Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-05-01
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
a Virtue Of Punetuslity.

anu the nlSu uel'ti Ahl'hN VI "H"' w
are pleased to call the old school
were the striking qualities OF William
Pnkney Whyte. junior senator from
Maryland who died few days ago
A senate employee whose service IN
the capitol covers more than forty
years said that with the possible eX-
ception Of Senator Walthall of Mssis-
sippi he had never known more cour-
teous man in public life than the late
senator from Maryland. This charac-
terlzatiou of Senator Whyte is accurate,
saws Washington correspondent OF
the New York Post. for both among his
colleagues and the senate employees he
was regarded as 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.. Whytc. His father
! was one Of the United lrshmen who
carried pixies in the memorable affrayS
| of l7gS His maternal grandfather was
! William rinkney of Maryland. who
/ died while United States senator from
that state IN 1890. 1t was under the
! tutelage Of VI. X. McNally, who hal
| 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 Whytc to the senate
he said: lie was the best known ana
most beloved OF all the sons of Mary
land. In truth, he was the grand old
man of Maryland"
When Senator Whyte was sworn In
as United States senator two years ago
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. fer
he was associated as senator with OH
yer Z. Morton. Benjamin Wade. John
Sherman, Roscoe Conkling, Car.
SchurZ, Daniel w, Voorhees, and other
men whose names were familiar in the
years iulliehldttiS ipli'Ni hs tht CIV
war.
His return to the senate after an alb
sence of twenty-five years is unparal-
leled in the political history of the
country. Il was Democratic sen
ator." lie told one of his colleague
the senate could he gathered together
under single umbrella"
| Notwithstanding his advanced age
the Maryland senator wds more attcn.
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 gavtl fell
= and the senate was called to order
and this notwithstanding that his home
was in Baltimore and he made the
: journey to and from Washington ev
$ cry day He made a virtue of pune.
tuaity and was rarely behind time
either at his office or elsewhere.
An interesting incident of the swear
D ing in of Senator Whyte two years
ago was the presentation to him of q
note which he had scrubbed in 1869 T.
II w. j. Mcdonald. chief clerk of the
$ senate Mr.. Mcdonald was succeeded
a as chief clerk by his son. who was or
hand to welcome back the old senator
who was so well acquainted with hi.
II father The following excerpt from
l. the diary of the elder Mcdonald ex
o plains the scrubbed note, which was re
y turned to its author after nearly forty
years:
Jan. 10, 1S6s.-This was handed to M
by one of the senate pages and evidenu.
came from the facetious and most gen
tlemanly Senator Whyte of Maryland.
Immediately laid it before the presiding
a officer Judge Wade}. who incontinentl
looked in the right direction.
) WIND.
j., If Mr.. Sherman should get up the rail
= road BILL don't forget to tell the presid
e ing elder to look at the goats on this sid
of the synagogue.
T. Senator Whyte wanted the floor for
V bill, and that's the way he asked me t
: get it for him. w. j. MD.
~ In his younger days Senator Whyt
y was an orator Of great ability an,
G power. Charles n Richards, who |
v now the oldest senate employee, recall
:, ed speech that Mr. Whyte mad
some thirty-tive years ago. When tn
=" Democrats gained control Of the senat
,r in the early seventies the distributio
lg of patronage was discussed in part
l.. caucus. There were several cand
dates for Mr.. Richards place Senate
Whyte protested against his remova
In dramatic speech he told hoy
Richards had gone to the front with
o Massachusetts regiment and had bee
al shot to pieces in the battle at Antit
r. tam. Senator Whyte's plea touche
his Democratic colleagues, and the
W voted to retain Richards in the station
he cry department
a Richards was badly wounded at Al
re- tietam, but Senator Whyte's descril
a ton of his wounds was so graphic thu
several senators called at the station
- cry room to see the prodigy who wa
n able to live and breathe notwithstan,
VS. ing the fact he had been struck by
70 dozen cannon balls. They found Ricl
ards hale and hearty. Afterward Sci
" ator Whyte, admitted that he migl
us have exaggerated somewhat in tellin
no of Richards condition, but said
nd could be pardoned, as he had succeede
:, in retaining the services of ma
whose only offense was that he liza
re been appointed ON the recommendatiC
80 o,los Ga