Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-05-15
TRIBUTE TO
R. K. POLK'S MEMORY


The house of Representatives Oh Sat
urday last laid aside public business
TO pay tribute to the memory of the
late Representative Rufus K Polk
Those who delivered eulogies on the
life and character of Mr.. Polk were
Messrs. Green and Bates of Pennsyl-
vania, Richardson of Alabama Bel
lamy, North Carolina; Stark, Neb
raska; Badgett, Tennessee, and Clay
ton, Alabama Mr.. Green said in
part" Amid the carnival which the
Grim Reaper has been holding with
the members of this body, | am called
upon to perform the most difficult and
the saddest task of my life.
With graceful words and elegant
phrases it is easy to pay last tribute
to colleagues respected, admired, and
esteemed; but this man was my friend,
my comrade, my roommate, and | loved
him.
Not with the flowers of rhetoric,
but with heart throbs and with tears
l approach his grave. The rose and the
forget me not, with the violet and the
leaves of the sturdy oak, would weave
in a chaplet to his memory and bind
them together with heartstrings.
Justice l cannot do him, for the feel
ings of the heart are not told by words.
While he lived never knew how much
attached | was to him, and his death
has left void which time alone may
fill.
When the rumor of his sudden and
unexpected death was brought to me |
felt benumbed, and the truth came as
bolt from out of the clear blue of
sunny skies. Never will / forget the
shock. Never the lonely feeling | had
for days afterwards when | came back
to the cosy apartments where together
we lived. l never thought | could
miss one SO much, and never felt SO
thoroughly alone and less inclined to
resume the work piling up before me.
What endeared this man to me? l
can not tell | met him but two short
years ago when we came to the Fifty
sixth Congress. One makes few warm
friendships in middle life. This was
one, and a strong atta"i'-1aone' one
stronger perhaps for that reason. |
liked him from our first meeting, and
as we were drawn oftener together the
bond of union strengthened. He was
ten years my Junior, and it surely was
not his advice nor his judgment l
sought.
But what made every man, woman,
and child who knew him love him?
He had many warm friends among
his colleagues, and when you heard
even his acquaintance refer to him it
showed that he had impressed them
with his irresistible charm
At his funeral, when the,long line of
brawny workmen whom he had en-
ployed filed by his coffin, pausing to
take a last look at his face motionless
in death, you could plainly read in
each mans countenance the fact that
they, too, had come under the spell
of this charm, and sincerely mourned
the loss of one whom they regarded as
a dear friend. He was lovely fellow
/ never met one more lovable. His
voice, soft and sweet, and its musical
accent and expression bespoke him a
son of the "Old South. " No one who
ever heard him talk will ever forget
its gentle, winning tones.
More winning than his voice were
his manners. They were never acqu-
ired, but inherited from aristocratic
ancestors, polished gentlemen and
charming ladies of the old school who
ruled the South in the antebellum
days ;and this inheritance was strength
ened by education, breeding, and re-
fined surroundings.
His nature was sympathetic, and he
could not bear to see man or beast
suffer, and was always ready to give
TO distress such relief as was in his
power. His generosity was prOyerbial,
and not only did he spend his money
with lavish hand, but | never heard
him fail to give everyone the benefit
of a doubt, and never, unless richly
deserved, have heard him say an un-
kind or uncharitable word about even
social or business acquaintance.
So much did he crave the good opin-
ion and esteem of his associates and so
prodigal was he with his favors to
them that | sometimes thought him
vain and seeking admiration.
To an exceptional degree ne possess
ed the charming spirit of camaraderie,
and that made him popular at home
and abroad.
His faults were but skin deep, and
never reached his heart or SCARED his
soul
With all these traits his character
and personality were strong, not weak,
and no one could ever say mo" more
firmly or was more tenacious to his own
carefully formed opinions. Often,
when man or a question was being
discussed with general agreement, to
the surprise of all would he announce
a different opinion and give convinc-
ing views in its support. Yet his man
ner of announcing such a difference,
although firm, never seemed to offend
l envied his tact ON such occasions.
But more than all these he was man