San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-02-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Jan 81, 1898.

w AST1lNoIONt jail Oh, lOdoe
The solemn tolling of the big bell,
in the tower which surmounts the
church of the Covenant tells the SYM
pathizlng thousands who crowds the
streets adjacent thereto that the re-
mains of Americas greatest states
man-Jsmes Gillespie Blaine-have
left the house In which he made such
q brave fight against death. Slowly,
slowly the funeral cortege moves
through the vast sea of sympathetic,
faces, every head uncovered and rev.
erently bowed and every heart
throbbing with the same sympathy
that Is felt by every patriotic
American. At the door OF the
church the unostentatious 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 deposited on the
velvet colored dais. In the cOngrega-
ton, which filled every inch of avail
able space, were the most prominent
represen tatives of every profession
and calling, conspicuous among them
being President Harrison and his en-
tire cabinet, and the legations of ev-
cry foreign government represep ted
at Washington. The services were of
the simplest, no singing, no music,
except dirge upon the organ, played
by Mr.. Walter Damrosch, Mr.. Blaine's
son-in.law, and no sermon; nothing
but the reading of the Presbyterian
burial ritual, and prayer by Or.
Hamlin, the pastor of the church.
1t was proposed to give the dead
statesman grand public funeral In
the Capitol building, but at the
request of the family, the idea was
abandoned. Mrs Blaine also request
ed that no further official notice Of
Gov. than was absolutely neces-
sary, and that the mourning now on
the State department on account of
the death of Ex-President Hayes
should be removed at the expiration
of thirty days, just as would have
been done had Mr.. Blaine not died;
and her wishes will he respected In
that as they were regarding the
funeral.
From the church of the Covenant
to Oak Hill cemetery where the iHs
terment was made, beside the grave
of his favorIte son, Walker, from the
effects of whose death Mr.. Blaine
never entirely recovered, Is some
thing more than q 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, aud 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
plainly visible to the prophetic ey Oh
of Mr.. Blaine, 1t will be considered q
great honor in thousands of families
to be able to say: "My father, or my
grandfather, or my great-grsndfather
saw MIR. Blaine buried?' Not L.
Already there is much talk of q
movement for the erection IF q grand
monument at the capital of the nation
he did 80 mnch for, in honor of Mr..
Blaine. and there is little doubt that
in due course of time such q memorial
in bronze or stone, or both, will be
erected; but Mr.. Blaine will have q
monument in the history of his coun-
try that will last as long as the world
itself. His great" work in behalf of
his country Is already as we'll recog-
nized by his political opponents as by
his followers, as was shown by the
following telegram to his widow,
from Mr.. Clevelsnd: His brilliant
craftsmanship will always be an in
SEPARATION to the nation he has served
so long and so well. Permit me to ex-
tend my sympathy on the death of
your distinguished ueband."
1t is expected that the President
will this week send the nomination
OF . successor to the late Justice
Lamar, of the supreme court. to the
senate. And two things may be put
down as certain, reports to the con-
trary Notwithstanding, he will be q
republican, and he will be confirmed
by the senate.
Within q few weeks, sometime in
March, the patents on the principal
parts of the Bell telephone will ex-
pre-. This will be a very important
event to the renters of telephones
who have been compelled to pay ex-
tortionste prices to the owners and
controllers of these patents, which
may soon be used by any body.
The President and memb ers OF Con
gress are much interested in the ap-
plication of Hawaii for annexation to
the United States, but the matter is
too importont to be decided off hand
ed, and will probably be left for Mr..
Cleveland to wrestle with. -