Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-17
SENATOR HALE.
An Appreciative Sketch Of the
Maine Statesman.
A Washington Writer Tells Of His
Work and influence.
The Story Of His SO Busy Years al
Washington.

(SaVOydCu Ill the WdSuh'eseo'A O''
OF pillar of the state, and support
of the House of Brunswick. great
advocate and a greater judge, LORD
High Chancellor Hardwicke, a cele-
brated biographer. discoursed.
Entering public life very early, ne
lived to a great age in very interesting
times, and he acted an important part
in many of the events which d1stin-
guisheG the century in which ne HOUR
ished. He had heard speeches delivered
from the throne by William III. and by
George ILL.,; he had seen the reins OF
government in the hands OF GOdolphin
and in the hands of Pitt: he had wit
messed the rejoicings for the victory OF
Blenheim and for the capture of Que
bee: his ears had been split with the
cries of .Sacheverall and High
Church" and with cries of wilkes and
Liberty" he'1fad been acquainted with
Bolingbroke and with Burke: he had
marked the earliest burst of admiration
called forth by the poetry of Pope and
by the poetry of Churchill; he himself
had been fifty years a member of the
legislature, holding most distin-
guished station in either House of Par
lament; he had filled various important
offices with singular ability; he had
held the highest civil Office in the king
dom longer than any or his predeces-
sOrs Zone excepteD since the fOunda-
ton of the monarchy, and with greater
applause than any of his predecessors
had ever gained or any successor could
hope for: he had been mainly instru-
mental in keeping the reigning dynasty
on the throne by the measures which
he advised for crushing a dangerous
rebellion raised to restore the legiti-
mate line; he was the great legislator
for Scotland, freeing that country from
the baronial tyranny by which it had
been imnemorially oppressed; in Eng
land he was the finisher and almost
the author of the great Code of Equity
to which his name might justly be at
tached.
In our country we have never had
statesman whose political career COW
cred a period of fifty years. and we
have had few public men who have
had the advantage of more political eX-
perience than Eugene Hale. 1t was
thrty-five years ago that this man
first appeared at the National Capitol
to assist in the first session of the For
ty-first grand inquest of the great re-
public. With an hiatus of two years
Eugene Hale has been a conspicuous
man at Washington since the year 1869.
He sat in deliberation on messages
penned by Grant and by Roosevelt. He
saw the sun Of Fessenden sink in the
west just as the sun of Blaine was ris-
ing in the east. He was COngressiOn-
rct
appeared in the national legislature.
He was a representative when his party
refused to annex Santo Domingo. and
he was Senator when his party dii
annex Porto Rico. He helped to recon-
struct the South, and he helped to re-
II tore a Lee to the United States army.
: thing all these years-more than
nev.Of a century-Eugene Hale was
man. l. brilliant, meteOric. dazzling
if not the was gifted with the talent.
Il man after anius, of common sense-a
if he could narder of Hardwicke. and
O John James Ingtertain the Senate like
!, periOr in the mana. he never had SUI
priation bill in that gent of an appro-
--Zt council.
1t was in 1869 that ia.
became Speaker of Congi G. Blaine
was Mr.. Blaine who first ga, and it
ONCE its overshadowing importao That
while before the Republican partS A
in rage for the failure of the impeaas
ment of President Johnson, but wa
now rejoicing over the Inauguration O
) Gen. Grant. Morton. Sumner, Wilson
Il. Chandler. Howard, Carl Schurz
Conklng. Sherman, Edmunds. and Car
penter were the leading Republicans O
the Senate-Trumbull was in dissrac,
for his vote on the impeachment
thurman entered the Senate in 1860
ana in debate was a match for thu
whole Republican side. He had for col
leagues on the minority side Bayar(
and salisbury. Davis and McCreery
Casserley and Stockton. The South
was in the chains of reconstruction
lcarpet-baggery, scalawaggery, and
general thievery.
only four members of the two
Houses of Congress antedate Senate,
Hale in service in the national councils
-Aihson. Stewart. and Cullom, in the
senate. and ketcham. in the House:
Out MS total service exceeds in wears
all OF these but AllisOn's and EQUALS
senator Frye's. Senator HOar entered
congress simultaneously with Hale,
ard has two years the advantage in
length Of service in the two Houses.
ketcham is the only individual who is
member Of the present House and
who was also n member of that BODY in
1863. How like the long ago is the roll
OF hale's colleagues of the Forty-first
| congress. Schenck was the leader of
| the House. and Garfield. Bingham, and
| stevenson were his colleagues. There
| were Allison and McCleary. from Iowa
Logan and Farnsworth from Illinois:
BOUTWELL, Banks, Butler Ames, Dawes.
and Hoar from Massachusetts. Dawes
was chairman Of Appropriations. Hor-
ace Maynard was from Tennessee, No
an Davis from New York: Luke Po-
land from Vermont; John Cavade from
PENNSYLVANIA. and A. A. Sargent from
California. Lynch and Peters were
among Hale's colleagues from Maine.
On the Democratic side we're Kerr
Nihlack. Voorhees,. Marshall, Potter.
Fernando Wood, Beck, Knott, Brooks.
Cox. Randall. Woodward, and Ed
ridge.
Mr.. Hale was not member of the
Forty-sixth Congress. A man named