Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-02-22
TO EX-GOV. HOLBROOK
Messages from Chief Executives
of Over 20 States
etters and kilograms Also Came from
All over the Country on His gath
Birthday Anniversary


day in his home on Walnut street, receiv-
ing the personal message.of good, will and
remembrance and reading the kindly mes
sages which mail and telegraph kept
bringing from all over the nation. The day
had hardly opened before the first OF the
many floral tributes arrived and by noon
his rooms were heavy with the scent OF
the great clusters of roses and lilies lie
took a keen pleasure In all that the day
brought him and rejoiced greatly in the
feeling shown him by people whom he
had never seen.
The many reminders that he was the
oldest living ex-governor in the United
States and the only survivor but one OF
the war governors made him look back
in retrospect to the stirring days OF the
civil war when he took such an active
part in shaping the policy of the nation.
81 feel like the poet" said he, when he
wrote
4 seem like one who treads alone some
banquet hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled, whose garlands
dead and all but me departed.
The kilograms of congratulation began
to arrive before the man whom they nom
ored was up and kept coming at inter-
walls all day from governors of other
states, personal friends and from asso-
Citations of Vermonters who take pleasure
i'm honoring the old governor The tele-
grams were from Cows. Blanchard of
Louisiana, Chamberlain of oregon, john
son of Minnesota, Mead of Washington,
Crawford of South Dakota, Hanly of
Indiana, Harriet S. Wheeler, secretary of
the Boston Daughters Of Vermont which
celebrated his birthday with their annual
guest night; A. l.. Robinson, president of
the Vermont association of Boston, d.
w Taft. secretary of the Vermont Vet
Grams association of Boston and vicinity,
sent from their annual reunion and ban
quet; James S. Morrill, of Washington,
u c. and B. B. Smaley of Burlington.
The letters had been coming in for
several days and on the birthday Governor
Holbrooli reaped a rich harvest Of kindly
messages from near and far. Among them
were letters from the governors of 81
states besides several eX-governors and
men i'm high state positions. The letters
were from Gov Sheldon of Nebraska. Act
ing Governor John I. Moore of Arkansas,
Cows Patterson of Tennessee, Gillett Of
California Glenn of North Carolina, Gov.
elect Hoke Smith of Georgia, Cows. Curtis
Guild of Massa chusetts, Brooks of Wy
oming. Davidson of Wisconsin, Woodruff
of Connecticut, Brainard of Florida Cobb
of Maine, Frantz of Oklahoma. Stuart of
Pennsylvania, Warner of Michigan. War
field of Maryland, Hoch of Kansas, Lea
of Delaware, Tooe of Montana, eX-Gov-
errors Bell, Mccullough. Stickney. Page.
woodbury., Barstow, Pingree Ormsbee. of
Vermont. Senator Redield Proctor. Gen.
#. s. Peck of Burlington. and from rela-
tives and personal friends all over the
country.
Besides the many letters and kilograms
Gov. Holbrook received a small armful
of state papers which had commented at
length on the birthday anniversary and
the long and useful life behind it. He was
too busy receiving callers that day to read
them all through but the letters, tele-
grams and papers furnished him with
much to be glad and grateful for in the
following days.
Letters to Gov. Holbrook from Cows.
Swanson of Virginia. Stokes of New
Jersey and Buchtel of Colorado were
published last week
A few of the letters expressive of the
feeling in which Gov. Holbrook is held,
were as follows:
Executive Office Des Moines
Feb. Is, 1907.
My Dear SIR
1t has come to me that this is the
ninety fourth anniversary of your birth,
and although have never had the pleas
ure of your personal acquaintance, and
am separated from you by the long
stretch that intervenes between Vermont
and Iowa, must yet be permitted to con-
graduate you upon a distinction at once
happy, fortunate, and unusual. 1t is not
given to many of the sons of men to
attain to the years which you enjoy and
1t is given to fewer still to reap the har-
vest of confidence and esteem which you
so securely hold To have lived through
the wonderful experiences of the past
century, to have known the United States
in it's weakness and obScurity, and yet to
be able to look upon 1t in its marvellous
strength and unequaled fame. seems to
me to lift any man above the common
level of the race
I sincerely hope that there are yet
many years of health. usefulness and
happiness before you. With high regard
am,
Yours very truly,
Albert R. Cummins.
Commonwealth of Utah. Executive Cham
Der, Salt Lake City. Feb. 2, 1907.
Ex-Governor Frederick Holbrook,
Brattleboro, VT.
Dear Mr. Hoibrook:-
Sincere CONGRATULATIONS on the celebra-
tion of your cath anniversary. May you
live to see the century mark. and as
much longer as life will be pleasant to
you. All the nation honors you for what
you have accomplished during your long
life; for the help you gave the Union dur
friendship which existed between you and
the great Lincoln, whose birth we cele-
brate today. Ii seems peculiarly fitting that
two men whose friendship was so close
should have their natal days so near. A
life like yours is an Impressive lesson to
the citizenship. past and present and flu
ture, of the Nation. Honor integrity and
loyalty to right have been its motives;
and in the darkness and the light, in
prosperity and adversely alike your life
has been a bright and shining example.
/ trust that its evening may be happy, be-
fitting one who has so well borne the
heat and burden of the day"
With highest personal regards,
Yours most sincerely,
John c. Cutler,
Governor of Utah.
State of Ohio, Executive Department.
Office of the Governor
Columbus, Feb. II, 1907.
Hon, Frederick Holbrook,
Brattleboro, VT.
My Dear Sir
l beg to offer my congratulations to you
on your ninety-fourth birthday which, /
you will celebrate on the 18th
inst. 1 think l am qualified to felicitate
with you on the fact that we are living in
an age in which a man is no older than
his arteries. | have passed three score
and ten myself and it is a great satisfac-
ton to me to see many men of equal and
greater age actively engaged in the af-
fairs OF life with vigor unimpaired I
hope you may be sufficiently interested
In the present day affairs to round out the
century and be able to join with the re-
nowned Grandfather Squeers, i'm saying:
I've the hang of 1t now and can do 1t
again"
With best wishes 7 am