The Republican journal., 1911-03-23
Mr.. FRYE's 40 YEARS IN CONGRESS-
[Boston Transcript. March 18th. ]

Today is the thirtieth anniversary of
the election OF Senator Frye to the Sem
ate. He Was chosen March Is, 1881, to
fill cut the uneXpired term of James G.
Blaine, who had been appointed Secre
tary of State in Garfeld's Cabinet. Mr..
Frye took his seat in the Senate three
days later, on March Is, 1881, and his
service has since been continuous. Prev
ious to his promotion to the Senate he
passed ten years in the House. Should
he live to serve out his present term,
which expires March 4, 1918, he will
have had forty-three years service in
both branches of Congress to his credit,
a record equalling the late Senator Ali
sons and surpassed only by that of
Justin S. Morrill,
Senator Frye is usually associated in
the public mind with him who is now ex-
Senator Hale. Hale and Frye sounded
almost like the name of business part
nership, so frequently was the combina-
ton mentioned whenever Maine interests
attracted attention. Men had become
accustomed to think of this association
as; if not an institution, one of the fix
lures of Congress. Nor was it simply as
senators from Maine that they attained
the celebrity, but as senators of the
United States. Temperamentally diff
ferent, each has been in the first rank of
senators, and each has exerted great in
fuence on legislation. Mr.. Frye is the
more amiable, the more deliberate, and
is probably entitled to longer list of
achievements than his colleague, whose
disposition to oppose his party at times,
and his party's administration at most
times, though conspicuous, never went
SO far beyond the critical stage as to
turn the course Of events. The two had
their differences on great questions of
policy, notably during the course of the
Spanish War and the negotiations that
followed it. Mr.. Hale fought expansion;
Mr.. Frye was one Of the negotiators at
Paris who brought US and bought US the
Philippines. Despite these differences
on one great question, the two worked
together whenever possible, and the SEN
atorial survivor who today observes the
anniversary of his election may we'll be
touched by the political fate of his long
time colleague, who is now ex-senator
Hale and whose retirement was forced
by his realization of the impending over
turn in Maine.
Mr.. Frye is living link with the po-
litical past. He formed his style" in
the days when our politics were still
deeply influenced by the Civil War. He
was in Congress when the war was but a
few years over. The convictions he then
imbibed he has retained. Yet he has
never been an intoerant partisan, for all
his regularity, but senator of broad
national ideas. He came very near hav-
ing presidential greatness thrust upon
him. Had he yielded to the pressure put
upon him in the national convention of
1880 to accept the vice presidential nomi-
nation. proposal MADE to him before il
was made to Arthur, he might have in.
herited all the trying consequences of the
Garfield tragedy. Mr.. Frye, as Blaine's
great friend and advocate, would, as the
running mate of Garfield, have been of
great assistance to the Republicans, but,
loyal to his party as he was, he refused
the honor. He has been heard to rejoice
that he declined the proposal, and to
speak of poor Arthur" in tones suf-
ficiently indicative of his. sympathy with
that unappreciated President. If Mr..
Frye were to write his recollections he
would give to the world work both
authoritative and interesting.