The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-22

Senate as q RepuDlcdn 10 I'LL the vacancy
| occasioned by the resignation of James G.
| Blaine. appointed secretary Of state. He
| took his seat March Is, 1881, and was re-
elected In 1885, in 1883 and again in 1895, re-
ceivinr every vote. with one exception, in
both branches Of the Legislature at the lat
ter election He was elected president pro
| tempore of the Senate Feb. Z, 1885, and was
a member of the commission which met in
Paris in 1898 to adjust terms of peace be-
tween the United States and Spain. His
term Of service will expire March 3, 1901.
Senator Frye was appointed one of the
American commissioners to negotiate the
treaty of peace with Spain, which was
| signed I'm Paris Dec. TO- 1898. The COM
mission was composed of William r. Day,
| Senator Cushman K. Davis, William P.
Frve. Whiteaw Reid aud Senator George
GRAY. Mr. Frye was third in rank and
| his name appears in that order on the great
document.
| Mr.. FRYE bears his sixty-eight years easily.
| A story Is told that lady In the Senate
gallery, looking down upon the Maine sena-
| tor exclaimed: "A grandfather? Why,
| should have said he was about thirty-five."
And so might almost any one too far away
to see plainly the few lines which time and
RESPONSIBILITIES left in his face. His coloring
| is ruddy and wholesome, his step elastic,
his attire, though simple, natty, and his
| hair of a shade of brown. amid streaks of
| silver that are indistinguishable. Yet he had
seven grandchildren long as seventeen
| wears ago. And he loves them enthusiastic
ally.
Senator Frye is jingN and is touchy on
the subject of American honor and inter-
ests. He is always ready for a fight with
England, France or any other country
which courts a conflict. But he will drop
| any of these enhancing pursuits for an
afternoons play spell with one of the young
| sters who claim him for ancestor.
| Mr.. Frye is the stanch friend OF any
| man he likes. When prominen mt Demo-
! cratic representative one day impugned
| the fairness Of one Of Speaker Carlisles
| rulings Frye was out or his seat In an
instant, his eyes flashing and his right arm
| in air. "The imputation is unworthy! ne
cried. ION this side of the House e'-wlth
a sweeping gesture toward his feilow-he-
publicans-''we consider the gentleman from
Kentucky CMr. CARLISLE the jewel of the
! T,orooratic nartvt' The effect was cleo
tric. The great body of Democrats joined
with the Republicans in drowning the gen.
erous outburst with cheers, and the speak
| or,s accuser was driven from the floor in
|
discontinue.
With his clever gift for putting things, he
is naturally successful on the stump. He
never met his match but once, and that was
in the person of Frank Wolford, quaint
Kentucky mountaneer who afterward came
TO Congress from an old-fashioned secession
| district. Other Republicans had heard about
Wolford. and fought shy of tackling him;
| but FRYE volunteered to go down into MS
| district in the next campaign. The expert
| ment lasted Just one day, but Frye de-
| scribed 1t as appalling as far as 1t went.
The adversaries arranged for a joint debate
| before a gathering of lumbermen and moon
sinners. and Frye who was invited to speak
| first. drew on his fund of pathetic eloquence
to describe the mangnanimity with which
the Republicans had treated the Confeder-
ates after the war; Wolford followed him
with the declaration that the Republicans
had no right to talk about magnanimity
"when they hung JEFF Davis the day after
the surrender"
"Who hanged JEFF Davis?" demanded
Frye?
"Grant did," Wolford roared back.
.It's an internal lie!' shouted Frye. you
know better than that"
30 I do, do 10" retorted Wolford, Here.
john" reckoning to a gaunt, broad-shoui-
dered. heavy-browed bushwhacker VINO
stood near. "You get up on this platform
and tell the folks what Grant did to Jer
Davis"
JJp Jumped John, who said: He stringed
him UP. He didn't give him no chance to say
his pra'rs I wuz thar an seen it."
The audience looked little puzzled Frye
was so respectable in appearance-and yet
here was an eyewitness ready to refute
him absolutely. Frye was simply struck
dumb. Not so the bushwhacker.
"Hif any o. you-uns wants ter 'spute my
statement"-he paused. laying his hand Sig
nificantly on the stock of huge horse pis-
tol that stuck from his belt. Nobody seemed
anxious to discuss the matter.
"You seen Jeff Davis hang?" asked VOL
ford trumphantly. What else did you
see?"
81 seen him buried" answered John; and
then, without twitching muscle: Il wuz
ore OF the pallbearers-"
| Frye was offered another chance to speak,
but politely excused himself. AS soon as he
could get back to the railroad he took a
train for home.
Although so long in one or the other
houses of Congress- and helping to vote
away millions of dollars. Senator Frye was,
in these days of large fortunes, poor man.
Somebody accused him once Of being worth
$4,000
That's too much" was his comment.
when was a boy / had a chance to go up
to Boston, and my Quaker grandfather gave
me So to spend there. But I did not know
any Boston boys to spend the money with,
and it stayed in my pocket. When I re-
turned home grandfather asked me how
had spent my money. With an air Of su-
perior virtue, 1 answered, did not spend
II at all, grandfather. saved it,
"'Then give 1t back to me. William said
he. L gave you that money to spend
'From that day | have spent my money