Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-02-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Written and compiled for the HERALD
The Funeral.


The Funeral.
WASHINGTON. January 80 1S93.-The |
solemn tolling Of the big bell in the tower
which surmounts the Church OF the
Covenant tells the sympathizing tbous-
ands who crowd the streets adjacent
thereto that the remains of Americas
greatest statesman - James Gillespie |
Blane--have left the house in which lie
made such a brave fght against death -
Slowly, slowly the funeral cortege movss
through the vast sea of sympathetic faces,
every bead uncovered and reyerently
bowed and every heart throbbing with
the same sympathy that is felt by every
patriotic American. At the door Of the
church the transformations black casket-
an almost exact duplicate of the one in
which Mrs. Harrison was so lately carried |
to her last resting place-was carried
within by loving hands and carefully de-
posted on the velvet covered dals. In |
the congregation which filled every inch
of available space we're the most promi- |
nent representatives of every profession
and calling, conspicuous among them
being President Harrison and his entire
Cabinet, an the legations: every foreign
government represented at Washington. |
The services were of the simplest, no
singing no music, except a dirge upon
the organ, played by Mr.. Walter
Damrosch, Mr. Blaine's son-in-law, and |
no sermon nothing but the reading of the
Presby terrain burial ritual, and a prayer
by DR.. Hamln. the pastor Of the church.
1t was proposed to give the dead states
man a grand public funeral in the Capitol
building, hut at theTequest of the family, !
the idea was abandoned. Mrs. Blaine
also requested that no further official no
tice of the death be taken by the National
Government than was absolutely neces-
sary, and that the mourning now on the
State Department on account Of the death
of Ex-Presdent Hayes should be remoy
ed the expiration of thirty days, just as
would have been done had Mr..
Blaine not died and her wlsho will be
respected in that as they were regarding
the funeral
From the Church of the COVENANT to Oak
Hill cemetery where the intermsnt was
made, beside the grave of his favoritO son,
Walker, from the effects OF whose death
Mr. Blame never entirely recovered, is
something more than mile, but the crowd
which followed the procession, on foot.
cared nothing for that; they were there
to do honor to the man they loved, and
had it been twenty miles they would have
followed that casket to it's final resting
place. And who doubts that in the after
years, when the United States shall have
reached the grandeur which was so plain
ly visible to the prophetic eyes of Mr..
Blaine, it will be considered great
honor in thousands of families to be able
to say "My father, or my grandfather,
CT my great-grandlathe saw Mr. Blaine
buried ~ Not I.
Already there is much talk Of a movement
for the erection of grand monumen at
the Capital OF the Nation he did so much
for, in honor of Mr.. Blaine, and there is
little doubt that in due course of time
such a memorial in bronze or stone, or
both, will be erected. But Mr.. Blaine
will have n monument in the history of
bis county that will last as long as the
world itself His great work in behalf of
his country is al,eady as well recogniz ed
by his political opponents as by bis fol-
lowers, as was shown by tho following
telegram to bis widow, from Mr.. Cleve-
land "His brilliant craftsmanship will
always be an inspiration to the nation he
has served so long and so well. Permit |
me to extend my sympathy on the death
of your distinguished husband"
1t is expected that the President will
this week send the nomination of sue
cessor to the late Justice Lamar, OF the
Supreme Court, to the Senate. Aud two
things may be put down as certain, re-
ports to the contrary notwithstanding be
will be a republican, and be will be con-
frmed by tho Senate.
Within a few weeks sometime in March |
the patents on the principal parts of the
Bell telephone will expire. This will be
a very important event to the renters Of
telephones who have been compelled to
pay extortonate prices to the owners and
controllers of these patents, which may
soon be used By anybody.
Whether intended or not Senator Chan
dler's resolution providing for the investi-
cation of the Wbiskey Trust, had a
stimulating effect on tie House committee
on Rules, and Representative Burrows
resolution was reported to the House
and adopted. At the same time
resolution providing for an inNeStiga-
ton Of the money spent by the Panama
Canal Co. in this country, the re-
latlons of tho Panama Railroad with the
Pacific Mail S. S. Co. aud other transport
tation lines was adopted.
The President and members of Congress
are much interested in the application of
Hawaii for annexation to the United
States. but the mattsr is too important to
be decided off-hanled, and will probably
be left for Mr. Cleveland to wrestle with.
Very many of the cases of pneumonia
lii $50 CONSTANTLY rnnortad oxa their |