Evening journal., 1911-07-25
N Z wv NE wv S
OF YES RDAY
FINALE on THE GREAr CONKLING DRAMA AM MAsHNGrnN

Il was the last man whom Roscoe
Conkling saw and to whom he said
goodbye on the night Of his final de-
parture from Washington following
his resignation from the United States
Senate as a result of his quarrel with
President Garfield" said the late John
Chamberlin, who for almost thirty
years, beginning in the late seventies,
was the Delmonico of the national
capital and as such was on intimate
personal terms with all the famous
public men Of his time. President
Grant was very fond of John Cham
berlin; General Arthur took his meals
at Chamberlin's Hotel from the time
he became vice-president until the
death Of Garfield made him president;
and Senator Conkling, who permitted
very few men to maintain intima e
friendly relations with him, looked
upon Chamberlin as an intimate FRIEND
and often he and General Arthur AM
the proprietor of the famous restau
rant would dine together, Chamberli
entertaining his companions wit
anecdotes of famous men with whom
he was on terms of friendship.
1T was about IL o'clock, that nigh
when Conkling called at my hotel,
continued Mr. Chamberlin. "He was
going to leave Washington by the mid
night train, after having superintendec
the packing OF his papers and books.
Senator l said, / suppose you
have been around to pay parting calls
on your friends?
John he said, I have been now a
Senator in Congress nearly fifteen
years. l have known the so-called
| great and many of the little. But
have no friend, now that l am a dis
carded public servant, who would care
to receive me, even to say goodbye
You, and you alone, have come to say
goodbye to. But, John, have come
for another purpose also
"He took out his pocketbook, and
from it several bills. He counted them
in my presence. My recollection is thai
the whole amount was about twenty
dollars.
john he said, I am going away
forever from Washington; I am going
to begin life over again as a lawyer
My friend, Calvin Stewart, has offered
me the use of his law library in New
| York; and that is so much gained Bu
I am, by necessity, obliged to ask you
if you can make me a loan of S100, FOL
think that, If l have 500 in m!
pocket when / open my law office in
New York, l can pay my bills until
can secure my first client
"Of course, I felt honored by this re
quest, and l told Conkling so; and
also said to him that / thought $10I
was too small an amount for him t
start his law practice with and that
would rather lend him $1,000.
Enough is as good as a feast
John he said, and 500 is enough.
$50 / gave him the money; and h
took me by the hand, saying, Among
the few pleasant recollections l takI
away from Washington is one will
which you are associated. Goodbye
And he went out into the darkness o
the night, his public career ended.
"Conkling was compelled to borroy
money from me" continued Mr. Cham
berlin, because, while he was in tn
Senate, he was practically entirely de
pendent upon his salary as Senator 70
his support. His rooms in Washington
we're almost those of hermit or al
chorite. They we're two in number, AM
very plain, one serving as a bedroom
the other as a study. The rental 20
them must have been small; and
know that his table expenses wer
small, he was almost frugal there H
had to make his salary go around, ant
he had hard work doing it. Yet h.