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The Conservative.
Nebraska City , the home which he se
lected seven and forty years ago. At
all times a prominent and controlling
force in that prosperous town , it is al
most entirely indebted to him and to
his four sons for the great prosperity
which it has enjoyed in these later
years. Mr. Morton's great memorial
in Nebraska City , and that which will
be most enduring as an evidence of
public spirit and grasp of the needs of
future generations , is found in the
beautiful park which bears his name ,
and which he donated to the city many
years ago.
Mr. Morton's life in Nebraska has
been dominated for nearly half a cen
tury by his example as well as by his
precepts in the upbuilding of a strong
and useful citizenship in our state and
section. He has been for all these
years essentially a farmer. The practi
cal gospel as to how to raise fine men
and women , fine trees , fine apples , fine
cattle , fine horses and fine swine , has
been preached by him in season and
out of season through all of our remark
able growth and advancement. The
result and influence upon our people for
good cannot be measured in words.
Nothing escaped him in giving encour
agement to the material development of
the state , and agriculture , horticulture
and arboriculture have been his con
stant themes.
As early as the 4th of January , 1872 ,
at a meeting in Lincoln of the State
Board of Agriculture , he introduced the
following :
"Resolved , That Wednesday , the 10th
day of April , 1872 , be and the same is
hereby especially set apart and consecrated
crated for tree planting in the State of
Nebraska , and the State Board of Agri
culture hereby name it Arbor Day ;
and , to urge upon the people of the
State the vital importance of tree
plantingjhereby offer a special premium
of $100 to the agricultural society of
that county in Nebraska which shall ,
upon that day , plant properly the
largest number of trees ; and a farm
library of $25 worth of books to the
person who on that day , shall plant
properly the greatest number of trees. "
The resolution was passed after some
discussion of an amendment introduced
by the late Chief Justice Oliver P. Ma
son , supported by J. H. Masters , which
proposed to strike out the word "Arbor"
and insert "Sylvan , " but Mr. Morton
insisted that the word "Sylvan" would
apply only to forest trees , while the
word "Arbor" would include all trees ,
hedge and shrubbery. At the close of
the debate it was unanimously deter
mined to call the new-born anniversary
"Arbor Day. "
This was the crowning achievement ,
as I believe in his own estimation , of
Mr. Morton's important and influential
life. His name is known in connection
with "Arbor Day" the civilized world
over. Arbor Day and Arbor Day festi
vals are in vogue in most of the states
and cities of the union , and countless
millions of trees are growing under the
influence of his organization of Arbor
Day , in our own and other countries ,
where no trees wore over known to
grow before. It has led up to the study
of planting trees as a practical economic
necessity , and for the higher work of
educating the people in the love of the
beautiful in nature on a scale , and to an
extent , that could never have been
achieved without it.
The true trend of Mr. Morton's niiud
was distinctly altruistic. He had an in
nate love of the good and the beautiful ,
and a corresponding contempt for the
false and frivolous. Eminently prac
tical and utilitarian in spirit , he blended
in happy harmony a cultivated taste
with a devotion to the principle of
economy and thrift in the homes of the
people , in which he found the real
sources of their happiness and the true
strength of the nation.
PERSONAL TRIBUTES.
From J. M. Woolworth , Omaha.
It is an interesting experience to be
gin one's career along with the planting
of a new society on a virgin soil , and ,
afterwards , in a large measure , to direct
its growth and frame and mould its
institutions , and , at last , at a ripe age ,
rejoice in what one has done in the
splendid work of building a prosperous
and enlightened sovereign state. The
retrospect and the fruition must be ex
hilarating. That experience and hap
piness fell to the lot of Mr. Morton.
As soon as the treaty had been made
with the Indians , extinguishing their
title to the territory which was to be
come Nebraska , he turned his eyes to
the new laud. He was encouraged by
the Honorable Lewis Cass , who had the
same experience. A warm friend of
Mr. Morton's father , this great states
man was deeply interested in the young
man , for whom he hoped that a career
would be opened in the new country
somewhat like his own. As soon as
Congress passed the Act organizing the
Territory , Mr. Morton and his young
wife set out for the land where their
home was to be. She shared his spirit
of adventure and entered into the new
life with great zest. They went first
to Bellevue , and , after a year , removed
to Nebraska City. On the borders of
the little hamlet , they "claimed" a
quarter section of the public domain ,
built their little house , and , as soon as
the United States Land Office was
opened , preempted it. In due time , the
government patent was issued.
* * * * * *
These facts are not set out with any
view to an account of his life. If that
were the purpose , they should be illus
trated in a narrative of many incidents
and reflections. That is a task wisely
committed to Dr. Miller. They are
stated hero , only to show how large a
part he took in public affairs , and in
what ways he reached the public intel
ligence and conscience. As we see him
addressing his fellow-citizens in political
conventions and in popular meetings
and from the Editor's Chair , always
with peculiar power , we ask what were
the convictions which he sought to
impress upon the public mind.
Ho had a definite creed of political
doctrine which he strongly conceived ,
never wavered in expounding , and put
forth the utmost of his powers in its
advocacy. Underneath all his wit and
sarcasm , there was always a serious
purpose to teach and impress upon the
public what he honestly believed to be
the truth.
The fundamental principle of all Mr.
Morton's political opinions was the
largest possible liberty of the individual
citizen , the converse of that doctrine ,
that the proper functions of government
are limited to the maintenance of good
order. He believed that a political
system constructed on this theory must
encourage , stimulate and give scope for
the development of the powers , facul
ties and capacities of the citizen , and
morally and mentally , as well as indus
trially , moke him more and more a
man. This was his idea of freedom.
Anything less than this , he was sure ,
only tended to impair the vigor , powers
and aspirations of the individual.
But this man had another side ; and
he impressed himself in another very
different way upon the public mind.
The asperities of political controversies
in which he engaged , formed a back
ground to the gentlest qualities. The
fact has been mentioned that he pre
empted a quarter section of public land
on which ho lived for almost half a
century. This rare experience was
much to him and he knew its full value.
It takes time for the affections to fasten
themselves strongly to an inanimate
object ; associations binding us to them
by many experiences of joy and sorrow
must be gathered year after year , and
be multiplied many times before those
objects become dear and tender to us.
At last they become alive , taking part
in our joys and sorrows , bringing back
incidents , experiences , emotions and
aspirations of the past as if they were
new and fresh. By his ownership of
these acres and by years of life upon
them and the thousand associations
which bound him to them , they became
more to Mr. Morton than all the world
beside.
* * * * * *
But he did a great deal more than set
before the eyes of his people this ex
ample of home and home-making. On
all occasions , in speech and oouversa-
tion and the columns of his papers , he