The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1898-12-30

attack of grip contracted about a
week ago. The venerable senator was
confined to his home but seven days.
No definite funeral arrangements
have been made. It is altogether like
" that public services will be held in
the senate chamber, but just when can
not now be stated. The remains of
Mrs Morrill,, who died during the pres
ent year, are now in a vault at Rock
Creek cemetery, near this city, and it
deposited there pending removal to
STAFFORD, VT, where a mausoleum is
now in course of construction.
In the death of Hon. Justin Smith Morrill,
the senate lost its senior member in point Of
service and its Oldest in age He had served in
the senate continuously for more than 81 years
and he was s. years old on the 18th of April
last With the single exception of Hon. Galu-
sha Grow, of the house of representatives, he
was the only man in congress whose congress
sional cai eer began prior to the beginning
of the civil war, and he had the honor over Mr..
Grow in that his congressional service had
been continuous, covering in the senate and
house combined almost "A years. Mr.. Morrill,
was a native of Vermont He was first elected
a member of the house from that state as a
member of the 34th congress, taking his seat
at the first assembling of that body after the
zth of March, 1855. He was reelected to the
18th, Both, 37th. 38th and 39th congresses, and
was in 1867 elected to the senate to succeed
Hon Luke P. Poland He held his seat in the
senate since that date without interruption,
having been elected six terms success ,ively.
His present term, to which he was chosen in
1896. would not have expired until 1903
1t was at the beginning of the war that Mr..
Morrills practical business training first
brought him forward as a man of national rep
utation He was the author of the Morrill,
tariff act of 1861, which was the basis of all the
tariff legislation of war times In 1864 he be-
came chairman of the committee on ways and
means, the principal committee of the house,
and at that critical time Of especial import
ance.
After entering the senate Mr.. Morrill, con-
tinued to give his attention largely to fnan-
cial and commercial questions and during the
greater part of his term of service he was
identified as q member of the committee on
finance, which committee deals especially with
these subjects. He first became chairman OF
this committee in 1877 succeeding Senator
Sherman when the latter entered the cabinet OF
President Hayes and he held this position con-
tinuOusly after that date except during the 10th
and SD congress, when the democratic party
controlled the senate, and during those inter
walls he continued at the head of the republican
representation on the committee. In recent
years he delegated the greater share of the de-
tails of the committee work to the younger
members of the committee, but there had beer
but few times when he was not regular attend.
ant upon the committee meetings, and many in.
stances are related of his surprising activity in
directing the affairs of the committee up K
The last.
During his long career Mr.. Morrill, gave his
attention to many questions, and no man il
public life was more given than he TO taking
up q subject and holding to it through year;
and years until consummated. He was the
real father of the scheme for the construction
of a building for the congressional library, and
TO him and Senator Voorhees,. who yearly joined
him impressing this question upon congress, is
the splendid library building a monument
Very near to his heart also was the plan fol
the erection of a sister building for the SUI
preme court He had been pressing measure
looking to the construction Of
such a building for many years and
had on three different occasions prevailed upon
the senate 10 pass his bill for this purpose
His last appearance in the senate was on the
18th instant when lie m de a speech of half ar
hours duration in advocacy of the supreme
court building bill. He at the same time pre-
vailed upon the senate to pass the bill in the
FACE of some opposition.