Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-07-26

to the forty-ninth congress by the re
publicans Of the seventh district. H,
was twice reelected and resigned il
1890 to become United States ministe,
to Brazil.
This was Major Congers opportunity
to make use Of the peculiar combina.
ton OF business sagacity ard diplo.
matte skill which he possessed. Tt
him was assigned the new responsible
ity Of negotiating the first Of the re,
ciprocity treaties, and the arrange
ments he made with the Brazilian gov
| eminent were so satisfactory to the
! business interest of the people of the
| United States and Brazil that a unan-
| imous request was made for his re-
turn as minister to Brazil when the re-
publican party came back into power
in 1897
! He had fairly commenced his work
when it was interrupted by Cleve-
lands second election, and he returned
| to Brazil early in the year 1897 to
| complete it.
During his congressional career
! Major Conger became a close friend of
! William Mckinley. They sat together
in the house and enjoyed each others
confidence in a high degree. When
the president was having difficulty in
| finding man big enough, trusty
enough and sensible enough for the
Chinese mission he thought of Con-
ger and sent for Senator Allison to
know if he thought Conger would ac-
cept.
He is a soldier" replied the sena-
tor, land if you cable him and request
him to go to China he will consider
it command and he will go
The president sent the cable message,
inviting and urging Minister Conger to
undertake what was considered the
most important diplomatic post in the
world at that time.
Major Conger treated the request
precisely as Senator Allison said he
would. The position was not of his
choosing, but he said, Il have nothing
to do but obey orders" and he went.
Minister Conger was gifted with an
extraordinary memory. If he saw a
man once he never forgot him and had
way of attaching men to him by be-
ing able to remember little things
about them. This had helped him to
success in business as well as in poll
tics.
He was heavily interested in the
brick industry in Des Moines, and a
few years ago went to Minneapolis and
brought about twenty-five representa-
tives of that city to Des Moines to in
spect the brick with a view to using
them for paving. He barely met these
men in Minneapolis before they took
irving there, the first thing they did
was to be driven to the state house,
where Major Conger introduced each
man to the governor by his full, right
name.
Mr.. Conger rarely met with opposi-
ton in politics. Things came to him
almost unsolicited. He was one or the
most popular men in the state
His congressional career was marked
by several important acts. He was
chairman of the committee on coinage,
weights and measures and was mem
Der of the conference committee that
prepared the Sherman silver purchase
act of 1890. He brought about the
transfer of the United States weather
bureau from the war department to
the department of agriculture, so that
it might be of more benefit to the
farmers. The COnger pure lard bill,
which passed the house in 1890 and
was killed in the senate, was his work.
The home life of the Congers was an
ideal one. They lived during recent
years in a modest little frame house,
not in the most fashionable part of
Des Moines. All the members of the
family were active in charitable work
and their home was a haven for many
a weary soul.
Four years ago Major Conger was
offered a business opportunity in
Brazil to represent great New York
mercantile house that would have
brought him an income Of $4,000 a
year. He found that it would require
him to travel most of the time and
that he could not expect to have his
family with him. For this reason he
declined the offer, although it was to
him tempting one.
He said that he felt he had only
few years to live, and he wanted to
hot = -, 70
Some of his relatives and ancestors
died of apoplexy and he had feared the
same fate.
Such was Edwin H. Conger. Of the
gentle and lovable women of his family
it is impossible to speak with too
much admiration. Their friends in
Des Moines, Washington and else
where feel the blood run cold in their
veins at the thought of what these
gently nurtured American women may
have suffered at the hands of Prince
Tuan's barbaric soldiery.
Mrs. Conger was eminently fitted to
| be the wife of a diplomat. She was a
woman of splendid education, great
natural gifts and unfailing tact. Her
| experience in Washington and Rio
had rendered her equal to any social
| demand.
1t was part of her kindly nature that
she never spoke i'll of any one, and
even the Chinese had earned her en-
| comiums. When home on a visit with
| her daughter last winter she spoke
generously O. the yellow race and
! said that they had been much mis-