bow of promise. [ Cheers. ] Political conditions are changed since the accession of the republican party to power. The mighty issues of strug gling freedom and bleeding humanity which 'convulsed the continent and aroused the republic , rallied , united and inspired the forces of patriotism and the forces of humanity in one consoli dated phalanx. These great issues have closed their contentions. The subordinate issues resulting there from are settled and buried away with the dead issues of the past. The arms of the solid south are against us. Not an electoral gun can be expected from that section. If triumph comes the republican states of the north must furnish the conquering battalions. Fromthe farm , the anvil , the loom , the mine , the workshop and the desk ; from the hut of the trapper on the snowy Sierras.from the hut of the fisherman on the banks of the Hudson , the repub lican states must furnish those conquer ing battalions if triumph comes. Does not sound political wisdom dictate and demand that a leader shall be given them whom our people will follow , not as conscripts advancing by funeral marches to certain defeat , but a grand civic hero whom the souls of the people desire and whom they will follow with all the enthusiasm of volunteers as they sweep on and onward to certain victory. [ Cheers. ] In this contention of forces to determine to whom shall be intrusted our battle flag , I am not here and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I abate one tithe from the just fame , integrity and public honor of Chester A. Arthur , our president. [ Ap plause. ] I abate not ; one tithe from the just fame and public integrity of Geo. F. Edmunds , [ applause ] of Joseph R. " Hawley [ applause ] , of John Sherman" [ applause ] , of that grand old black eagle of Illinois , [ here the speaker was interrupted several moments by pro longed applause ] , and I am proud to know that these distinguished "senators whom I have named have borne like testimony to the public life , the public character and the public integrity of him whose confirmation brought him to the highest office , second in dignity to the office of the president , only himself , the first premiership in the administra tion of James A. Garfield. [ Applause. ] A man for whom senators ana "rivals will vote as secretary of state of the United States is good enough for plain flesh and blood people to vote for .for Ihair be"our"'candidVteP [ Cries for Blaine , Arthur and Logan. Avoice yelled above the tumult , "Give us BlacK Jack and we will elect him. " ] When quiet was restored the speaker continued : "Hot the representative of a particu lar interest , of a particular class. Send the proclamation to the country labeled - ed the doctor's candidate , the lawyer's candidate , the Wall street candidate , and the hand of resurrection would not fathom his November grave. [ Ap plause. ] Gentlemen , he must be a representative of American manhood [ applause ] , a representative of that living republicanism that demands the amplest industrial protection and op portunity whereby labor shall bo ena bled to earn and oat the bread of inde pendent employment , relieved of men dicant competition with pauper Europe or pagan China. [ Applause. ] He must bo a representative of that re publicanism that demands the absolute' political as well as personal emancipa tion and enfranchisement of mankind , a representative of that republicanism which recognizes the stamp of Ameri can citiijensnip as the passport to every right and privilege , and consideration at homo or abroad , whether under the sky of Bismarck , under the palmetto , under the palm , on the banks of the Mohawk ; that republicanism regards with dissatisfaction a disposition which , under the sic semper tyranuis of the Old Dominion would emulate the slaughter of popular majorities in the name of democracy ; a republicanism as embodied and standing on the plat form of principles this day adopted by your convention. Gentlemen , such a representative man is James G. Blaine , of Maine. " " ' Gentlenuui of the convention L" . has been urged that in making this nomination every other consideration should bo foregone , i-vtry other inter est sacrificed , in order ; uid with a view exclusively to secure the republican vote and carry the state of New York. [ Slight applause from back seats. ] Gentlemen , the republican party de mands of this convention a nominee whose inspiration and glorious prestige shall carry the presidency with or without the state of New York [ ap plause ] ; that will carry the legisla tures of the several states aad avert the sacrifice of the United States sen ate ; that shall sweep into the tide the congressional districts to recover the house of representatives and restore it to the republican party. Three _ millions - lions oF republicans belitve that that man who from the baptism of blood on the plains of Kansas to the fall of the immortal Garfleld , in all that struggle of humanity and progress , whenever humanity desired succor , where love for freedom called for protection , wherever the country called for a de fender , wherever blows foil thickest and fastest , there in the fore front of the battle was seen to wave the white plume of James A. Garfield , our Henry of Navarre. . [ The speaker , seeing that he had misspoKen , closed his sentence by substituting the name of "Jumts G. Blaine , our Henry of Navarre. " ] Nom inate him , and the shouts of September victory in Maine will be re-echoed back by the thunders of the October victory in Ohio. Nominate him , and the camp fires and beacon lights will illuminate the continent from the Golden Gate to Cleopatra's needle. Nominate him , and the millions who are now in waiting will rally to swell the column of victory that is sweeping on. In the name of a majority of the delegation from republican states and of our glo rious constituencies who must fight this battle , I nominate James G. Blaine , of Maine/ / * ' [ Renewed applause. ] Using Long and fchort Words. It is odd that long words more com monly express ignorance than do the short words. Short words are used for the expression of stalwart ideas that are perfectly capable of standing alone , while the refinement of those ideas are more commonly expressed in long words. The grandest thoughts in any literature are expressed in few and well chosen words , and , as a rule , the man of ideas is more simple in his language than he wh6 has no originality , and re lies on others for thoughts , which he then proceeds to put into his own ex pressions. The man of ideas which are capable of standing alone is usually careless about the appearance his ideas may make , just as the rich man is con tent to dress more plainly than his poorer neighbors , because he and every body else knows that he is rich ; his wealth speaks for itself , and he has no need to put any considerable part of it on his back , while his poorer neighbor is sometimes obliged to dress better than he can afford to do , for fear some one may think he is poorer than he really is. It is also often noticed that men of ideas hesitate in , their speech more than do those who have few ideas and few words to express them in. The reason is evident. Men of a large vo cabulary will pick and chose in their words in order to get the word that will best dp the work expected of it. If this one will not answer , it will betaken out and another substituted , while the man of a limited vocabulary and few ideas 'will never be at a loss for the simple reason that he has but one set of words to express them. The words are easily fitted to the ideas and the work is done. Of all people in the world , young wo men are the most glib in conversation , but this is not from any quantity of ideas or words either , for the command of either is usually limited , but from the reason already assigned. The man who has but one suit of clothes is never troubled about dressing himself , for he puts on his one suit and goes about his business. It is the man who has a number of different suits who is con fronted by the problem what to wear and how to wear it. Never speculate with your own mo ney , my son , or very soon you may have no money with which to specu late. Don't be selfish. Give your friends' money the first chance. [ At lanta Constitution. "Can you draw a dog ? " said a lady to a gentleman caller. The youth blushed crimson , and said it depended upon two things the size of the dog and the stren h of the material in his pants. [ Burlington Free Press. QEX. JOHN A. LOGAN. A Sketch of the GnllantSoIdler Nominated for Vice-President llow Ho Earned Hla Epanleta In the Mexican War and in the Rebellion. John Alexander Logan is of Irish stock , his father , Dr. John Logan , coming to this country from Ireland three years before the birth of the gen eral , aa event which occurred February 9 , 1826. With the exception of attending schools in the neighborhood in an in termittent fashion , owing to the fact that no regular schools existed in the settlement , his early or preparatory education was derived from the teach ing of his father. Having laid the'foun- dation , he entered Louisville university , and in duo course graduated. Upon the declaration of war with Mexico , John A. Logan promptly en listed as a private soldier in the Illi nois volunteers , and was chosen a lieu tenant in the First Illinois infantry. Ho did good service , becoming quarter master and adjutant of his regiment. At the close of the war he returned home , and in the fall of 1848 began to study law in the office of his uncle , Axexander M. Jenkins , formerly lieu tenant-governor of Illinois. In November , 1848 , he was elected olerk of Jackson county , and while discharging his official duties completed his law studies , and after attendiag a course of law lectures in Louisville , re ceiving a diploma , he was admitted to the bar , and commenced practice with his uncle. He became almost immedi ately successful and popular , for we find that in 1653 he was elected to the state legislature , and in 1854 to the of fice of prosecuting attorney of the third judicial district of Illinois , holding the office until 1857. Mr. Logan was reelected - elected to the state legislature in 1853 , 1856 and 1857 , and in 1856 was a presi dential elector on the Buchanan andi Breckinridge ticket. In 1858 he was nominated and elected as representa tive to the thirty-six congress as a' Douglas democrat , and re-elected by a large majority in 1860. The most ardent democrat and an earnest supporter to the "Little Giant" when the bugle blast of war swept northward from the south , he declared his willingness to shoulder his musket to secure the inauguration of Mr. Lin coln. " In July , 1861 , during the extra ses sion of congress , his patriotism was -o greatly aroused by the sight of Illin.i s troops going to the front , he left Un seat in the house , and joined the tromH on then ? way to meet the enemy , lie marched bravely into the first battle .if Bull Bun under Col. Richardson , fou < ? tr. in the ranks , and was among the last iu leave the ensanguine field. In Au u , & of the same year he returned from m home to Washington , resigned his olllee as representative , and dedicated lnm-i self to the country's cause for the term' of the war , unless sooner killed , or dis abled. He immediately organized the Thirty- . first Illinois Infantry , and September 21 was made its colonel. In November , the regiment had its first baptism of blood at Belmont. Here he had his horse shot under him while leading a successful bayonet charge. With Grant * he made the campaign which resulted in the taking of Fort Henry and Donel- son , but was so severely wounded at the assault upon the latter , he was dis abled for several mouths. As soon as convalescent he reported for duty to General Grant at Pittsburg Landing , March 5 , 1862 , and was immediately of volun appointed brigadier-general teers. He bore a conspicuous pait in the movement- against Corinth , and performed efficient service in guard- ' the railroad line to Jackson , Tenn. During the summer of 1862 he was repeatedly urged to "run for con gress , " but his reply was worthy a hero ; "I have entered the field to die , if need be , for this government , and never expect to return to peaceful pur suits until the object of this war of pre servation has become a fact establish ed. " His personal bravery and mili tary skill were so conspicuous in Grant's Northern Mississippi movements , where he commanded a division of the Seventeenth - . teenth army corps , under General Me-4 Pherson , he was promoted to the rank of major-general Nov. 26 , 1862. He was present in every fight , his daring bravery animating his men at Fort Gib son , Raymond , Jackson , Champion Hill , and Vicksburg. He was in com mand of McPherson's centre Jn&e 25 , when the assault upon Vicksburg was made , immediately following the mine explosion. His column led the entrance into the city , and he became its first military governor. In November , 18G3 , Gen. Logan suc ceeded Gen. Sherman in command of the Fifteenth Army corps ; and the fol lowing May he joined Sherman as the Georgia campaign was opening. Logan led the advance of the army of Tennes see at Resaca , whipped Hardee's trained veterans at Dallas , and drove the enemy from Kenesaw mountain. July 22 he was in the fierce battle be fore Atlanta , which cost the gallant McPherson his life. In his report of the battle Gen. Sherman said : "Gen. Logan succeeded him ( McPherson ) , and commanded the army of the Ten nessee through this desperate battle with the same success and ability that had characterized him to the command of a corps or division. " In the autumn of 1864 , after the fall of Atlanta , he returned to Illinois , temporarily , to take part in the preai- vice for the re-olootiou "of Abraham Lincoln. Ho then icjolnod the army and accompanied Gen. Sherman In his "March to the Sea , " and continued with him until the surrender of Joseph Johnston , April 26,1865. Can. Logan took command of the urmy of the len- nosseethe 23d of October , tendering his resignation just as soon as active service was over , being unwilling to draw pay unless on duty in the field. , President Johnson quickly tendered to ' him the mission to Mexico , which ho declined. The republicans of hT5 district sent him to the Fortieth congress , where ho served in the impeachment trial of , < , * - President Johnson. He-olected to the Forty-first congress , he was made chair man of the committee on military af fairs. In this committee ho was of great use to the nation , his experience m the field having been invaluable to him in regard to military legislation. f He was re-elected to the Forty-second / j congress , but before it was time to take ' his seat the Illinois legislature chose \ him United States 'senator for the full term , commencing March ( ,1871. At the commencement of the third session ortheTorTy-second congres ho Became chairman of the military committee , succeeding VicePresident Wilson. At the close of his senatorial term he returned to Illinois , to practice law in L Chicago. Ho had not fairly settled , . [ however , before ho was again elected ' United States senator , and took his V .seat March 18 , 1879 ; his present term. [ will expire March 3 , . 1885. He led the Illinois delegation in the national con vention held in Chicago in 1880 , and was one of the most determined of the 306 who followed the fortunes of "Tho _ , . Old Commander , " General Grant. { renoral Logan is a brilliant debater , md bavins tliis position , never betiw n retreat. He has made many bright speeches which have attracted national Attention , and by his course in the Fitz John Porter case , has riveted the eyes > f the people upon him. His wife , who ( was Miss Mary S. Cunningham , of j Swaneetown , 111. , and to whom ho was < married November 27,1855 , is a worthy helpmate , and is almost as popular in Illinois as her distinguished husband. The general has been foremost in all legislation for the benefit of the soldiers of the late war , and possesses the con fidence of the late rank and file to a re- niarkable degree. Whatever may be tide him politically in the future , it is certain that for all time his name will shine bright in the galaxy of heroes cl the late war. African Topography. Now York Sun. Most African travelers are now con fining their attention to comparatively small areas , and they can therefore de scribe with accuracy and minuteness > districts which Livingstone , Speke , Cameron and Stanley were able to sketch only in broad outline. They are compelling geographers to revise their notions on many interesting ques tions of African topography. A. M. Mackey , C. E. , who has spent three years near Victoria Nyanza , writes that our maps give a very erroneous outline of the lake , and that Stanley's charts are extremely inaccurate , which is not remarkable , in view of Stanley's short visit there. Six months ago the vessel Eleanor was launched on the Nyanza , i and Mr.Mackey expected , with her aid , ' ' to make an accurate survey of the whole coast. ' " $ The missionaries at King Mtesa's capital have just sent word that the lake which has long figured on the maps as Lake Bahringo , and which the explorer Fischer tried to reach last year , has no existence. Stanley thought he had identified his Aruwimi river , the large northern affluent of the Congo , with the Welle river of Schweinforth , but the researches of Dr. Junker , who is spending his fourth year among the Niam Niams , make it appear that the ! Aruwimi is known near its headwaters as the Nepoto river , and that the Welle 5 empties into Lake Tchad. Perhaps every atlas published last year repre sented the Quango river as flowing into the Congo above Stanley Pool , though | we are now certain that it mingles with the Wabuma river before it meets the Congo. Six years ago the late Bishop Gilbert Haven wrote , what geographers gen erally believed , ttat Lakes Tanganyika and Nyassa were separated by a dis tance of 500 miles ; but the missionaries who are now building a road between { those lakes find that a highway 220 t miles long will connect them. Dr. t Stecker has recently found that the < Didessa river , which appears on the j maps as an affluent of the Blue Nile , empties into the Indian Ocean ; and j Messrs. Drummond and O'Neill have just discovered that the Lujenda riv3r , { which , since Livingstone visited it , has I been thought to drain Lake Shirwa , rises in a lake further north whose ex istence had hitherto been unknown. So , step by step the real facts are super seding erroneous impressions of African geography. Will Power. The secret of success in life lies , as all history proves , in the power of the 2 ? ' human will. No man ever became a ' great leader of men whose will was not ' ; he controlling force by which he dominated - I inated over others. Men , indeed , have 3een distinguished in the world of letters , law , science , the pulpit , and in legislative halls , by varied gifts and at- ; amments ; but in no case has man found a following except by the mag netic power of his will. In illustration i of this fact we have only to note the names of Mahomet , CseJar , Napoleon [ ionaparte. Cromwell , William III. , and on this side of the Atlantic Wash ington , Jackson , Henrv Clay , Scone- * i wall Jackson and President Lincoln. J All these were men of strong wills , 'j Dending to their purposes all who came within their reach. It is no answer to this statement that these men met with strong opposition , and they did not even in the end overcome , all opposing forces. The point is that their wills icld to their purpose their followers. Never speak ill of a man if you can lelp it. If you must say so'mething md be sure the other side pays your witness fee. [ Philadelphia Chronicle
