OCR Text |
Show VICE-PRESIDENT FAIRBANKS. Tho four years' public servico of Vice-President Fairbanks as presiding otlicer of the Senate, has effectually dispelled dis-pelled the notiou that Mr. Fairbanks is a mac of reserve, of coldness, and of aloofness. During the four years of his Vice-Presidency, Mr. Fairbanks was a great social force in Washington, staunchly supported by Mrs. Fairbanks. Their dinners were numerous and noteworthy, note-worthy, and tho utmost cordiality prevailed pre-vailed at all their functions. As Mr. William E. Curtis writes, in an enthusiastic en-thusiastic summing up of tho well-earned well-earned popularity which Vice-President Fairbanks achieved, "tho Vice-President, and his wife .havo invariably entertained en-tertained every member of the diplomatic diplo-matic corps, evor' member of the Cabinet, every Justice of ihe Supreme Court, over3 member of the Senate, and tho more prominent members of tho Houso of Representatives and their wives annually." And tho Vico-Prcsi-dent went out of office under quite tin-usual tin-usual manifestations of affection and good will. Ho received from tho Republican Re-publican members of the Senate a magnificent mag-nificent silver service, suitably engraved, en-graved, and from tho Democratic Senators Sen-ators a massivo silver cup testifying to the regard which tho opposition Senators Sen-ators had for him. Tho State of Indiana has a Democratic Demo-cratic administration, and yet tho Democratic Dem-ocratic Governor of Indiana sont a special message to tho Democratic Legislature Leg-islature of that State on tho approaching approach-ing retirement of Vice-President Fairbanks; Fair-banks; nnd that Democratic Legislature Legisla-ture unanimously adopted a resolution inviting him to appear and accept its congratulations and its expression of esteem es-teem and good will. And that programme pro-gramme was faithfully carried out, among the congratulations and jubilations jubila-tions of the whole State. I As lo his ofiicial service, Mr. Curtis writes that "During the past four years Mr. Fairbanks has been never absent from the chair in tho Scnato during either day or night sessions except ex-cept on three days once when ho was in attendance on tho general conference confer-ence of tho Methodist church at Birmingham, Bir-mingham, Ala., and again when he wcut to Ohio to the funeral of his brother-in-law." His constancy in occupancy of the presiding chair in the Senate was without a precedent. And Senator Fryo of Maine, for so many years the president pro tern of tho Senate, has had incomparably less presiding to do under the incumbency of Vice-President Fairbanks than ever before. His faithfulness faith-fulness and attention to his duly is what won for him tho regard not alone of his own party Senators, but of the Democratic Senators also. Some months ago when the great centenary cen-tenary anniversary of the scttlcnrenl of Quebec was celebrated, Vice-President Fairbanks was one of tho conspicuous and notable public men who aided in that celebration by voice and by letter. His services in that regard were highly appreciated, and tho following expression expres-sion from the Toronto Sun gives the Canadian estimate of Mr. Fairbanks: Tho people of Canada had not until recently re-cently taken Vice-President Fairbanks of the ilnttod States, very seriously. This was duo to tho fact that, hh Vice-President, ho had been completely overshadowed overshad-owed by the particularly strenuous individual in-dividual occupying the chief office In tho republic. Canadians have, however, been both surprised and gratified at the elevated sentiment marking the spoecli which Mr. Fairbanks delivered at tho Quebec celebration cele-bration . nnd In the letter written by him to Earl Grey shortly before leaving Canada. Can-ada. In what was said In speech and let-ter let-ter iUr. Fairbanks has, we bollovo. expressed ex-pressed tho best sentiment, of his fellow-countrymen, fellow-countrymen, and ono that Is fully reciprocated recipro-cated on this side of the line. Tho cause of human brotherhood has boon promoted by what Mr. Fairbanks has said and done. Since retiring from tho Vice-Presidency, Mr. Fairbanks has been sojourning sojourn-ing in Southern California for recreation recrea-tion and rest, iris presence thero hns made the occasion for the following highly appreciative editorial words in tho San Francisco Argonaut, which is rather disposed to be caustic upon than Mattering to public men: Tho Argonaut Is glad to see that Soullu ern California Is giving cordial and public pub-lic welcome to ex-Vlec-Prcsldent Falr-j Falr-j gunks, who is spending a brief I Inns in thai region of sunshine. Mr. Fairbanks is a man who dc'servt.-.s well of the American people, a dignified and Irreproachable figure, belonging to the old rather than to the modern stylo of statesman. Thero Is nothing of tho spectacular about him; he does no "stunts." But ho is a man of capacity, acquainted with the affairs of his country and devoted to patriotic alms and purposes. lie has not, indeed, the. personal charm which comes of a warm temporamcnt, but ho has dopend-nhlHtv. dopend-nhlHtv. rcsnfolabllH v tn hl"h dcirren. H has served his country wtll in Ihe past and ho may again servo It well in tho future. There are times and conditions when n man of Mr. Fairbanks" type, a man Impersonal Ify nature ami brooding, n man of fixed and assured character, a "inn of experience and of force, may be of hlcstlhiablo value to the nation. There i.s no doubt I hat. under the overshadowing and self-seeking, bumptious bump-tious figure of President Roosevelt, Vice-President Vice-President Fairbanks was immersed in an obscurity thai was by no moans jnsl, and sometimes to a humiliation that, was contemptible in those who indicted it upon him. For Mr. Fairbanks, Fair-banks, man for man. measures up in cvoty way 0 a higher staifrlard than does Mr. Roosevelt. And the expression expres-sion of The Argonaut that "There are limes and conditions when a man of Mr. Fairbanks 's typo, a man impersonal by nature and breeding, a man of fixed and assured character, a man of experience ex-perience and of force, may bo of inestimable ines-timable value. to the nation," strikes a responsive echo in every reflective mind. |