The Anaconda standard., 1899-08-09
CoNKLINC AND MRS. SPRAGuE.
Dead Woman's Influence in Inducing
Him to Make His Great Speech.

Dead Woman's Influence in Inducing
Him to Make His Great Speech.
In the obituary Of the late Rather
inc Chase Sprague. printed by the
Times, occurs the following:
A NOD OF TREMENDOUS IMPORT.
when Don Platt was publishing the
Sunday Capital in Washington he
printed an editorial (said to have been
written by Colonel A. c. Buell., now
with Cramps) in which it was charged
that Conkling was called from the floor
OF the senate by nod from Mrs.
Sprague in the senate gallery, and that
the summoning of COnkling in this
manner had much to do with the pass
ing of the electoral commission bill,
which resulted in the seating of Hayes
in the White House"
This statement is true as to the au-
thorship Of the editorial referred to,
but does not state or even fully suggest
the real historical fact involved The
occasion was the close of debate in the
senate on the electoral commission bill.
The situation was strained to the last
ounce of tension. Many people who be-
lieved (as l did and still do) that Til
den was lawfully elected, feared that
the failure of that bill to become a law
would result in a deadlock between the
two houses of congress over the count
South Carolina and Florida. Such a
deadlock, it was widely believed, must
bring on civil war. To avert this was
the object of the electoral commission
bill.
Up to the last stage of debate in the
senate Roscoe Conklings attitude had
not been developed. He had made no
sign. Most Of the managers on the
part of Mr.. Hayes believed that Conk-
| ling was adverse to the bill. Many of
the adherents of Tilden hoped to the
last moment that he would vote against
it and possibly oppose it on the floor
Among the most active and adroit
of the Hayes managers were Charles
| Foster and Stanley Matthews, both of
Ohio. Matthews, in particular, was a
| lifelong friend of the Chase family.
| Some time previous to these events
Conkling and Matt Carpenter had un-
| dertaken to defend Mrs. Chase Sprague
| as counsel in certain litigation involv-
| ing her fathers estate of Edgewood,
which was her home. Conkling's de-
votion to his fair client had already be-
come a theme of gossip, and he made
no attempt to conceal his sentiments.
| Edgewood was then of little value, but
| it was the only home the great woman
had, and Conkling saved it for her.
| Afterward, when the growth of Wash
ington had made Mrs. Chase Sprague
fee for his legal services. 1t was not
| in amount such fee as he was aCcus-
toned to exact but it was all he
thought she could afford to pay at the
| time and he accepted it.
As a last resort Stanley Matthews
and Charles Foster conceived the plan
of bringing Mrs. Chase Sprague's in
| f1uence to bear on Conkling, in behalf
of the bill. There was no suggestion Of
impropriety in this; no thought of un-
| due influence. There were two reasons
for selecting the great woman for this
| mission. One was that none of the men
who We're managing Hayes cause
could approach Conkling. He dtsliked
| all of them and would listen to her.
The other reason was that Kate Chase
Sprague was by far the keenest poll
tician and the ablest statesman of all
those who desired the passage of the
electoral bill, which. it had by that time
become well understood. would eVentu-
ate in seating Hayes.
| Therefore, the great woman was not
only able to get the attention of Conk-
ling and make him listen to her, but
was also capable of presenting the
Hayes case to him more forcibly and
more cogently than any man of the
Hayes encourage could do. The even
ing prior to the event referred to in
the extract from your article, above
for the bill, but when he and Mrs
Chase Sprague separated that evening
he told her he would not decide Wheth-
er to speak in its favor or not until he
reached the senate next day. She saic
she would see him in the mornins
and learn his decision. He said tina
was not necessary: that II she would
attend in the senate gallery he would
if he decided to speak, indicate it t
her by a shake of the head whenever
he could catch her eye. If he decided
not to speak he would simply bow il
sign of recognition.
AS soon as their eyes met when TIT
senate convened next morning Conk
ling gently shook his head, which gest
ure Mrs. Chase Sprague reciprocatet
with many bows and smiles. This wa
the nod of tremendous significance,
as the Times puts it. But Conkling di'
. not leave his seat nor did ne go to tn
gallery, as intimated in your article.
The speech he made is generally con
sidered the most marvellous extern
poraneous Grafton ever delivered in tn
senate That it was extemporaneou
, throughout is abundantly proved b.
, the fact that he did not decide to max
it until a few hours before he began 1t
delivery. That it was marVelou
oration any one can see who cares
read it.
| have never doubted that 1t turne
the scale. passed the bill and seate
! ! Hayes. The rest is common history
{ | Kate Chase Sprague was, In my opln
: ion, the greatest woman this countf
[ | ever raised. And we all know that Kos
coe Conkling was one OF It's creates
: | men.-A. c. Buell. in the Philadelphi
t Times.
Parties.