Evening star., 1911-08-09

lacking only four of controlling number.
| 1t is expected here that the democratic
governor of Maine will appoint a success
sor to Senator Frye in the near future.
The Maine legislature. which is also dem
| ocratic. does not meet until year from
| next January. and 1t will probably elect
| democrat from the Pine Tree state for
| the term Of six years, beginning March
4, 1913. Among those mentioned for the
| honor are James c. Hamlin of Portland;
| e. B. Winslow. also of Portland; Repre-
sentative McGthcuddy of the second
Maine district: Justice George n, uasa,. han
| Of Saco Obediah Gardner OF Rockland
and w. H Pennell.
Senator Fryes record Of continuous
| service In Congress more than forty
years-was beaten by only two other men,
| Justin s. Morrill, of Vermont and William
B. Allison OF Iowa. and during that
| two score of years many were the honors
| that were thrust upon him.
Long the Head of Senate.
| For fifteen years and more he was
president pro tempore of the Senate,
and for about half of that time he was
its acting presiding officer. by reason
of the death of Vice President Hobart
! and the elevation Of Vice President
Roosevelt to succeed the martyred Nc
| kinney. III nedlCn 1OICcu " AC-
sign the office a few months ago. and
since the Senate has been deadlocked
over the election Of his successor.
| Mr.. Frye's profound knowledge OF In
ternational affairs made him one or the
most influential members of the Senate
committee on foreign relations When
| the Spanish war closed President NC
Kinley picked him for membership on
the commission which met in Paris to
adjust the terms Of peace between the
United States and Spain. His interest
in foreign affairs was also shown by
! his fight for the abrogation OF the fish
cry articles of the treaty with Great
Britain. by his successful work in re-
spect to Samoan affairs. by his bill pro-
viding for a congress Of American
| nations, and by his able advocacy Of
| the annexation Of the Hawaiian. Is
lands.
Senator Frye barely escaped being Pres
| ident of the United States In 1880. when
Garfield was nominated Tor the presi-
dency, Mr.. Frye was picked for the vice
| presidency, and a message was sent TO
| him asking him, to accept. Mr.. Frye was
| away fishing. and Mrs. Frye sent teie-
gram for him declining the honor. became
| A. Arthur, who was nominated, became
President on the assassination noa., Of Car, ,na,
| field. MIR. Frye was ever inslstent thal
his wife did the right thing.
Had Senator Frye lived until Septem-
| ber he would have been eighty one
years of age He was born at Lewiston.
higher studies at Bowdoin College. gradu-
ating In 1850. He studied law immediate
ly thereafter and soon developed an ex-
cellent practice When the prospects
lie service, from which only death sep
arated him.
Sent to Legislature.
When he was thirty his neighbors sent
him up to the legislature. That was an
| even half century ago. the year when
the civil wars first gun sounded in
Charleston harbor. And after giving him
a second term ih the legislature his
| townsfolk made him mayor, then sent
him back again to the statehouse, where
Eugene Hale now sat with him-as later
he was to be his colleague in the fed
eral Senate for thirty years. But they
f1vere not to be long together In the state
legislature. for this same year Frye.
when only thirty six. became the attor-
ney general Of Maine. Three years after
| this he was elected to Congress.
l. When Frye first took his seat within the
House wing of the national Capitol his
friend Hale was just commencing a Sec
ond term upon that side Of the big dome.
!, just retired after ending three. terms
there. No member OF our present Con-
| gress had seat in either house when
Frye thus began his career as federal
Il
i two years yet
Nor did he fall heir to these greater
laurels only the other day. when he be-
came the Nestor of the upper body AL
| though Hale for several congresses past
/ had been able to brag Of the longest
continuous service in the Senate. he had
had to yield to his brother solon from
/ Maine the honor Of having the longest
upbroken service in Congress as whole.
for there was break Of two years in
| Hale's congressional career, and q gap
| Of six in Cullom's.
| Even before taking his seat in the
| House Frye got busy at the work Of
helping hts friend and neighbor. James
G. Blaine. to reelection as Speaker, and
| after the plumed knight had rewon the
gavel Frye became his chief lieutenant
| on the floor.
| Promotion was now rapid. He soon
got on the ways and means and judiciary
| committees, and early in his career be-
| came chairman of the executive com.
mittee. And 50 he went on making his
| mark. until at the end of a decade his
Of the next Congressional to convene in
1881.
How He Lost speakership.
But fate now served him the same
| trick that she has only lately served
John Sharp Williams of Mississippi
This Congress OF which Frye hoped
| to be Speaker came into being on
Garfield's Inauguration day, March 4.
| 1881 On the same date Frye's old friend
| from Maine. Hale. began his first term
| in the Senate. where Blaine was wearing
| the other Maine toga. But on that in
| augural date Garfield chose Blaine to
head his cabinet.
The Maine legislature was convened at
once. and March Is Frye was Blaine's
successor. Thus did he lose the speaker
ship and thus did he become Hale's jun
Tor in the Senate by eleven days.
| Two years after entering the House Of
Representatives Frye becan9e chairman
| OF the committee on rules. The code
which now governs the debates OF that
body Is largely the work OF his hands.
When the republicans regained control
| of the upper house, in the middle of the
/ last Cleveland administration. the little