The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-31


and he held the Office for two terms
and would have held it longer but that
in 1884 he was elected to the Forty
ninth congress by the Republicans of
the Seventh district. He was twice re-
elected and resigned in 1890 to become
United States minister to Brazil.
This was Major Conger's opportunity
to make use of the peculiar combina-
ton of business sagacity and diplomat
ic skill which he possessed. To him
was assigned the new responsibility of |
negotiating the first of the reciprocity |
treaties, and the arrangements he made
with the Brazilian government were
so satisfactory to the business inter-
ests of the people of the United States |
and Brazil that unanimous request
was made for his return as minister to
Brazil when the Republican party
came back into power in 1897. He had
fairly commenced his work when it
was interrupted by Cleveland's second
election, and he returned to Brazil
early in the year 1897 to complete it,
During his congressional career Ma
jor Conger became close friend Of
William Mckinley. They sat together
in the house and enjoyed each others
confidence in 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 Conger
and sent for Senator Allen to know if
he thought Conger would accept. He
is a soldier" replied the senator, land
if you cable him and request him to go
to China he will consider it COM
mand. and he will 60" The president
sent the cable message, inviting and
what was considered the most impor
tant 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, 81 have
nothing to do but obey ORDERS" and he
went.
Minister Conger was gifted with an
extraordinary memory. If he saw
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 we'll as in poll
tics. He was heavily interested in the
brick industry in Des Moines and
few years ago went to Minneapolis and
brought about % representatives OF
that city to Des Moines to inspect the
| brick with view to using them for
| paving. He barely met these men in
Minneapolis before they took the sleep
| ing car for Des Moines. Arrived there,
the first thing they did was to be driv-
en- to the statehouse. where Major Con-
ger introduced each man to the govern
or by his full right name.
| Mr.. Conger rarely met with opposi-
ton in politics. Things came to him al
most unsolicited. He was one of the
most popular men in the state. His
congressional career was marked by
several important acts. He was chair
| man 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 farm
ers. 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
We're active in charities, and their
home was a haven for many weary
soul. Four years ago Major Conger
was offered a business opportunity in
Brazil to represent a 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 a
tempting one. He said that he felt he
had only few years to live and he
wanted to spend that time with his
family. Some of his relatives and an
cestors died of apopleNy, and he had
feared the same fate.
Such was Edwin III. Conger. OF the
gentle and lovable women of his fam
lily it is impossible to speak with too
much admiration. Their friends in Des
Moines, Washington and elsewhere 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 de-
mand. 1t was part of her kindly ma
ture that she never spoke i'll of any
one, and even the Chinese had earned
her encomiums. When home on visit
with her daughter last winter she
spoke generously of the yellow race
and said that thay had heau muoh mis-