The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-30

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JAMES II. DLOUNT
ton, as he meant to retire from public life,
and now comes news that Senator Dawes,
the Massachusetts patriarch, will seek rest
In retirement ut the expiration of his pres
ent term
we appear to have fallen upon evil times,
80 far rs our Legislative veterans are con-
cerned. The last two or three years have
taken from us, either by the memorable
co;npulson of death or by voluntary re-
tfrement, large number of our most ia
nous statesmen. Out of the house of rep
resentatives we have lost Sam Cox, Judge
Kelley, Samuel j. Randall, P. Banks and
Joe Cannon. Now Blount is going after
twenty years of service. From the senate
have disappeared Edmunds, Ingalls, Hamp-
ton. Brown. Evarts, Reagen, Beck and n
number of others; now Dawes, after sit
ting more than third OF century in
house and senate.
Blount first came tn Congress in 1879.
and he has served continuously ever since.
No man has worked harder than no. Years
ago he became "a master of all the arts OF
legislation and one of the leaders ON the
floor, too alert to be fooled or surprised by
anything, always II ready and an incisive
debater. He is that rare mortal in Con
gress-a man who can speak frequently
without making his fellow members
weary 1t is wonder Blount was not
tired out years ago-he Is SO industrious.
30 earnest. For nearly twenty years he
has lived ut one hotel, about three QUAR-
ters of q mile from the Capitol and during
the greater part Of the time has occupied
one suite of rooms
The best of it is, from his point of view.
that he has been wise enough to lay by
something for the day which IL now at
hand. Though he never made a dollar I'm
his life that he did not earn by hard work
and constant devotion to duty, the Georgia
statesman will be able to retire next
March with comfortable fortune. His
friends estimate that he has saved Just
about one-hnlf of his salary year after year.
and II he has done this 100000 IS the sum
which represents his total savings Hay-
ing this money we'll invested, he is able to
leave congress not only with a splendid
record behind him, but with enough of the
fruits of his toll to make him independent
during the remainder of his days.
Senator Dawes has had n career of which
any man might be proud. 1t was in 1857
That he first appeared in congress rs a rep
resentative. He served there with distinc
tion through all the war period and down
to 1879. when he was transferred to the
senate. When his present term expires
and he voluntarily steps aside to make
room for some younger man he will have
served thirty-siX years in the American
congress-eighteen in each branch. SEN
ator Dawes is n lovable old man. For
many years his pet hobby has been the In
dians. AS chairman of the committee on
Indian affairs he has, rs It were taken the
poor red man under his wing. Nothing
that he could induce the senate to vote in the
way of appropriations was too good for the
dark skinned wards of tho nation.
AT times the good old senator was I'm
clned to be just Il little sentimental and
visionary, and occasionally the young,
rough and ready senator's from the new
west who know the Indian as he really Is.
and without any misunderstanding about
him, have pOked good natured fun at the
champion of the aborigines. But Senator
Dawes was always-or nearly always
shrewd enough to receive these sallies i'm
good part, and the matter usually ended
in his getting about what he wanted for
his dear pets.
Mr.. Dawes was so eager to do his full
duty by the Indians and at the same
time to avoid permitting himself und the
government to be imposed on, that he has
made many trips to the far west, visiting
various tribes, studying their wants and
Aoi'iS ~ iht5 hiiiciS tHCLl IL HIS Ueen his
boast that he never yet saw an Indian of
whom he was afraid, and on all his journeys
he has gone fearlessly among the most
treacherous tribes. In his study of the In
dlans. in his arduous work as their legis-
lative champion, he has for some years
been assisted by his daughter. Miss Dawes
is one of the loyeliest women Washington
has seen in many a day. She is beautiful
of face and form, and what is still better
has mind stored with much culture and
character that to know is to love. She
is as fond of the Indians us her father
Her boudoir is furnished with Indian blan-
kets, robes, furs, moccasins and bric-a-
brac. Portraits of Indians adorn the walls
Probably the prettiest woman ever seen I'm
the full costume of the American aborigi-
nes- though only favored friends have
been permitted to see her thus attired-is
The daughter of the veteran senator from
Massachusetts.
Though we have lost numbe Of our most
interesting veterans Of congress, MANY re-
main. Next March the Fifty-second con-
gress will come to constitutional end.
The life of congress is two years. It is a
somewhat remarkable fact that we still
have in service survivors of every congress
since and including the Thirty-frst, which
was elected in the great Cass-Taylor cam
paign of 184S and the members of which
took their seats on the Sd of December, 1Si9,
and remained in session 302 days-a term
Hail.