Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-09-16
THING OF THE PAST
CONGRESSIONAL CEMETERY is
BUT A MEMORY.
Established In 1907 as a Resting Place
for the Nations Honored Dead,
II Has Gradually Fallen
Into Disuse.

Wherever he goes. the instinct OF
the sightseer is 20 get at least a
glimpse OF everything beautiful or in.
teresting In the throng that visits
Washington the prevailing idea seems
to be: Let no government institution
escape The eager scrutiny begins
before the city is reached, and many
traveller who learns that the bury
ing ground passed by the trains just
before the entrance to the Washington
tunnel is called the congressional
cemetery" feels a thrill OF interest,
and adds one more item to the list
headed Don't miss this" For no
matter how strong-minded an individ-
ual may be cemetery appeals 10 the
soul bent on improving leisure hours,
and Congressional" cemetery seems
wellnigh irresistible
But che tourists meet with disap-
pointment. They look in vain through
the congressional directory for facts
concerning the great men buried
there; the place is not mentioned. 1t
Is not pictured in the guide books.
and the "Tubberneck wagons" do not
pass that way. The megaphone vocal
list who dispenses his ready made in.
formation has nothing to say about It,
and In the jolting, Earring round OF
seeing the capitol, the library. the de-
partment buildings, the homes OF IA
nous men, the residences OF diplo.
mats, and the other attractions OF our
beautiful city" the old burying ground
that was once deemed the only At
and proper resting place for the H.
lustrious dead OF the nation IL for.
gotten.
The oversight is unjust and unde-
served. for in the process OF its
growth, requirement OF quasi Official
prestige, the gradual loss OF distinc-
ton as national charge in everything
but name, the Congressional cemetery
has all the interest and dignity that
age and history give to an institution
Established in 1907, and becoming the
property OF its present owner, the
vestry OF Christ church. few years
later, 1t was by that body formally Of
fered as the burial ground for de-
ceased government officials In 1917
the vestry set aside 100 burial sites
for that purpose, and later, in 1929.
800 more sites were donated to the
United States for similar use. For
more than 90 years thereafter II was
the recognized burying ground for all
government officials who died while
holding once, as we'll as for other ia
nous men whose careers justified the
plaeins Of their bodies in the graves
set aside for public use
Until March Of the present year
the United States owned no less than
5000 burial sites in the Congressional
cemetery, and the officials who have
been buried there or who have mon
uments erected in their memory I'm.
clude two vice presidents of the Unit
ed States, one secretary of war, one
secretary OF state, one associate JUS
time OF the supreme court. one secre-
tary to the president (Tobias Lear,
secretary to Washington. one secre.
tary OF the senate, 142 representatives
one territorial delegate. 26 senator's.
ten army officers, three navy officers.
one foreign minister from Prussia. one
Choctaw Indian chief. called Push. Ma.
Ta-Ha, one wife of a member of the
French legation in 1924 Catherine
Bresson), and one unknown page in
the house Of representatives.
But this was years ago. The last
appropriation OF government funds for
the benefit OF the Congressional GENE.
terry was made in 1873. The custom
OF burying government officials there
was practically abandoned shortly
after the civil war and about the
only attention given to IT by congress
since that time has been to refuse to
relinquish to the cemetery authorities
the valuable government reservations.
Congress relented at it's last session.
however, and turned over to the Gene
terry most Of the public ground.