The Washington times., 1911-01-05
SORROW OVER ELKINS' DEATH
VOICED BY SENATOR'S TRIBUTES

I tariff. Owing to his independence, he
did not get on very well with Senator
Aldrich and some Of the more conserya-
| tive of the Old Guard leaders.
| While about the Senate Senator Elkins
| was commonly spoken of as perhaps
| the wealthiest man OF that body, mill
1 lionaire many. times over, II was not
| always appreciated that he had risen to
his position under remarkable circun-'
! stances. He traversed the whole ladder
! from poverty to riches and influence.
| and he rose strictly as the result of his
own efforts. His father. farmer and
native of Ohio, took him to Missouri
when he was a small boy. He was
educated in the public schools and IN
the Missouri State University.
His father was not Door. but in only
moderate circumstances. He lived at
Westport, along the Missouri, near the
line between Kansas and Missouri. He
! was familiar with the troubles on the
border In the years just before the civil
war.
In Union Army.
1t Is tribute to the loyalty of Sena-
tor Eltins to the Union that he went
into the army as a boy on the Northern
side. In spite Of the fact his father and
brother Joined the Confederate forces.
He was moved to enlist on the Union
side, not by anything he heard from his
faulty, but because he had read the
Lincoln and Douglas debates Con-
sidering he was then only twenty years
of age, this fact Is striking. He rose to
be a. captain in a Missouri volunteer
regiment. II is singular that In his biog-
raphy. in the Congressional Directory.
he does not mention his civil war ex-
perience
The experience Senator Elkins had
in early war times of being captured
by the guerrilla Quantrell was one
which he often related. He was walt
into the Federal service when he was
captured outside the lines. He was
taken before Quantrell and was or
dered executed. Just at this tuncture,
band. interceded. Younger had known
Steve" as a farm boy. The Younger
family had a big farm in the same
region In which the Elkins family
lived Cole pleaded with Quantrell to
spare Elkins and the young man was
Senator Elkins never forgot that
deed of kindness. The years passed
and the notorious Younger brothers
became as we'll known as the James
brothers for their bank robberies and
other crimes. Cole was imprisoned
and after years of good conduct lthe |
question of his pardon was raised.l He |
was given a full pardon and released |
from life term in the Minnesota penS
itentiary largely as result of Sem
ator Elkins' efforts. Senator Warner |
Of Missouri, not then in the Senate, |
was also instrumental in getting Cole |
Younger pardoned. |
His Abilities.
AS Cabinet member, the head of the |
War Department, back in the Harrison |
administration, Senator Elkins had the |
reputation of being extremely efficient. |
He had great capacity for large busi- |
Less affairs and this made him a useful |
man as Secretary OF War. He had |
helped bring about the nomination OF |
Blaine in 1884 and of Harrison in 1883. |
He was one OF the managers of the |
Harrison campaign. He became Secre- /
tary of War December I, 1891. President |
Harrison was willing to recognize his !
great services in the campaign of 1855 |
before that time. but the reason 1t was |
not done was that he had not been in |
" est Virginia at the outset of the Har- |
rison administration, having spent much |
time in the Southwest, especially in 4
New Mexico.
One OF the stories told of Senator
Elkins, illustrating his kindly dsposi-
tion, relates to a speech made in the
House by member OF that body while
Elkins was delegate from. New Mexico.
As delegate, Mr.. Elkins was pressing
for the admission OF the Territory. He
walked into the House one day and a |
member was just being applauded for
a speech he had made on New Mexico |
Without stopping to inquire what 1t was |
about. Mr.. Elkins walked up and con-
graduated him in cordial fashion and
shook his hand. 1t was just about the
time for a vote and various members
who saw what happened got the idea
that perhaps Delegate Elkins did not
really want admission. The vote that
excluded the Territory by a
narrow vote. 1t was sometimes said in