Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-03-03
Death of Senator Plumb.
Eulogies i'm the U. 5. senate


Eulogies i'm the U. :. senate.
Mr.. PETER. Mr.. President, pursuant
to notice, l offer the resolutions which |
send to the desk.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The resolutions
will be read:
The Secretary read the resolutions, as
follows:
Reso'red, That the Senate has heard with pro
found sorrow of the death of Preston b. Plumb
late senator from the state of Kansas.
Resaited, That as mark OF respect TO the
memory of the deceased. the business of the Sen
ate he now suspended 10 enable his associates to
pay proper tribute of regard TO his high charac-
ter and distinguished public services.
ReSotrtd, That the Secretary OF the Senate com
municate these resolutions to the House of Rep
resentatiyes.
The resolutions were unanimously agreed
to.
ADDRESS or SENATOR HALE.
Mr.. President, after all that has been so
well said | can only speak of the late
Senator from Kansas as we saw him here
When lie died this body lost one of its
abest members. Wherever Mr.. Plumb
was he made himself felt and this floor
afforded fitting arena for the display of
his great abilities. Few important meas
ures in the past fifteen years have become
laws without the help of his forming hand.
Few schemes of doubtful wisdom have
gone TO their grave without being assisted
thereto by him. His activity and energy
were immense. and his investigation aud
reflection covered the widest range of sub
Jects. His service upon important com
mttees was SO faithful that whenever a
meeting was called il found him present,
thi. his business, and if he had doubts to
raise and objections to urge these were
first brought forward in the committee
room. He was in this respect an example
whom We will do well to follow
On this floor he never championed
measure without hrst studying it from all
sides, and no man here could maintain his
cause better than Mr., Plumb. He was by
nature aggressive, and | think all of Us
felt that We were undertaking a dangerous
business when we opposed him, and that
we needed 70 be armed and equipped most
completely else our discontinue would be
certain inevitable. lie scrutinjl Il closely
all impor tant bills, and whenever, as the
result Of such scrutiny, he became the as
salant, the Senator who had charge of the
bill SO assaicd needed to have all his wits
about him # he would save his measure
Not few Of Us have felt keenlv wounds
received in encounter with Mr. Plumb
but however sharply we may have differed
with him, think We have all felt that the
warfare was honorable, ami that n the
thrust aud parry of debate the deceased
Senator was a fair and ofteutimeS .encr-
Gus antagonist. He could not help beng
positive his whole life from boyhood had
been active, earnest. aud, whenever the
need arose, htlligereu'
His colleague, in culogy which | have
never seen surpassed here, and which
seemed to me 10 be a model for such an
occasion a this, has told Us tile most in
terestiug story of that life built up as it
was by never. cea~ing activity and effort
None of his successes were accidental: all
his great trlumph> were hardly earned
The people of a great State loved and
hUnured him and placed unqualified trust
in him. The people Of a greater nation
were coming to know him and TO properly
estimate HIM, and he was at his best when
death knocked at his door and would have
entrance. Longer service here would have
made his public life of >tl! greater value
for he was growing every day; but this
was not to be.
His social side was of the kind that
makes 1T pleasant To recall 1t. His attach
ments were strong and he loved TO he with
his friends, and III every company where
he was found he added ID the sum of en-
jDyment. IIc was a liberal glvrr, and in
the many drafts which have known made
upon his generosity | do not recall one
which he did not honor, and those who
knew him best will long remember the
uuFroCllimod charities which aehowered
his pathway all through life.
our deceased colleague, Mr.. President,
wore himself out before his time He
hardly knew the meaning Of the word rest.
No man here put as many working hours
into each day a. hc, ami his work was
always done at highest pressure. He had
no ldlc moments. He was CONSTANTLY in
yc>tigatng, reading, and thinking and 50
it came about that, at an age when the
best part of his life ought to have been
before him, ali the machinery of his being
suddenly stopped; it could run no longer.
His work was done although much is left
TO do in which he, a. We look at it, ought
To have part.
This great body has never too much of
the earnc>tneS>, the a>SiduIty, The expert
ence which Mr.. Plumb furnished to its
service
staut fluctuations which are a feature of
the other branch of the National Legisa-
tur", Is yet a greatly shifting assembly.
Mr.. Plumb, at the time of his death, had
been Senator for almost fifteen years.
There are here but seven who have seen
longer continuous service They are Seua-
tors Morrill, Sherman, Ransom, Allison
Jones Of Nevada, Dawes and Cockrell
Six others took seats in this Chamber at
the same time with Mr. Plumb. All the
rest Of us, >eventy-tye in all, are, com
paratiycly speaking new Senators
Mr. President, the ON landmarks here
are disappearing. Death, withdrawal, the
mutation of politics eat them away. Now
an OAK in the forest has fallen Which of
Us, a. we look at that seat which he held
80 long, does not, through memory'- vista,
behold that rugged front, that aggressive
presence that intrepid, ruthless combat
ant: And which Of Us, seeing that he is
not here, does not feel that In his eclipse
there has passed from sight most con-
spicuous figure of the United States Sen