The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-22
A Special session of the
 House. EULOGES ON HIS LIFE
 AND PUBLIC SERVICE Five Alabama Congressman Pay Beautiful Tributes. Among Other Representatives Who Spoke Eloquently and Feelingly of Colonel Wiley Was Former Minority Leader John
 sharp Williams.
BY ALFRED J. .sToFER.

Washington, Feb. 21.-(Special )-A special session of the House of Rep resentatives was. held today for the purpose of hearing eulosies on the life. character and public service of Hon. Ariosto A. Wiley. late member of that body from the Second District of Ala bama.
 Later/in the day. tributes were also paid in the same body to the memories of the late Senators Allison of Iowa and Latimer of South Carolina. During several terms. Colonel Wiley was one of the most forceful and in- huential members of the House Com mittee on Military Affairs. of which Representative Hull of Iowa Is chair man, and has been for the past ten or more years. Although they differed in politics. they were warm friends. and there was the strongest sort of attachment for each other. It was. therefore, indeed fitting that MT. Hull should have been one of the Congress- men outside of the Alabama delgation to place on record his estimate of his colleague who served with such credit on one of the most important commit tees of the House.
 Among other Representatives who spoke eioquently and feelingly of Colo mel Wiley were John sharp Williams of Mississippi. General Gordon of the Memphis District of Tennessee. and who served with Colonel Wiley. Stew ems of Minnesota, Edwards of Georgia, Cooper of Texas and Ellerbe of South Carolina.
 Nearly all of the members of the Alabama delegation in the House de- hvered addresses.
 Next Saturday In the Senate, tributes will also be paid to the memory of Colonel Wiley Within few months all of the addresses will be printed in a handsomely bound edition for dis tribution.
 The following tributes were paid to Alabama's dead Congressman by Rep- resentatives Clayton. Hobson and Rich ardson, Taylor and Craig:
 MT. Richardson's Address.
 Mir. Richardson said:
 "Mr. Speaker: An intimate ac- quaintance for many years afforded me the opportunity of understanding and appreciating the marked traits of per. sonal character that made our deceased friend and colleague. Col. A. A. Wiley. distinguished among his fel- lowmen.
 "A man possessed of his tempera- ment, endowed with an energy that never tired, guided by a well-trained vigorous intellect, would necessarily and inevitably reach high rank with his countrymen. The entrance of Col onel Wiley to Congress was at the most opportune period of his life-ripe with a valuable experience and equip ped with useful knowledge. For years he had been a most successful lawyer at his home in Montgomery, Ala easily ranking with the foremost law yers of his State. As a legislator in both branches of the General Assem- bIy of Alabama, he acquired knowl- edge of legislation and parliamentary work that made the broader work and duties of a Congressman, of easy per formance to him. He was thus equip ped when he entered Congress.
 Many of the great national ques- tions that came up for discussion on the floor of the House, were familiar to him, and he was at ease and fluent in such debates. That 1t was but a short time after his entrance in Con- gressional life btfore he acquired in- fluence and strength among his col leagues, was a matter of no surprise to those of his friends who knew his true worth. Death came to nim at the most important period of his use- fulness to his district. his State and his country. His four terms in Con- gress brought him to the broad plane of useful American statesmanship No public man in Alabama had more promising future-with strong assur- ance of full realization of hopes of fu- ture political preferment-than Colonel Wiley. Energy, Industry and ability, supplemented with love of method and system in all he did. were the lead ing characteristics of Colonel Wiley His mind yearned for the true analysis and solution of difficult problems of political, legal or governmental science and policy, and 1t was a labor of love to him to work and toll.
 .Inl his convictions he was honest sincere and immovable. Being a gen erous man. by nature, affable and court ly in his manner and address, l have found but few among the public mer of our country more gentle and kindly tolerant of the views and feelings oi those who differed with him. than wal Colonel Wiley. It grieved and paineC him to wound any one. and when con scious that he had done so, full ant unstinted apology gave his heart pleas ure. Colonel Wiley. I found him to be pre- eminently a broad minded man-patri otic in all of his noble impulses ant absolutely free from the touch of s sectional feeling. He was in the trues sense. a frst-cIass Southern man--no narrow or governed by impractlcabi, or unwise policies. but faithful In ht love to the great events and wonderful history of the South, in war and peace
 T was with him, Mir. Speaker. ofteI