Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-27
CAPITOL MEMORIES.
But Three E1-Speakers Of the House
Of Representatives Now Alive.
JOHN WHITE OF IOWA,
The Second to Cilley in His Duel With Graves
-Calhoun's Prophecy In Regard to the
Southern Railroad System-Dr. Gwin and
Gen. Jackson.
Written for The Evening Star.

\ FEW DAYS AGO had occasion to pene-
"A trate into the vault-like passages behind the
gallery Of the old han Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives. and gazing around me, as had done
30 often in the days gone by, from that ''coigne
OF vantage" the ghosts of the past came up be-
fore me from the time when John White OF
Kentucky was Speaker. OF all the able debat-
ers OF that period, whose elo9uence resounded
through those vaulted passages nearly all have
paid the debt of nature. / cannot recall rs
living any of them but the Hons. George w.
Jones Of Iowa and Hannibal Hamlin of Maine,
and the Hon. Hamilton Fish of New York. Mr..
Jones entered Congress a delegate from the
territory of Michigan in 1884, and in 1889 he
was elected Senator from Iowa. Mr.. Jones was
for many years a conspicuous figure in the
social life Of Washington. He was one of the
most gallant men then in society and o univer-
sal favorite. He still lives and was SO devoted
to those friends Of the past that he travelled
from his northwestern home to attend the fun
eral Of Jefferson Davis at New Orleans, with
whom he had served in both houses Of Con-
gress. Mr.. Jones was the second of Cilley in
the duel with Graves, in which he was killed,
and while in public life was marked by his
devotion to his state and to the political party
he represented in Congress.
MIR. Hamlin occupied seat in the House Of
representatives as early as 1870 ana while
there was q democrat of the most ultra stripe.
The Hon. Hamilton Fish came to Congress in
1Si0 and at an advanced age and with the accu-
mulated hOnors he has enjoyed still lives.
Those are all l can recall as living Of the Speak
ers whose services. compared with those who
came In succession after John White, up to
1868. are almost modern, and yet there are
but three survivors. Mr. Robt c. Winthrop,
Gen. Banks and Mr.. Grow of Pennsylvania.
DISTINGUISHED MEN IN THE SENATE.
The Senate of that day, of which Mr.. Jones
Of Iowa, Mr.. Hamln and Mr.. Bradbury of
Maine alone survive among US, contained the
most distinguished men this country has pro-
duced. Messrs. Clay, Calhoun, Preston. Silas
Wright of New York, Gen. Cass, Dan'l s. Dick
inson. Sam Houston, James NJ. Mason and
others, who have long since paid the debt of
nature. leaving only those three living mem
beers of period celebrated in history.
The men who occupied seats in Congress in
those bygone days were certainly possessed of
great ability and left their mark indelibly on
the pages Of history. The condition of the
country may have had much to do with their
action. They were called upon from their
places in Congress to propose measures for the
development of the unknown resources and
possibilities which then lay in the womb of the
future and in instance were certainly
blessed with the gift of prophecy. In 1845 a
commercial convention was held at Memphis
the object of which was to discuss the material
interests of the southern states. their develop
ment and the modes of procedure to make
those interests available. Mr. John G. Calhoun
presided over the convention and in his OPEN
ing speech laid out with the precision of the
engineer the railroad system of the south as it
exists today; indeed he went farther and adj
vlsed what is now being considered direct
communication with Europe from what were
then almost unknown ports in the SOUTH
CALHOUN ON SOUTHERN RAILROADS.
He said: Il now approach the important
question, How shall We who inhabit this vast
region develop its resources? For this purpose
there is one thing needful, and only one and
that is that We shall get fair remunerative
price for all that We may produce. If we can
obtain such prices this vast region. under the
active industry of its intelligent and enterpris-
ing Inhabitants will become the garden of the
world. How is this to be effected? There is
but one mode by which it can be etfected-that
is to enlarge our market in proportion to the
increase of our production. This. again. can
be obtained only in one way, and that is by
free and rapid transit for persons and mer-
chandise between the various portions of this
vast region and between it and other portions
of the Union and the rest of the world. The
question then is, how shall We accomplish
such transit? For this purpose ma
ture has been eminently propitious TO U.S."
Discussing the dangers encountered by tina
passage down the Mississippi and then around
this and Charleston and Savannah there NAV
be connection by railroad to not exceed COO
miles and which would be free from accidents
and losses. What then. is needed to complete n
cheap. speedy and safe intercourse between the
valley of the Mississippi and the southern At
lantic coast ID a good system of railroads For
this purpose the nature of the intervening
country affords extraordinary advantages
Such is its formation from the course of the
Tennessee, Cumberland and Alabama rivers and
81 -
Allegheny mountains that all the railroads
which have been projected or commenced. al
though each has looked only to its local inter-
ests, must necessarily unite at point in De
kalb county. in the state Of Georgia, called
Atlanta. not far from the village of Decatur SO
as to constitute one entire system of roads hay
ing natural interests each in the other instead
Of isolated rival roads, At that point the
Charleston and Savannah roads, each aiming at
| connection with this great valley, meet. and
from that point the state of Georgia is engaged
in constructing railroad to terminate at
Chattanooga, on the Tennessee river above the
| suck, which passes south Of the western terrni-
nation Of that chain of the Allegheny which
throws the water on the one side into the Mis-
sissippi and on the other into the Atlantic
MIR. Calhoun gives in detail the roads needed
to make the system complete, and he knows SO
well the subject he discusses that he actually
gave to the engineer the lines upon this great
through system which was to be perfected and
that too, years before the surveys had been made
The grandsOns of the departed sta tesman Messrs
John e. Calhoun of New York and Pat CAL
houn of Georgia, are now engaged in fulfilling
this prophetic speech, the data for which had
no existence at the time but in the mind of the
great statesman. The uncle of Pat Calhoun
and after whom he was named, was in the old
Dragons and with Phil kearney. Col. Scott
and others formed the nucleus of small club
(the Hope Club, which rented u house where
now the Corcoran building stands Oh + street
Gen. Scott. Gen. Gibson and other old army
officers were members of the club. Mr.. Pat
Calhoun, who may occupy seat in the Senate,
resembles his uncle very much
DIR. GwIN AND GEN. JACKSON.
Another one Of the men who was a member
Of the House from Mississippi as early rs l847
was the late DR.. Gwin of California He had
been a lifelong friend of Gen. Jackson and
while in Congress, in the Senate and House
left enduring memories of his career He was
one Of the first Senators from California and
is remembered here so well by the many who
knew him during his long residence, where
princely hospitality reigned. The last time l
saw ex-senator Gwin in New York only a few
days before his DEATH he showed me two vol
umes of letters from Gen. jackson a CORE
spondence which had been carried on for MANY
years between the ex-senator and the old hero
be ginning before Gen. Jackson's occupation of
the presidential chair. Their relations had
been in all these years of the most intimate
character, and these letters. written in the con-
fidence of that friendship. revealed the inner
A. a.