The Washington herald., 1914-05-09
HISTORY BUILDERS.
The Secret Of Strange Senatorial
Championship.

I SAA1PsCssssiARs
written expressly for The Herald.)
by DIR. z. J. EDwARDs.
Not at the present time ID there any
member OF the United States Senate who
vas colleague Of the late william w.
Eaton, OF Connecticut. In that body.
Former Senator Eugene Hale. Of Maine.
entered the Senate about the time of
senator Eaton's retirement. Ex-senator
Henry Gassaway Davis. who represented
West Virginia In the Senate when Sena-
tor Eaton was a member Of that body
and who afterward was the Democratic
candidate for Vice President. Is prob
ably the only living ex-senator who was
associated with Mr.. Eaton a. q colleague
In the Federal Senate.
senator Eaton was for many years the
IDOL OF the Democratic party In Con-
necticut Aside from his service in the
Connecticut legislature. he held no public
onice until 1875. when, with the Demo-
cratic party in control Of the Connecticut
legislature. he was supported with sub
stantial unanimity by the Democratic
members Of that body and thus elected
United States Senator.
In the Senate chamber. Senator Eaton
made little or no public impression. But
he gained many warm friendships which
were not confined to his own side of the
chamber. He was for several years the
most intimate personal and Senatorial
friend that Senator Conkling had. The
two men were utterly unlike, both ply
sically and from the point Of view OF in
tellect and temperament and that may
have been one Of the reasons why they
found congenial companionship one with
the other.
l asked Senator Eaton. whom I had
kFNrN
me his estimate Of Roscoe Conkling. I
put that question to Senator Eaton
few days before his Senatorial term end
ed. He was to be succeeded In the
Senate by Gen. Joseph r. Hawley
i suppose there were no members of
the Senate said the Senator In reply,
who differed SO greatly upon political
questions as did Senator Conkling and
myself. He was a Republican of Re-
publicans. I was an old-fashioned States
rights. Jeffersonian Democrat Both of
us had been stanch in our loyalty to
our political principles But in all my
warm intercourse with Senator Conkling
heard no word from him in antagonism
TO my political views and Of course
refrained from attacking his.
Il think ! understood Senator Conk-
ling better than some of his Senatorial
associates have done. and know that !
was Utterly free from the faint Of jeal-
ousy-which explains to some extent, the
strained relations that were maintained
between Ccnkling and some Of the other
Senator's.
We often talked about men in public
life. but never from the point OF view Of
politics. Senator Conkling had singu-
lsrly accurate judgment Of the intellec-
tual qualifications of some Of the Senators
who had gained distinction I think he
was disposed to regard Senator Thurman,
Of Ohio. on the whole, as the ablest in
tellect in the Senate. He had a very
high opinion Of Senator Thurman as a
man of integrity and of honor. ] know
he once spoke of Thurman as a fine IL
ustration of the complete mastery Of the
great body of the English common law,
The worlds most copious font of jurispru-
dence. There were one or two Senators
on the Democratic side for whom he did
not rare. Senator Bayard. of Delaware,
was one Of these, although he had the
highest respect for the latter's personal
character. From something he once said
suspected that he looked upon Senator
David Davis as out of place in the Sem
ate chamber. although he admitted Judge |
Da"is' qualifications for the seat he long
occupied as justice of the Supreme Court. |
We agreed so thoroughly in our esti-
mate OF the intellectual and personal
character of our colleagues in the Sem
ate that l presume in that common opin- |
on Is to be discovered the secret, IL |
here be any. of what have heard many |
persons regard as a queer companion |
ship established between Senator Conk- |
ing and myself"
Copyright 1914. by DR.. Z. J. Edwards All rights |
reseryed-l