The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-03
The Departure Of EdnuniS and EVartS
From Public Lite.
How Edmunds Entered the Senate - His
Leadership = William d. Evarts as
Type Of the Able Political Lawyer.
Special to THE SUNDAY CALL

retirement is an event of quite as much i'm
portance.
With the entree Of the Flfty-second Con-
Gress there is good deal Of ability con-
splcuOusly ABSENT vast amount of gray
matter gone home for a lest. This is es-
pecially so in the Senate, where men stay
great long while. The six years tenure
there lends the force of reiteration to what
ever man may do. One Senator, they say,
has never failed for twelve years to set his
name in the Record at least once every day
In every session. By simple repetition he
has gained a national reputation. lie is not
much of a Senator-thc colOred men who
sweep the chamber drive everybody out
with their dust, he with his speeches. Yet
IN his own State and section his name is
household word and his people hold him in
WebSterian awe. suppose that even this
man, if by any chance he should fail of
reelection, would make the Senate Chamber
seem lonesome for a time after his disap-
pearance.
The old habitue of the Senate galleries
and there are scores in Washington, who
seem to live only for the pleasure Of looking
down day after day upon their fayOrite
statesmen in the arena Of legislation below
the old habitue of galleries must suffer long
and acute heartaches in these passing days.
The great men who sat IN that chamber in
the afternoon OF the centary are gone. OF
those in the last Congress who connected the
passing age with that which included the
war and reconstruction period, but one is
now left. EyartS and EdmundS are out;
John Sherman remains.
Mr.. EdmundS has by his own wish con-
cluded his public career and now fingers
to see himself go into history He is the
best of great men, who, like Webster, Clay
aud Sumner. tower above the age in which
they live. He entered the Senate in April,
1866 having been appointed the successor Of
Solomon FOOte, who had for several Con-
crosses been President of the Senate. The
first speech Mr.. EdmUnds made was in
eulogy OF his honOred predecessor. lie
entered freely into the debates that Occu-
pied tie attention OF his fell0w-SenatOrs,
and was at once recognized as a strong
mind. lie was new to public lie. The
leaders on the Republican side of the Senate
were Sumner, FeSSenden. Trumbull and
Wade. On the Democratic side were Rev
erdy johnson, Hendricks, BuckaIew and
salisbury. Among the influential Republi-
cans were also Zach Chandler, John Sher-
man, Henry Wilson, PUmeroy, Ramsey and
DOOilttie, who were chalrmen OF the I'M
p0ItInt committees. To Mr.. Edmunds was
uSHiEkitu TIC CHull UiduSUip Oh INT OOiul OOHl-
mlttee on Retrenchment and FROM that COM
mlttee during the FIRST year or his Sena-
torial career, he reported the Tenure of Of
fee Act and secured its passage To few
men in public life is II permitted TO ac-
c0mpllsh such great achievement on the
very threshold of their career. lie was
then IS years old.
From that time to the close of the Fifty
first Congress Senator EdmundS has stood in
the front rank of American statesmen. His
rule of official conduct has been peculiar to
himself. His cardinal aim was ever to be the
servant of the public. Other Senators sought
to serve their own States aud sections first
ana only; some have had their personal
aAd selfish objects forever IN mind. But
the Vermont Senator has given his unre-
hitting care to questions affecting the vel
fare OF the whole country. His iawyeF-lfke
mastery of details and worship of precision
earned him the name OF Stickler and at the
same time aWed his colleagues luto submis-
sion to his will. His leadership has been
irkSome and even despOtic, but he has al
ways led, and in leading has sought the
welfare OF the Government and the country.
1t was during the impeachment trial OF
President johnson the. sCbTiquet OF st.
Jerome was first fastened on the Vermont
Senator. The likeness Was discovered by q
newspaper correspondent and soon gained
wide currency. People who never saw
picture or plaster Of St. jerome have heard
EdmuDds called by that name and had
their interest in the man somewhat quick
ened and yitalized by it. 1t isn't common
thing 10 compare Senator or member OF
Congress to saint Mr.. Edmunds looked
nearly as old when he entered the Senate
as he does to-day. Ills beard was then
rich brown already beginning to turn gray.
The vast bald dome was then as polished
as now.
The story is told of one of the German
dipl0mates that as he sat III the gallery one
+lat II Id
Senate, the German suddenly turned to the
American friend " no was with HIM aud
said impuiSiyely:
Il wish | could hat his skool"
WHAT said the Mortified Yankee, you
don't mean that you want Edmunds' skull"
Dat is egzactly vat | mean. | wood like
to hat Meester Edmunds' Skool ven he is
done nit it, | wood like to hat it on my
shoulders In de place Of dis Won, and the
Teuton raped his nodde with his knuckleS.
With his height aud large. impressive
physique, patterned after some ole of his
Norman ancestors who doubtless fought
with William the Conqueror, Mr.. Edmunds
has never been more than seemingly strong.
The bone and grl9tle Of the man make him
a giant, but he has been the plaything of q
bad stomach, and in constant fear of con-
sumption, which is hereditary in his fam
lily. Yet, no other Senator in his time had
been more regularly in his place or more
tenacious in his attention to the course OF
public business. Grim and venerable, he
has been the most striking figure in the Sem
ate for ten years past. Whether in his seat,
on the floor or presiding in the Vice Presi-
dents chair the most casual spectator could
easily see that behind that cold, passionless
exterior was intrenched the master will of
the Senate.
The picture of him will always remain
with any one who has seen him at his post
Promptly as the noon hour came he pushed
nfFH In lNs.fry 1..F,. 6
the chamber, and, looking neither To right
nor LETT, he strobe with rolling step to his
chair. Carefully dividing his coat skirts, if
dressed as he often was in broadcloth, he
would drop into his seat like man who
was tired to the very edge Of complete ex-
hauStiOn. Sinking down until he sat on the
middle OF his spine, he would rest his head
on his hand, his fOrefinger stretched uD
across his temple and wait for proceedings
to begin The high. broad forehead, the
patrlarchal beard. the cold eyes, the bard,
d0uOiy anstere face, all made strong
picture. There he sat, grim and motionleSs.
like doing lion in bis cage. You could
feel the vast possibilities of intellectual
power behind those steel-gray eyes. and
your heart-beats came faster with the ex-
pectatlOn that he might spring to his feet
at any moment and display his mastery of
that arena where he had so long been king.
When he spoke it was in relentless, unde-
WAITING procession of words aud logic, all
pronounced in a strong, nasal voice so dis
tinct and dominant that the sound re-
enforced every other sense you had of the
power of the man. Webster could have
been more majestic, Clay more wiDsome.
Sumner more eloquent, Calhoun possibly
more convincing, but no man ever ruled mis-
fellows with such iron determination.
Stern and unbending as MIR. Edmunds
was as Senator, in his home he is a very
different man. Among his friends he is
uuhnlltr FHalra him n I'm
ing or fishing trip, and his companionship is
ideal. He can cook his own meal or brew
something good to drink as well as the old
est OF woodsmen. In his tastes he is as SIM
pie and democratic as you please. 1t mas
been said he is unapproacbaDle. He may