News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-08-02
Ex-Speaker Henderson

from Dubuque, Ia, to the effect that
Gen. David B. Henderson, ex-Speakel
of the House of Representatives, is g
sufferer from general paresis and car
never be expected to be any better
1t is sad closing of an honorable
upright and soldierly career, one o.
the saddest by which nature brings
man down to the dust again. Ever
now the General is reported to be un
able to tell where he is or the time in
which he is living, and constantly his
mind reverts to the past-now he is
again boy, or young lawyer, or
he is again on the battlefield of Cor.
NTH fighting over the battle in which
he won imperishable renown. This
is the end of this gallant gentleman
as much as if the final words had
been pronounced over his cold clay
there remain Only a few months Of
death-in-life, which all his friends
may we'll pray to be mercifully
shortened.
OF all the men who, since the war,
lave held the high and distinguished
Office of Speaker, none have held it
more worthily and honorably than
Gen. Henderson. His rulings and
decisions were so offered as to bring
little of the heartburning and ran
cour that have marked the career OF
some other Speakers, and he was al
ways manly and frank in his treat
ment of those politically opposed to
him. Since he retired from the
Speakership, little has been heard of
him, it being understood that be was
in 1ll-health, the nature of which has
not been disclosed until within the
past few days.
Few of those who have welded the
Speakers gavelremain with us. ohn
G. Carlisle, Speaker in Mr.. Cleve-
lands term, is now practicing law in
New York, having some years ago
removed from his native State of
Kentucky ]. Warren Keller, Speak
er in President Garheld's term still
lives and was last fall elected to rep
resent one of the Ohio districts after
a long retirement to private life.
Hon. Galusha A. Grow, the Penn
svlvanian, who was for so many
years Congressman-at-Largetrom his
State, is still among the living at the
age of eighty-two years. He was
Speaker 1S61-63. Other Speakers
Since the war were Schuyler Colfax,
James G. Blaine, Michael c. Kerr,
Samuel J. Rainfall, Thomas c. Reed
and Charles F. Crisp, while our
" Uncle Joe" now holds this onerous
and honorable position. Mr.. Col
fax died in 1885; Mr.. Blaine, 1868;
Mr.. Kerr, 1876; Mr.. Randall, 1890;
Mr.. Reed, 1902; Mr.. Crisp, 1896,
and it will thus be noticed that none
of them very long survived the eX-
piration of their term Of office.
This has always been an office of
particular honor, since it is elective
by fellow representatives and implies
that the Speakers the repository Of
especial trust and confidence by
those who elect him. Some of the
names of antebellum Speakers, COM
ing like Whit of the political atmos-
phere of the past, are N. P. Banks,
William Pennington, of New Jersey
Howell Cobb, of Georgia; Robert c.
Winthrop of Massachusetts,, Speak
er 1S47-49, who laid thecorner stone
of the Washington monument and
also delivered an Grafton at its com-
pletion forty years after, and died in
1894; R. M. T. Hunter, of Virginia.;
John Bell, of Tennessee, once candi-
date for President; Henry Clay, three
times Speaker, and F. A. Muhlenburg,
of Pennsylvania, the first of all, twice
elected and dying in 1901.