Evening journal., 1914-05-09
New News Of Yesterday
The Secret OF a Strange
Senatorial Champion
ship
By Holland.

Not at the present time is there
any member of the United States
Senate who was a colleague Of the
late William w. Eaton, of Connec-
ticut I'm that body. Former Senator
Eugene Hale, Of Maine, entered the
Senate about the time Of Senator
Eatons retirement Elk Senator
Henry Gassaway Davis. who repre-
sented West Virginia in the Senate
when Senator Eaton was a member Of
that body and who afterwards was
the Democratic candidate for Vice
President, is probably the only living
ex-senator who was associated with
Mr. Eaton as a colleague in the
Federal Senate
Senator Eaton was for many years
the idol of the Democratic party IN.
Connecticut. Aside from his service
in the Connecticut legislature, he
held no public Office until 1875, when,
with the Democratic party In control
of the Connecticut legislature. he was
supported with substantial 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 i'm
preston. But he gained many warm
friendships which we're not confined
to his own side OF the chamber. He
was for several years the most inti-
mate personal and Senatorial friend
that Senator Conkling had The two
men were utterly unlike, both ply
sically and from the point of view Of
intellect and temperament, and that
may have been one of the reasons
why they found congenial companion
ship one with the other.
/ asked Senator Eaton, whom | had
known i'm Hartford, If he would give
to me his estimate Of Roscoe COnk-
ling. / put that question to Senator
Eaton few days before his Sena-
torial term ended. He was TO be
succeeded in the Senate by Gen.
Joseph r. Hawley.
81 suppose there we're no members
of the Senate" said the Senator in
reply, "who differed 80 greatly upon
political questions as did Senator
Conkling and myself. He was Re
publican of Republicans. l was an
old-fashiOned States rights, Jeffer-
sonian Democrat. Both of us had
been staunch in our loyalty to our
political principles. But in all my
warm intercourse with Senator Conk-
ling I heard no word from him In
antagonism to my political views, and
of course I refrained from attacking
his.
Il think l understood Senator
Conkling better than some OF his
Senatorial associates have done, and
/ know that I was utterly free from
the taint of iealousy-which explains
to some extent, the strained relations
that were maintained between Conk-
ling and some of the other Repub-
lican Senators.
Owe often talked about men in
public life, but never from the point
of view of politics. Senator Conk-
ling had singularly accurate iudg-
ment of the intellectual qualifications
/ of some of the Senators who haC
/ gained Distinction. 1 think he was
disposed to regard Senator Thurman
! of Ohio, on the whole, as the ables
/ intellect in the Senate. He had ;
very high opinion of Senator Thur
man as a man of integrity and o
| honor. know he once spoke o.
Thurman as a fine illustration of tho
] EOluUl1lt IldnAtAN VI NAA1 HANob hNNa
of the English common law, th'
worlds most copious font Of juris
prudence. There were one or tw'
Senators on the Democratic side 70
whom he did not care. Senate
Bayard, of Delaware, was one c
these, although he had the highes
respect for the latter's personal char
acter. From something he once saiC
suspected that he looked upo
Senator David Davis as out of plac
in the Senate chamber, although h
admitted Judge Davis qualification
for the seat he long occupied as jus
tice of the Supreme Court
1--WE agreed so thoroughly IN on
estimate Of the intellectual and pei
sonal character of our colleagues
the Senate that ] presume in tn.
common opinion is to be discovere
the secret if there be any, of what
have heard many persons regard ;
"a queer companionship establishC
between Senator Conkling and m,
self"
Copyright, 1914, by e. J. E
wards. All rights reserved).