The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-12

platform, for which he had received numer-
Gus invitations. / heard several extracts
of these lectures read by him only the
Saturday before his death. He read over
half an hour with excellent command or
voice, elegant rythm and the attrac1ive
cadence SO well known in his delivery. The
Wednesday night before his death i spent
about two hours with him, He talked very
cheerfully and seemed to be in high hopes
OF successful work. Occasionally his con-
versation was interrupted by pains in his
chest They seemed quite acute, but lasted
only few moments. He did not seem to
be in the least apprehensive of unfavora-
BILE results and did not entertain such APP
prehension. He was seated in his chair,
surrounded by books and papers. He fire.
quently walked about the room and seemed
in every way conyalescent. He spoke OF the
new library which we visited together,
and In which We spent three hours, and
menced that undertaking, how it had grown
in his hands and how fully he realized the
glory attendant on the completion of that
grand edifice which had been dedicated by
this Republic to the garnered wealth of
that greater commonwealth-the republic
of letters.
Il intimately knew Senator voorhees, for
forty-five years. His death to me was quite
unexpected. The end of his public service,
as of his life, leaves a great void i'm Indi-
ana history and in that Of the country"
Senator Fairbanks was greatly shocked
over the death of the Indiana statesman
whose seat in the United States Senate he
had succeeded to only short month go.
For several weeks he, in conjunction with
other friends of the late senator, had been
quietly working for his appointment as a
member of newly-authoriZed commission
for the consideration of treaty with the
five tribes of the Indian territory. and in
short time he would have received the
commission 1t was the almost unanimous
decision of the Senate To make suitable
PROVISION for him in a legitimate and hon.
orable way, and Senator Fairbanks had
taken the initiative in the matter. Senator
Fairbanks spoke in the warmest terms of
ex-senator VOORHEES,. whom ne had always
| a ND hnG
lovable qualities he had SO often heard
extolled. He placed himself at the disposal
OF the family of the deceased, assuring the
daughter and sons of the deceased that if
there was anything he could do to COM
mand him without reserve.
Representative FariS, of Terre Haute.
paid a feeling tribute to the dead senator.
He said: Il had known him for sixteen
years, having lived in Terre Haute little
longer than that time. He was universally
esteemed by the people of his State and the
national capital in a social way. He was
intensely sympathetic, and welded men to
him by ties of friendship regardless of po-
litical alliances or affiliations. Many of his
warmest personal friends were Republicans,
and in his personal relations he entirely
lost sight of politics. In late years the
asperities that formerly characterized poll
tics in Indiana have disappeared, and Sen
ator voorhees, was regarded with great re-
spect by people generally throughout the
Wabash valley-much as the venerable Col.
r. W. Thompson is esteemed. One of the
striking characteristics of the man during
the later years of his public career was his
devotion to the interests Of the old soldiers.
There is no doubt as to the absolute sim
certify of his efforts in their behalf. and
of the widespread esteem with which he
was held among the veterans of Indiana. |
regard ex-senator Voorhees, as having been
the most popular Democrat that Indiana
has ever produced. While he may not have
equaled the late Senators Mcdonald OF
Hendricks in ability. yet he exceeded both
in his great eloquence and his magnetic
hold on his party. His infinite kindness of
heart, unmistable and so genuine must
have had much to do with this. 1t was a
noble trait-one of the noblest given hu-
personal loss in the death of Senator Voor-
hees.'
Representative Steele said: "I always
liked Senator Voorhees, socially Our rela-
tons were agreeable, and 10 me most
pleasant j have known him since 1876
when / resigned from the army and had
known of him, of course. since 1860 There
had a greater hold on the party than he
had. He was never in any sense a boss
nor political manager. He had the happy
| faculty of winning good friends and hold
| ing them. His name will undoubtedly be
| connected with the National Library of this
| city, which will be a lasting and a splendid
monument to his memory. He will be de.
| and father Of that great building which
will always be associated with his name
Mr.. Overstreet, Mr.. Lands and the other
| members of the Indiana congressional dele.
cation now in Washington expressed the
deepest regret at the sudden and unex.
pected death of Senator Voorhees, whose
| prominence in the Nations councils ha:
| personal qualities they had kindest remem
| brance.