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he sought to establish on these plains an educated and prosperous commonwealth. No man ever labored more faithfully in the cause of democracy and good government; and Omaha and Douglas county often honored themselves by honoring him, calling him frequently to the highest positions of trust and responsibility, and always with beneficent results to the community. And in 1866, when the first state legislature selected United States senators-without a caucus, and without solicitation on his part-the democrats, twenty-seven in number and only seven in minority, with hearty spontaneity gave every vote to Andrew Jackson Poppleton. Again, in 1868, Mr. Poppleton was called by the democracy of the state of Nebraska to make a campaign for congress against Hon. John Taffe; and no one who heard Mr. Poppleton in that series of speeches will ever forget his eloquence. His well-trained mind, his vast natural ability, his tremendous acquirements, his glowing earnestness which warmed every word, and a presence which inspired confidence, made him a master; and the majesty of his oratory at that time has never been surpassed in the state. Truthfully, ably, conscientiously, for more than thirty years Mr. Poppleton advocated the principles and policies of a genuine democracy. As a propagandist of the true economic and civic faith which can alone save popular government from overthrow and destruction, for nearly forty years Mr. Poppleton has stood pre-eminent in the northwest, and, intellectually, the peer of any lawyer or publicist in the American Union.
But, alas, in the early afternoon of a most useful and successful life, Mr. Poppleton is irrevocably bereft of the sense of sight -stricken with absolute and incurable blindness.
"Those eyes, though clear
To outward view, of blemish or of spot,
Therefore to Andrew J. Poppleton-shut out from the dear light of day-this convention of democracy sends greetings of grateful remembrance, acknowledgement of his valuable and long services, and the assurance that the light of his labors for justice, truth, and popular government, like an unclouded sun, illumines our path towards the overthrow of class legislation and monopoly.
SKETCH OF MAJOR J. W. PADDOCK, CHIEF CLERK OF THE FIRST HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
By Hon. J. Sterling Morton, for the January Meeting, 1897, of the State Historical Society of Nebraska.
Almost everyone remembers some time in youth when he had the privilege of handling and looking through an old-fashioned spy-glass, and recalls how the lenses were fixed in tubes that shut one into another, and with what difficulty they were drawn out and adjusted so as to extend the vision and make things plainly visible which to the naked eye were mere shadows in the far distance. And now, when I attempt to recall the personalities and characters of the early days of the territory, the years that have come between this time and that are so many lenses which must be deftly steadied and arranged so that I can look through them calmly and unweariedly at a given object upon which I endeavor to fix the eye of memory.
Among the stronger and more rugged individualities of 1855 none was more prominent for its well-defined angles and its positive and granite-like unyieldingness than that of the chief clerk of the house of representatives of the first legislative assembly of the territory of Nebraska, which convened at Omaha in January, 1855. His name was Joseph Williamson Paddock. He was one of the first pioneers to arrive upon the Omaha townsite in the early autumn of 1854. He came from St. Lawrence county, New York. Prior to leaving his native state he had engaged in mercantile and manufacturing pursuits. He was a man of sound intellect and great self-reliance. Upon his own convictions and in harmony with his own judgment, he was always
ready to act with promptness and decision. Never have I known a human being who was more honest with himself in all his mental processes than was Major Paddock. His positivism was frequently facetiously called "muleishness" by his more intimate friends, though everyone respected the integrity with which he adhered to, and was willing to triumph by, or suffer for, any conclusion which he had arrived at upon any question whatsoever, whether financial, political, or theological.
In the early days Major Paddock was possessed of a greater number of readable books than most of the pioneers, and consequently he passed a great portion of his leisure time in study. The equipoise and coolness of Major Paddock was seldom disturbed. During the session of the house whereof he acted as chief clerk there were sometimes quite turbulent and dramatic situations. Among the most exciting and exasperating was a debate between the Hon. A. J. Poppleton, of Douglas county, and the Rev. J. M. Woods, of Nemaha county. In the course of the discussion Mr. Poppleton declared that he could prove an assertion which he made by the Hon. A. J. Hanscom, who was the speaker of that honorable body. To this utterance the Reverend Woods replied that he had no doubt as to the ability of Mr. Poppleton to secure the affidavit of Mr. Hanscom to the state of facts alleged, but that that testimony, although sworn to, would not change his (Woods') views in the case. For a moment there was an evident disposition on the part of the more timid people to escape from possible consequences of this clerical inuendo as to the veracity of the honorable the speaker of the house of representatives. But the chief clerk smilingly sat in his place and really beamed so placidly upon the lawmakers that like rays of sunshine his silent laughter quieted and soothed the angry passions which were tumultuously raging in the breasts of members.
Major Paddock seldom made an enemy; he never betrayed a friend. He never maliciously told an untruth. He never failed to maintain and defend that which he believed to be the truth, even at the risk of his own life. His genuineness was so univer
sally acknowledged, his honesty of intention so generally admitted, that his so-called obstinacy in maintaining his views upon all questions became a great delight to his most intimate friends. He was an optimist in the broadest and best sense of that term. When, in the autumn of 1854, there were only three or four small shanties and a few tents on the townsite of Omaha, Major Paddock looked into the future and saw clearly, with the eyes of hope and faith, the city which you now behold materialized in great blocks of buildings, long avenues paved with asphalt, and environed with all the concomitants and means and methods of modern manufacture, commerce, comfort, and luxury. He never doubted the ultimate development and thrift of Omaha, of Douglas county, and the state of Nebraska. No man by his works ever showed a more sincere belief in the possibilities-agricultural and commercial-of this commonwealth.
After his service as chief clerk of the house of representatives, he was made the first clerk of the United States district court for Nebraska. He served in that capacity from April, 1855, to July, 1858, discharging his duties with that precision, promptness, and fidelity which distinguished him in all positions, public and private, during all the years of his life. When the civil war between the states began, Major Paddock at once offered his services to the country. He became a captain in the first regiment of Nebraska volunteers and went to the front in the early summer of 1861. His habits of accuracy, facility of expression, and the legibility and uniformity of his handwriting caused him to be detailed to the office of the adjutant general. He was very soon made adjutant general on the staff of Major General Fred Steele. In that capacity he served during the greater portion of the war. Many a time however, promotion was offered to him, but his characteristic adhesiveness and his wonderful fidelity to friends compelled him to deny himself higher rank in order that he might remain faithful to the interests and fortunes of General Steele. Nothing could tempt him to leave the immediate service of that distinguished and most gallant officer. Few men made a more consistent and enviable
official record in the adjutant general's corps or showed so much real altruism.
Reverting to ante-bellum times, it is perhaps well enough to recall the fact that Major Paddock was a representative in the territorial legislature of Douglas county and also a member of the house of representatives of the first state legislature elected in 1866, and that he likewise served as a member of the city council of Omaha during the years 1869 and 1870. In this latter service he was chairman of the finance and fire department committees. He originated the plan of a special cash fund out of which supplies and equipment for the fire department were purchased. He, in fact, laid the foundation of the splendid firefighting force of the city of Omaha, which has been so long noted for its efficiency. He did excellent work for the public weal, likewise, as a commissioner of Douglas county.
Major Paddock also held a very confidential and important position in the Union Pacific Railroad Company, and finally was made government director by President Cleveland, and in this latter capacity developed more strongly than ever his power to grasp and understand large and far-reaching affairs.
Major Paddock was born and reared at Massena Springs, in the state of New York. His family, during nearly a century preceding his birth, had been distinguished in the Empire state for its ability and prominence. His father, Dr. William S. Paddock, was a distinguished physician and likewise for several terms a state senator from St. Lawrence county. He was the associate and intimate friend of William L. Marcy and Silas Wright. Therefore, in his youth and at his father's house, Major Paddock was brought in contact with the best intellectual forces of the Empire state. In social life he was constantly in touch with the cultivated and highest type of the citizenship of his immediate neighborhood. Thus it is obvious that by heredity, by nature, by nurture, and by environment, and by acquirements and labors, Major Paddock was entitled to be ranked among the best citizens, not only of our own state, but of the republic. His love of locality, his devotion to a single place to be called
<unk> Προηγούμενη Συνέχεια <unk> alijaribu kuanzisha katika nyanda hizi jumuiya yenye elimu na yenye ufanisi. Hakuna mtu aliyewahi kufanya kazi kwa uaminifu zaidi katika sababu ya demokrasia na serikali nzuri; na Omaha na Douglas County mara nyingi walijiheshimu kwa kumheshimu, wakimwita mara kwa mara kwa nafasi za juu za uaminifu na uwajibikaji, na daima na matokeo mazuri kwa jamii. Na mwaka 1866, wakati bunge la kwanza la jimbo lilipochagua maseneta wa Marekani - bila baraza la mawaziri, na bila ya kuomba kutoka kwake - wanademokrasia, ishirini na saba kwa idadi na saba tu kwa idadi ndogo, kwa moyo wa kujitegemea walimpa Andrew Jackson Poppleton kura zote. Mwaka 1868 Poppleton alipewa wito na serikali ya jimbo la Nebraska kufanya kampeni ya kupinga Hon. John Taffe; na hakuna mtu ambaye alisikia Mheshimiwa Poppleton katika mfululizo huo wa hotuba kamwe kusahau eloquence yake. Akili yake iliyozoezwa vizuri, uwezo wake mkubwa wa asili, ujuzi wake mkubwa, bidii yake ya kuwaka ambayo ilichanganya kila neno, na uwepo ambao ulichochea ujasiri, ulimfanya kuwa bwana; na ukuu wa hotuba yake wakati huo haujapitwa na hali yoyote. Kwa uaminifu, kwa ustadi, kwa dhamiri, kwa zaidi ya miaka thelathini, Mheshimiwa Poppleton alitetea kanuni na sera za demokrasia ya kweli. Kama mtangazaji wa imani ya kweli ya kiuchumi na ya kiraia ambayo pekee yake inaweza kuokoa serikali ya watu kutoka kwa kuangushwa na uharibifu, kwa karibu miaka arobaini, Bwana Poppleton amesimama kwa umaarufu katika kaskazini magharibi, na, kiakili, mwenzake wa mwanasheria yeyote au mtangazaji katika Umoja wa Amerika. Lakini, alas, katika asubuhi ya maisha ya manufaa na mafanikio, Mheshimiwa Poppleton ni irrevocably kupotea hisia ya maono - hit na kabisa na incurable upofu. "Kwa hiyo kwa Andrew J. Poppleton, aliyefungwa nje ya nuru ya upendo wa siku, Mkutano huu wa Demokrasia unatumisha salamu za kumbukumbu ya shukrani, utambuzi wa huduma zake za thamani na za muda mrefu, na uhakikisho kwamba mwanga wa kazi yake kwa haki, ukweli, na serikali ya watu, kama jua lisilo na mawingu, huangaza njia yetu kuelekea kuangushwa kwa sheria ya darasa na upendeleo.""" Picha ya Meja J. W. Paddock, Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Baraza la Kwanza la Wawakilishi. Na Mheshimiwa. J. Sterling Morton, kwa Mkutano wa Januari, 1897, wa State Historical Society ya Nebraska. Karibu kila mtu anakumbuka wakati fulani katika ujana wakati alikuwa na upendeleo wa kushughulikia na kuangalia kupitia glasi ya zamani ya ujasusi, na anakumbuka jinsi lensi zilivyowekwa katika mirija ambayo ilifungwa moja ndani ya nyingine, na kwa ugumu gani ziliondolewa na kurekebishwa ili kupanua maono na kufanya vitu vinavyoonekana waziwazi, ambavyo kwa jicho la kawaida vilikuwa kivuli tu kwa mbali. Na sasa, ninapojaribu kukumbuka watu na tabia za siku za mwanzo za eneo hili, miaka ambayo imekuja kati ya wakati huu na wakati huu ni lensi nyingi ambazo lazima ziwe na ustadi wa kusimama na kupangwa ili niweze kutazama kupitia kwao kwa utulivu na bila kuchoka kwenye kitu fulani ambacho ninajaribu kuweka jicho la kumbukumbu. Kati ya watu wenye nguvu na wenye nguvu zaidi wa mwaka wa 1855, hakuna aliyejulikana zaidi kwa pembe zake zilizoelezwa vizuri na kwa uthabiti wake wa chanya na wa graniti kuliko yule aliyekuwa karani mkuu wa Baraza la Wawakilishi la Bunge la kwanza la jimbo la Nebraska, ambalo liliungana huko Omaha mnamo Januari 1855. Jina lake lilikuwa Joseph Williamson Paddock. Alikuwa mmoja wa waanzilishi wa kwanza kufika katika mji wa Omaha mapema katika vuli ya 1854. Alitoka katika kaunti ya St. Lawrence, New York. Kabla ya kuondoka jimbo lake la asili alikuwa amehusika katika shughuli za kibiashara na utengenezaji. Alikuwa mtu mwenye akili timamu na mwenye kujitegemea sana. Kwa sababu ya imani yake mwenyewe na kwa kupatana na uamuzi wake mwenyewe, alikuwa tayari sikuzote kutenda kwa haraka na kwa uamuzi. """Sijawahi kumwona mtu ambaye alikuwa mnyoofu zaidi na yeye mwenyewe katika mchakato wake wote wa akili kuliko Major Paddock." "Mtazamo wake wa kweli mara nyingi ulijulikana kwa utani kama ""muleishness"" na marafiki wake wa karibu, ingawa kila mtu aliheshimu uadilifu ambao alishikilia, na alikuwa tayari kushinda, au kuteseka, kwa hitimisho lolote ambalo alikuwa amefika juu ya swali lolote, iwe ya kifedha, kisiasa, au theolojia." Katika siku za mapema, Meja Paddock alikuwa na idadi kubwa ya vitabu vya kusoma kuliko waanzilishi wengi, na kwa hivyo alitumia sehemu kubwa ya wakati wake wa kupumzika katika utafiti. Usawaziko na utulivu wa Meja Paddock haukusumbuliwa mara nyingi. Wakati wa kikao cha nyumba ambayo alitenda kama katibu mkuu kulikuwa na wakati mwingine hali ya msukosuko na ya kuvutia. Miongoni mwa mambo yenye kusisimua na yenye kuchukiza zaidi kulikuwa na mjadala kati ya Mheshimiwa. A. J. Poppleton, wa kaunti ya Douglas, na Rev. J. M. Woods, wa kaunti ya Nemaha. Katika kipindi cha majadiliano, Popper alisema kwamba yeye ni mtu wa kuaminika na kwamba yeye ni mtu wa kuaminika. A. J. Hanscom, ambaye alikuwa msemaji wa baraza hilo lenye kuheshimika. "Kwa taarifa hii, Mchungaji Woods alijibu kwamba hakuwa na shaka yoyote juu ya uwezo wa Bw Poppleton kupata taarifa ya Mheshimiwa Hanscom kwa hali ya ukweli alidai, lakini kwamba ushuhuda huo, ingawa aliapa, haingeweza kubadilisha maoni yake (Woods) katika kesi hiyo.""" Kwa muda kulikuwa na mwelekeo dhahiri kwa upande wa watu wenye hofu zaidi wa kuepuka matokeo ya uwezekano wa hii clerical inuendo kama kwa ukweli wa heshima ya msemaji wa nyumba ya wawakilishi. Lakini karani mkuu alikaa mahali pake akitabasamu na kwa kweli aliwaangazia wabunge kwa furaha sana, kwamba kama miale ya jua, kicheko chake cha kimya kilipunguza na kupumzika tamaa za hasira ambazo zilikuwa zikipiga kelele katika vifua vya wanachama. Major Paddock mara chache alifanya adui; yeye kamwe alisaliti rafiki. Hakuwa amesema uwongo kwa makusudi mabaya. Hakuwahi kushindwa kudumisha na kutetea kile alichokiamini kuwa ukweli, hata kwa hatari ya maisha yake mwenyewe. Uaminifu wake ulikubaliwa sana, uaminifu wa nia yake ulikubaliwa kwa ujumla, kwamba kile alichokiita ujasiri wake katika kudumisha maoni yake juu ya maswali yote ikawa furaha kubwa kwa marafiki wake wa karibu zaidi. Alikuwa mtu mwenye kutarajia mema katika maana pana na nzuri zaidi ya neno hilo. Wakati, katika majira ya kupukutika kwa majani ya 1854, kulikuwa na nyumba tatu au nne ndogo na mahema machache tu katika mji wa Omaha, Meja Paddock alitazama mbele na kuona wazi, kwa macho ya matumaini na imani, mji ambao sasa unaona umefanyizwa katika majengo makubwa, barabara ndefu zilizofunikwa kwa lami, na kuzungukwa na vifaa vyote na njia na mbinu za utengenezaji wa kisasa, biashara, starehe, na anasa. Hakuwahi kutilia shaka maendeleo ya mwisho na ukarimu wa Omaha, wa kaunti ya Douglas, na jimbo la Nebraska. Hakuna mtu kwa kazi zake milele alionyesha imani ya dhati zaidi katika uwezekano - kilimo na kibiashara - ya jumuiya hii. Baada ya kutumikia kama katibu mkuu wa Bunge la Wawakilishi, aliteuliwa kuwa katibu wa kwanza wa Mahakama ya Wilaya ya Marekani kwa Nebraska. Alitumikia katika nafasi hiyo kuanzia Aprili 1855 hadi Julai 1858 na kutimiza majukumu yake kwa usahihi, haraka na uaminifu ambao ulimfanya awe maarufu katika nafasi zote, za umma na za kibinafsi, katika miaka yote ya maisha yake. Vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe vilipoanza, Meja Paddock aliahidi huduma zake kwa nchi. Alipata cheo cha Kapteni katika kikosi cha kwanza cha kujitolea cha Nebraska na kwenda vitani mapema katika majira ya joto ya 1861. Kwa sababu ya usahihi wake, urahisi wake wa kujieleza, na uelewekaji na usawa wa mwandiko wake, alipewa mgawo wa kuwa msaidizi mkuu wa jeshi. Punde si punde akawa jenerali msaidizi katika wafanyakazi wa Meja Jenerali Fred Steele. Alitumikia katika cheo hicho wakati wa sehemu kubwa ya vita. Hata hivyo, mara nyingi alipata nafasi ya kupandishwa cheo, lakini kwa sababu ya ujasiri wake na uaminifu wake kwa marafiki, alilazimika kujinyima cheo cha juu ili aweze kubaki mwaminifu kwa maslahi na bahati ya Jenerali Steele. Hakuna kitu ambacho kingeweza kumshawishi aache utumishi wa moja kwa moja wa afisa huyo mashuhuri na mwenye ujasiri zaidi. Ni wanaume wachache waliofanya rekodi rasmi yenye kufuata na yenye kuchukizwa zaidi katika kikosi cha jenerali msaidizi au walionyesha ujasiri mwingi sana wa kweli. Katika kipindi cha kabla ya vita, ni muhimu kukumbuka kwamba Meja Paddock alikuwa mwakilishi katika bunge la wilaya ya Douglas na pia mwanachama wa Bunge la Wawakilishi wa bunge la kwanza la jimbo lililochaguliwa mnamo 1866, na kwamba pia alihudumu kama mwanachama wa baraza la mji wa Omaha wakati wa miaka ya 1869 na 1870. Katika huduma hii ya mwisho alikuwa mwenyekiti wa kamati za fedha na idara ya moto. Alianzisha mpango wa mfuko maalum wa fedha ambao vifaa na vifaa kwa idara ya moto vilinunuliwa. Kwa kweli, aliweka msingi wa jeshi la moto la jiji la Omaha, ambalo limekuwa likijulikana kwa muda mrefu kwa ufanisi wake. Alifanya kazi bora kwa ajili ya ustawi wa umma, vivyo hivyo, kama kamishna wa kaunti ya Douglas. Paddock pia alikuwa na nafasi muhimu sana katika kampuni ya reli ya Union Pacific, na hatimaye aliteuliwa kuwa mkurugenzi wa serikali na Rais Cleveland, na katika nafasi hii ya mwisho aliendeleza nguvu zaidi kuliko wakati mwingine uwezo wake wa kuelewa na kuelewa mambo makubwa na ya mbali. Meja Paddock alizaliwa na kulelewa huko Massena Springs, katika jimbo la New York. Familia yake, karibu karne moja kabla ya kuzaliwa kwake, ilikuwa imeheshimiwa katika serikali ya Milki kwa uwezo wake na umaarufu. Baba yake, Dk. William S. Paddock, alikuwa daktari mashuhuri na vilevile kwa mihula kadhaa seneta wa jimbo kutoka Kaunti ya St. Lawrence. Alikuwa mshirika na rafiki wa karibu wa William L. Marcy na Silas Wright. Kwa hiyo, katika ujana wake na katika nyumba ya baba yake, Meja Paddock alileta katika kuwasiliana na nguvu bora akili ya Empire State. Katika maisha ya kijamii alikuwa daima katika kuwasiliana na kilimo na aina ya juu ya raia wa jirani yake ya karibu. Kwa hiyo ni dhahiri kwamba kwa urithi, kwa asili, kwa malezi, na kwa mazingira, na kwa mapato na kazi, Meja Paddock alikuwa na haki ya kuwa miongoni mwa wananchi bora, si tu wa jimbo letu, lakini wa jamhuri. Upendo wake kwa eneo, kujitolea kwake kwa mahali pekee pa kuitwa