The Washington times., 1902-04-21
TABLETTOMR. EMERY'S
MEMORY UNVEILED

| three business notices. They were these
| a good name is better to be chosen thar
great riches, and loving favor than silver
and gold:' The rich and the poor meet
together. the Lord is the maker Of them
! all and 'Seest thou a man diligent in
| business. he shall not stand before mean
| men. "
Mr.. Emery as Citizen.
| Commissioner mcfarland spoke of Mr..
Emery as a citizen He said:
| Because his citizenship was in heav-
en- he was the better citizen of the state.
Because he was a faithful Christian he
was a faithful patriot. Besides fidelity
/ and disinterestedness he had optimism.
charity, and courage. He served the COM
munity in Office and he served the COM
munity out of office with equal zeal. hon.
esty. and intelligence. For more than
forty years he was active, useful. and
prominent in the affairs of the District.
AS captain of the militia company which
he raised for the defense of the National
Capital in MAY 1861; as member of the
Board of Aldermen of the City of Wash
ington, and as the last of the mayors OF
that city-that long line numbering so
many fine characteristic served his fell
low citizens with credit as soldier, as
legislator. and as executive.
He served the National Government, too.
laying the cornerstone of the Washington
Monument and of the Capitol extension,
and caring beautifully for the sick and
wounded during the civil war. AS mem
Der of many prominent organizations OF
citizens for civic. religious. educational.
or philanthropic purposes. in service on
juries. and in response to the general
calls of the Commissioners, he performed
the duties of the private station. His
private affairs were sufficiently engros
sing to afford him the excuses which many
men make for neglecting the public and
private duties of the citizen, but even as
he grew older he did not avail himself of
these excuses. He was never Indifferent
to public duties. He had nothing in COM
mon with the parasites who take from
the community all they can get and give
nothing in return.
Keen Interest in All Things.
His keen interest in the common well
fare was unalloyed by envy or malice.
It never found expression in carping criti-
cism. much less in malignant misrepre-
sentation of men or measures. He was
candid and honorable critic.
He was even free from the common
temptation to think better of the days of
his greater activity tran of their success
sors. Although he was the last man
elected by the people to executive Office in
Washington, and was its mayor when the
old city government was superseded by
the territorial form OF government for
the entire District of Columbia, he never
regretted the abolition of the suffrage.
and cordially supported the government of
the District by the governors and their
successors, the Commissioners. He be-
lieyed the latter to be the best form Of
government for the District
Proud of the District.
HE was proud Of the reputation for
good government which the District of
Columbia enjoys throughout the country.
and OF contrasting 1t with the very differ
ent reputation of other communities. In
our last conversation he spoke of,the con-
tinual scandals of bribery and blackmail.
corruption and degradation in the parti
san governments of the great cities of the
United States, and of his qualification that
the National Capital was free from them.
"At the same time, even in his later
years he was no unreasoning conserya-
tive, but ready for any reasonable project
for the improvement of the National Cap
ital or the betterment of its conditions.
Although he knew personally every -Presi
dent after Van Buren,. and touched,
through his father, New Hampshire cap
tain in the Revolutionary War, old CO.
lonial days, he entered the twentieth cen
fury with an entirely modern spirit In
the success of the celebration of the CEN
tennial of the District of Columbia in De-
cember. 1900. he saw, not much the
concentration of the century gone. in
which he had played so large part, as
the prophecy OF the unexampled develop
ment of the National Capital in the new
century. a development which he knew he
could see only by the eye of faith. yet in
which he rejciced exceedingly"