Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/26

18 filled the aching hearts of a waiting people; they were uttered in a great cause, and in memory of those who had sacrificed their lives that the "nation might live." His power of statement, the simplicity of his language, the earnestness with which his words were uttered, all these things make the address a classic and model.

The influence of Baker as an orator rested largely upon his simplicity of statement, his earnestness of purpose, and the apparent reserve power behind the man. There was, also, in his delivery the fervor and animation which riveted attention, in his diction, words, that pleased the ear, and in his rushing flood of passion a current that hurried men into flood-tide of patriotism. The severe critic and writer, Dr. Colton, said:

"When the Roman people had listened to the diffuse and polished discourses of Cicero, they departed, saying one to another, 'What a splendid speech our orator has made.' But when the Athenians heard Demosthenes, he so filled them with the subject matter of his oration that they quite forgot the orator and left him at the finish of his harangue, breathing revenge and exclaiming, 'Let us go and fight against Philip.

When that great speech delivered by Baker at Union Park, New York, April 19, 1861, had been finished, new armies of the republic leaped to the defense of the nation. But why longer speak of him as an orator, or statesman, or soldier? Nearly a half century has passed since Baker gave his life to his country, upon the battlefield, and the words of his comrades then spoken most fitly record his virtues, his glories and his fame. Of him McClellan, in command of the Army of the Potomac, in a general order issued within twenty-four hours after Baker's death, said:

"The gallant dead had many titles to honor. At the time of his death he was a member of the United States Senate from Oregon; and it is no injustice to any survivor to say that one of the most eloquent voices in that illustrious body has been silenced by his fall. As a patriot, zealous for the honor and interests of his adopted country, he has been