The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-06-03
SENATOR OF OLD TYPE
Qualities of the Late William
Pinkney Whyte.
MOST KIND AND COURTEOUS
Regarded In Maryland as Her "Grand
Old Man"-Had Held Nearly Every
Political Office In His State-Made
. Virtue Of Pu~nctuality.

were the striking qualities Of William
Pinkney Whyte, Junior senator from
Maryland, who died a few days ago.
A senate employee whose service in
the capitol ~ more than forty
years said that with the possible ex-
ception Of Senator Walthall Of Missis-
sippi he had never known a more cour.
teous man In public life than the late
senator from Maryland. This charac-
~terization Of Senator Whyte is accurate,
says a Washington correspondent Of
the New York Post, for both among his
colleagues and the senate employees he
was regarded a one Of the most kindly
and sweet tempered men.
Few men had a more varied expert
ence in the hurry burly Of American
politics than Mr.. Whyte. His father
was n Of the United 1rishmen who
carried pixies in the memorable ARRAYS
Of 17oS. His maternal grandfather was
William Pinkney Of Maryland, who
died while United States senator from
that state in 1922. It was under the
tutelage Of NJ. r. McNally. who had
been a secretary to the first Napoleon,
that Senator Whyte was educated. The
deceased senator at various times held
nearly every important political Office
under the government Of his state.
His colleague, Senator Rayner, was not
inaccurate when in announcing the
death Of Senator Whyte to the senate
he said: HE was the best known and
m0ct ho1nrn1 ~ oil thu SAWS 80 %fowr
land. In truth, he was the grand old
man Of Maryland"
When Senator Whyte was sworn in
as United States senator two years g
he did not find among his colleagues a
single senator who had been ~associat-
ed with him when he first entered the
senate in 1869. The Maryland senator
was Of the old school of statesmen, for
he was associated as senator with OIL
yer P. Morton, Benjamin Wade, John
Sherman, Roscoe Conkling, Carl
Schurz, Daniel W. voorhees, and other
men whose names We're familiar In the
years Immediately following the civil
war.
His return to the senate after an alb
SSANS VI S"SAtS-oSc years - uAp0AdA-
leled in the political history Of the
country. II was a Democratic SEN
ator," he told one Of his colleagues
recently. when all the Democrats Of
the senate could be gathered together
under a single umbrella"
Notwithstanding his advanced age
the Maryland senator was more atten-
tive to his senatorial duties than many
Of his younger colleagues. Frequently
he was the only member Of the senate
who was present when the gavel fell
and the senate vas called to order,
and this Notwithstanding that his home
was in Baltimore and he made the
journey to aud from Washington ev-
cry day. He made a virtue of pune
tuality and was rarely behind time
either at his office or elsewhere.
An interesting incident Of the swear
ing IN Of Senator Whyte two years
ago was the presentation to him Of a
note which he had scrubbed in 1869 to
W. ]. Mcdonald, chief clerk Of the
senate. Mr.. Mcdonald was succeeded
as chief clerk by his son, who was on
hand to welcome back the old senator
who was so we'll acquainted with his
father. The following excerpt from
the diary Of the elder Mcdonald ex-
plains the scrubbed note, which was re.
turned to its author after nearly forty
years:
Jan. ID. 1SG9. was handed to me
BY one of the senate pages m evidently
came from the facetious and most gen.
tlemanly Senator Whyte Of Maryland. I
Immediately laid it before the presiding
officer Judge Wade), who incontinently
looked in the right direction.
W. J. MD.
If Mr.. Sherman should get up the rail-
road bill. don't forget to tell the presid-
ing elder to look at the goats on this side
Of the synagogue.
Senator Whyte wanted the floor for a
bill. and that's the way he asked me to
get it for him. w. J.. MD.
In his younger days Senator Whyte
was an orator of great ability and
power. Charles N. Richards. who is
now the oldest senate employee, recall
ed Il speech that Mr.. Whyte made
some thirty-ive years ago. When the
Democrats gained control Of the senate
In the early seventies the distribution
"a pAtlAOAASC "Ao ulS(uSSCu III u DNllN
caucus. There We're several candi-
dates for Mr.. Richards place. Senator
Whyte protested against his removal.
In a dramatic speech he told how
Richards had gone to the front with a
Massachusetts, regiment and had been
shot to pieces in the battle at Antie-
tam. Senator Whyte's plea touched
his Democratic colleagues, and they
voted to retain Richards in the station
cry department.
Richards was badly wounded at An
tietam. but Senator Whyte's descrip-
ton Of his wounds was SO graphic that
several senators called at the station
cry room to see the prodigy who was
able to live and breathe notwithstand-
ing the fact he had been struck by a
dozen cannon balls. They found Rich
ards hale and hearty. Afterward Sen
ator Whyte admitted that he might
have exaggerated somewhat in telling