The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-14


useful, practical question aside from his
daily labor. Il 10 quite probable that
this h true. for his career has borne the
fruits Of such rule
In his social relations with his fellows
In the House he may be said TO have been
mate with very few. A strict teetotaller,
he never indulged In oonvivality. al
though his life in official circles brought
him much In places where moderate cheer
was q custom. His associates Away :
respected him for this, although many OF
them used TO love to represent him IN
| their conversation In his presence as the
most roaring blade In Washington. While
| visfbly amused at this the Governor
face always wore a little puzzled look, as
though he could not quite understand
what he had done to give them such an
was associated with him for many years
said. he never knew him to make but one
Joke: but that &c was q very good one
when made. A party Of the abiest ana
brightest members of the House were AT
dinner, and after the cigars had been
| lighted, Jokes and stories began TO pass
around. 1t was q gathering OF wit and
genius, and the humor was of the most
entertaining kind. But Governor Ding
ley would respond to the liveliest sallies
only with faint smile. Finally Mr..
Jonathan r. Doliiver of Iowa, one OF the
ablest and wittiest members from tne
West, said: Governor, you do not seem
to like our jokes. We have given you OF
our best, and we cannot provoke even a
smile from you. :"
4 "well, the fact is" said the Governor,
In the dry, mathematician tone which he
always used, ~ did enjoy those Jokes
very much when first heard them thirty
years ago.
4 Yet those who knew the Governor hest
believed that be enjoyed the evening tho
roughly.
He was probably an ambitious man, al
though he never at any single time or
by any obtrusive movement betrayed
that he was. But those who studied the
orbit in which he moved never doubted
that his course was calculated to reach the
highest post within the gift of his state
at ieast He IL said to have believed that
any goal could be attained by persistent,
wisely directed labor; and If be had lived
he would have demonstrated still further
by his own personal success that his be-
lief WINS measurably true at least lie
never aimed TO carry by assault the
strong places that lay in his way; but be-
fore they realized their danger the Zoe
usually found that he had quietly ana
of their gates and their citadel While
not a rough antagonist he was surpass-
inRly shrewd one.
He was apparently as laborious and
eager at sixty six as he had been Mt thirty
six or forty. six; and those who associated
with him la the House had assumed IL
20 be probable in the order OF nature that
he should have before him ten or even
twenty years of public usefulness
In his personal affairs he was very pru-
dent and careful, and he carried this into
his relations as public man. He believed
that If the pennies OF the government
money could be taken care of. the dollars
would take care Of themselves. In the
era of lavish expenditure upon which our
government is about to enter with Its new
colonial policy, his old fashioned New
England precepts and example would
have been of the highest value
He will probably be longest remembered
in the House for the Dlngley tariff bill.
which, besides bearing his name, bears
also the impress of his study, research
and moulding skill. Yet he WAS not by
any means confined to the subject of tariff
alone. In the seventeen years Of his SER
vice he studied carefully the questions re-
lating TO the merchant marine ana nsh'
cries, banking and currency and appro-
priations In the Congresses when MIR.
Crisp was Speaker. he sRrved on the APP
propriations committee post where one
acquires broad information which essen
TALLY mobiles the views and attitude OF
most thoughtful statesmen towards our
national problems.
The loss OF man so thoroughly
equipped and SO rii idly devoted to the
service of the government is no small
thing, even in country SO abundantly
stored With the material for statesmen as
is our own. The people of Maine gave
him seventeen years Of service here, and
by thus continuing him contributed TO
the Legislative councils of the nation the
value of his great requirements and ex-
perience. They wouiI understand how
valuable they have done, perhaps even
bette. than they do now, II they could
hear from the members of the House,
without regard TO party, the general ex.
pressions as to the magnitude of the rub.
lie loss.