Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

The unique place III national pOI1tlcS
held by john Quincy Adams. sixth
President of the United States and son
of the second President, and his two
distinct, separate and unrelated claims
to q place in the American Hall of
Fame, where his bust was unveiled last
Thursday, are emphasized by Senator
Frederick H. Gillett of Massachusetts,,
who has served longer than any present
member of Congress.
BY distinguished public service up to
the time he left the White House at
the age of 81, John Quincy Adams
earned first claim to. fame. Nearly
all of his life had been spent in public
office. AS precocious lad of IA he was
taken to Russia as secretary by the
American Minister, who was a friend of
the lads father. With but brief inter-
ruptions, he was successfully Minister
to various countries and, with an inter-
mission of six years in the Senate,
finally attained the topmost legation,
in London. From there he was sum-
moned to be Secretary Of State for
eight years and then was promoted into
the presidency.
In every ONCE he displayed an in
tellectual grasp and power, q mastery
OF political and diplomatic problems, q
nigh and even austere standard Of
duty, a rare independence Of views and
an answering obedience to the voice Of
his conscience, which marked him as
an eminent and pure statesman.
When he left the presidency he had
earned universal respect, and every one,
including himself, supposed that dis
tinguished career was ended. Then be-
gan q new phase OF public service In q
new field, perhaps as useful and GER
tainly far more dramatic and spectacle
lar than his previous long catalogue Of
public offlces. His neighbors somewhat
diffidently asked him If he would be
willing after his experience in more ex-
allied stations to represent them in
Congress. and he Enthusiastically re-
piled that any service the people desired
Of him he would consider 1t an honor to
render. And then began q new life,
lasting Is years, In which he became
the storm center of as turbulent, as pas
sionate, as unsparing and as relentless
q struggle as has ever distracted par
liamentary body. He become the cham
pion Of the right of petition and free
discussion, and against him for years
the arrogant and desperate slave power
concentrated its bitter and vindicttve
enmity. Political ostracism, personal
abuse, unrestrained 1nvective, and glow
ering threats for years became MS Gus
tomary and accepted fate. And the m
and cracked voice and shaking limbs,
day after day, met their ferocious ass
saults with unflinching courage, and IN
interminable and heated debates poured
forth a stream of fundamental princi-
ples and relentless logic, spiced with
acrimonious sarcasm and personal re-
fiections, never yielding an inch OF tne
ground he had taken, and with mex
haustible labor Strengthening MS oe-
ltvarx hi ATTACKS Alone
at first. he had the satisfaction OF seeing
gradually friends and supporters accu-
mulate about him, q great popular SEN
timent which was largely due 10 ms
educating influence rallied behind MN,
and finally his cause, which was SO
lowly and forlorn, became the dominant
and triumphant majority.
And therl--his second lie WORK COM
pleted-at the age Of 30 he was merci-
fully stricken with death IN the Capltoi.
which had been the scene OF his gfievous
trials and his final and glorious triumph
r + \
The genesis of the idea Of honoring
the private soldier which finds It's mos!
distinguished memorial In the Tomb OIL
the Unknown Soldier" in Arlington Ma.
tional Cemetery has just been explained
To Congress by Representative EDWIN L.
Davis of Tennessee, who claims the
credit for making the first suggestion
for Mai. Gen. Braxton Bragg In an
official dispatch from his own home
town, Tullahoma, Tenn. on February
%, 1853. l..
the World War have each erected
monument to one of their unknown
soldiers, as q tribute to the valor and
patriotism of the private soldiers who
made the supreme sacrifice In the
World War;" Representative Davis re-
minded his colleagues.
"There has been more or less discus
sion as to the origin of the idea. In
this connection one OF my old friends
A. Y. Smith, ST., has called my atten-
ton to an official report 10 the Con
federate government at Richmond, dis
patched by Gen. Bragg. After paying
high tribute to his officers killed,
wounded and present, Gen. Bragg eulo-
gized the valor Of the private soldiereas
"'However much Of credit and glory
may be given, and probably justly given,
to the leaders in our struggle, history
will yet award the main honor where
it Is due-to the private soldier. who,
without hope Of reward and with no
other incentive than q consciousness OF
rectitude, has encountered all the hard
ships and suffered all the privations.
Well has it been said: 1.-THE FIRST monu-
ment our Confederacy rears should be
q lofty shaft, pure and spotless, bear
ing this inscription:
"'"To the Unknown and Unrecorded
Dead"
Another interesting coincidence" to
which Representative Davis calls atten-
ton, els that the American Unknown
Soldier was laid to rest In the former
home of Gen. Robert e. Lee, who was
the commanding general under whom
Gen. Bragg served"
The death Of Hugh Anderson Dins-
more, who was appointed by President
Cleveland as Minister resident and
consul general to the Kingdom Of
Korea, and who later served IL years
in Congress, during which time he was
q member of the board OF regents OF
the Smithsonian Institution, has
prompted q tribute to him by Repre-
sentative Claude A. Fuller of Arkansas
as an ideal type Of old Southern gentle
man, as follows:
HE possessed, to an extraordinary
degree, the characteristics Of the old
time Southern gentlemen, who have
shown to the world q chivalry which
esteemed stainless honor as priceless
heritage-a chivalry which taught the
Southern youth to esteem life worth
nothing where honor was at stake-a
chivalry which taught that the highest,
neblest and most exalted privilege OF
man was q defense OF womanhood. fam
ily and country. His life was the EN-
bodiment Of honor. honesty and loyalty
to his party, his friends and his coun-
try" -