New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-24

POEM OF PEN4NCE.
Venerable Senator Presides
Deer Upper House.
rrron The Tribune Bureau


washington Feb Ex-senator Jane!
Gordon. of Mississippi the poet laureate o.
,se Senate. took his pen in hand fo-da!
s,a after an heroic effort wrote a raieoic'
.o,- poem on his brief career as a Senator
az the United States. Early next week he
VIII so hack 10 his farm at okolona-
There the birds are singing in the cotton
fields. the brooks are babbling and ali nat
ure is in tune.
His valeciictoTy poem. which first saw the
iigh. to-day. was composed under eircum-
stances which would have deferred less
.nyetersse poet. Senator Gordon was pre-
siding over The Senate when the ilspfra-
sion came TO him. On the floor FACING nm
was Senator Brown. OF Nebraska trying 10
p,,reh holes Ia the Constitution of the
United States. The galleries were wen
filed. bat few Senators were On the floor
when the immortal lines which follow were
penned:
s.. in the Presidents chair 20 day.
wheT the senate was drowsy and thin
ARD nice Young chap was E'ia,ns away
a b-igh; little fellow bv the name OF Brown,
who should he At home in his own little to"h'
Studying in some primitive institution,
The A 4 S"s OF the great Constitution
I've bean sas.ed by the .'Tanks' and hsr. suf-
But II Coo forgfv.s fer where have been
IL promise never 10 sit up here again
Senator Gordon came 10 Washington early
In January with q commission from Gov
~rnor Noel appointing him a Senator, TO
succeed the late Senator Mc1-aurin. He
st6 not EXPECT 20 hold the position more
than few days, but deadlock in the
Mississippi Legislature, which was not
broken u1til yesterday, prolonged his term
nearly two months.
At first Mr. Gordon did not like his new
duties He lost his way three or four
times in the Capitol building. got shaved
in the barber shop used by Senate en-
Moves and was nearly run down by q
Washington streetcar-
When Senator Hepburn made his speech
Il. criticism OF Robert E. Lee the aged
Mississippian who is III his seventy-sev-
enth year wanted TO reply He was re-
strained by Senator Money. tie minority
leader who Gained the ruff1ed feelings Of
all the Senators on the Democratic side
Mr.. Gordon still thinks that If he had re-
piled to the Hepburn attack he might have
been elected Senator by the Mississippi
Legislature.
When Senator Brown began his income
tax speech to-day there was an exodus os
SSi4dloIS. senator tJoTODD DelIlg one the
few 10 remain or the floor. Nice-PTesident
sherman sent a page to his desk and re
quested him 10 take the gavel for half an
hour or so. Mr.. Gordon shook his head,
nut Senator Oliver persuaded him TO &C
cept Mr.. Sherman's invitation.
1T viii he nice for you TO be able 10 tell
Nour children that on one occasion you
presided over the Senate" said MI. Oliver.
This suggestion touched the poetic side
g. the Mississippi Senator, and he took the
seat vacated by the Nice-President. Mr.
Browns speech dragged slowly on, and
Senator Gordon began his poem. When the
Nice President returned TO TIE Senate half
an hour later he found the verse quoted on
his better.
Senator Gordon says he viii he glad 10
get back 20 Mississippi He would like TO
take the entire Senate TO Okolcna- As this
* OBVIOUSLY impossible, he has invited all
Senators and their wives to be his guests
At local theatre on Monday night,