The National tribune., 1907-02-28
BURYING THE DEAD.
CONTINUED from page one. }

He had been dead so long that he had
| passed out of mind. As a matter of
fact he died soon after the adjournment
of the 5Sth Congress, and James Nc
Kinney. his successor. chosen at spe-
cial election, in November, 1905, has
been sitting during all the legislative
life of the 59th Congress But Col.
Marsh had to be properly buried by
the pronouncing of eulogies and the
printing of the same verbatim in a
| nicely-bound volume, of which every
Senator and member will have a quota
in the document room.
The House has been working much
Sundays of late to clear its docket of
| deceased members. 1t inaugurated a
| practise some two or three years ago
of holding Sunday sessions for this pur-
pose. Thus the regular business of Con-
gress is not interfered with. A hand
full Of members go to the Capitol for
these memorial meetings. half dozen
| or more do the speaking and the ser
vice has a more genuine aspect than
| was often the case when eulogies were
| delivered week days
Not long ago a Sunday service was
held for the late Representative Rock
wood Hoar. of Worcester, Mass, and
the eulogies were devoted almost as
much to his distinguished father, the
late Senator George Frisbie Hoar, OF
Massachusetts,, as to him. The latest
| memorial session was to Representative
r. r. Hit, a veteran member, who was
| a pioneer stenographic reporter, who
knew and associated with Lincoln and
| withal was one of the most interesting
men in Congress for many years The
eulogies on Mr.. Hit brought out many
good "reminiscences both at the Sunday
session and in subsequent conversation
! Hit and the late Speaker Reed were
intimate friends. They We're colleagues
In the House for probably 90 years. Ar
| interesting story of their first meeting
was recalled soon after the Sunday eulo.
| gies. In those days Mr.. Reed was liv.
i ing at the Hamilton Hotel. HIe knew
there was a member of the House from
Illinois named Hit, and Mr.. Hit knew
there was a member of the House from
Maine named Reed. One morning Mr.
Reed boarded a street car in front o
his hotel. Horses were the motiv,
power in those days, long before elec
trio cars had been invented. He paiC
his fare and rode on down 14th stree
to Pennsylvania avenue. As the ca
stopt in front of the old Willard Hotel
now replaced by a modern structure
Mr. Hit got aboard and took a sea
next to Mr.. Reed. The conductor came
along for Mr.. Hits fare. The latte
found himself without change and prof
fered IS bill, which always makes
agreeble. There is rule of the stree
roads here that passengers must offeI
money in denominations no larger thar
81 or get off. No one has ever beer
put off a car for that offense as far a.
known, but the rule is frequently men
i toned to passengers. The outcome
usually is that the passenger rides fol
nothing.
Mr.. Hit and the conductor had 6
wordy exchange, which ended by Mr.
| Reed pulling street car ticket from
his pocket and silently proffering it t.
| the conductor, who seemed to have
nothing to do but allow Mr.. Hit to ride
without paying his fare. The horse
car logged on down the long avenue
and up the high hill on which the Capt.
tol sits. The two men alighted and
started up the broad plaza to the Capt.
tol. They had spoken but few words
till Mr.. Reed blurted out:
How often do you try to beat the
conductor that way?" The humor OF
the remark appealed to, Mr.. Hit, and
1t was the beginning Of friendship
that lasted during the remainder OF
| their lives.
The House first eulogiZes its deceased
members and then the Senate pro-
| nounces eulogies on those members
| The Senate first eulogizes it's dead Sen
ators and then the House takes hand
Inc deaths nave DeeH SD numerous uuT-
| ing the present Congress that there has
| been something of a rush to secure
dates for eulogies, because eulogies are
never pronounced in a succeeding Con-
gress. Neither are eulogies pronounced
for a member or a Senator who has
ceased to be member or a Senator al
the time of his death. notable in
| stance in recent times was the death OF
| the late Senator Joseph r. Hawley, oi
Connecticut. He had been very prom
inent figure in the Senate for 25 or 80
years March 4, 1905, came, and his
public service terminated. Some three
| or four days afterward he died. Nc
official notice of it was ever taken By
| the Senate.
Eulogies of the late Senator German
| of Maryland, who died last Winter
| We're pronounced in the Senate about
| two weeks ago, and day or two after
ward there was a service for him in
| the House. Nearly a dozen memorial
services have been held at the Capitol
this Winter, but little about them ever
gets into the newspapers, because most
eulogies have no news value" and arc
simply noted in a paragraph. The rule
| is to say nothing but what is praise
and a lot of Congressman are more
| highly praised when dead than ever
| in life Sometimes an interesting item
develops, as when Senator Foraker