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Show SENATOR VEST IS DEAD. St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 9. A special to the Tost-Dis-patch from Sweet Springs, Mo., says: After lingering for weeks between life and death, former Senator George Vest passed peaceably away icmay. nc naa Deen so near ueath tor the past three days that the end camo without a struggle. He was conscious until about 2 a. m. Sunday morning, when he sank into a state of coma, from which he never aroused. He lost the power of speech Saturday morning, morn-ing, but for several days before that he talked very imperfectly, and during the last thirty-six hours of his life his breathing was scarcely perceptible. The flutter of his pulse was all that showed that life still remained. Only a few days before this news reached the country by telegraph, a priest sat at his desk in St. Louis counting the hours when the great soul of Missouri's great senator would leave its earthly .prison, lie composed what is printed below. At the top of the page he wrote: "Senator Vest Is Dying." Xo praise more sincere for the living, no loftier tribute to the dead, will bo written; indeed, can be, attempted by another on the American press. It i3 Father Phclan who speaks through the Western West-ern Watchman: ' For weeks the life of Senator Vest has been hanging hang-ing by a thread. In fact, his physicians are surprised that he still lives. When he goes this state will have lost the brightest man who ever figured in her politics. poli-tics. His career has been one of ever-increasing splendor, until it reached its zenith in the last years of his la3t term in the senate. Since the time of Clay and Webster, there has not been a man in the upper branch of the national legislature who challenged so much attention and so helped to direct legislation into wise and prudent channels. There has not been a question before congress for a quarter of a century in which Senator Vest has not been found on the right side. .Although a senator from this state in the Confederate congress, his attitude towards the federal government all through the reconstruction period has been honest and statesmanlike. He has been a Democrat, but the silly issues into which the grand old party has been from time to time drawn, ;icr iuuiiu iii iiiiii uu ituvuca-ic. ne was noi a ureen-backcr. ureen-backcr. He was a very halting advocate of tho unlimited un-limited coinage of silver. While not favoring any extreme measures of the party, he was always a good party man; and the Democracy of this state sworo by him to the last. Even though broken down in health and unable to perform senatorial duties, he would have been elected two years ago if he had not positively refused the honor. This ia saying a great dealr taken in connection with the fact that a legislature legisla-ture which elected Senator Stone could not be expected expect-ed to appreciate official integrity of which Senator Vest was such a bright exemplar. But there are men whose purity of life ia so conspicuous that even the base must pay tribute. It was during the sad years of the A. P. A. movement move-ment that Senator Vest showed the stern stuff of. which he was made. Although the country Democracy Democ-racy was drawn into that movement, our senior senator sen-ator never ceased denouncing it on the stump and in the press, until he had uprooted the noxious weed from the soil of the state. When Stone and Stephens and Dockery hearkened to the siren's songVest steered clear of the dangerous coast and listened not to the strains of treason. If the Catholics of this state are not now in the camp of the Republicans, it is owing to the manly course of the greatest Democrat Demo-crat Missouri has ever produced. In all matters affecting the Catholic religion Senator Sen-ator Vest has been our undaunted champion. Whenever When-ever the. sisters wanted a friend they found one in the senior senator from Missouri. When the Catholics Catho-lics of New Mexico or any other part of the Union were assailed Senator Vest appeared a3 their defender. defend-er. When the Catholic Indian schools .were made the subject of unjust and discriminating legislation by the government, Senator Vest undertook the defense de-fense of the OJd Church, her policy and her history; and the words he uttered in our highest legislative h.alls wMl not be forgotten while truth and eoquence are held in honor by that body. And so manly was this championship of the Church that he not only won friends for her, but he compelled the respect even of - his enemies. There never was a man in the senate who from the first day of his entrance into that body until his final leave-taking who enjoyed greater respect among his colleagues. We write these lines that Catholics everywhere in the land may at this hour of his final struggle remember re-member Senator Vest in their prayers; for he is not a Catholic. It is sad to think that a man who has so many devoted Catholics among his friends and who has said so much good of the Church, should die without her pale. Public men have not time for religion re-ligion in the heyday of their political prosperity, and they have little taste for it when they come to die. But the grace ef God is not limited by the perversity of man, and prayer can work wonders. We ask all our readers to pray for the conversion and happy soul of George G. Vest. We ask, the priests to make a memento of our dear friend in their masses. Wfe ask the religious orders, whose friend he was for a half century, to pray for mercy on his soul. - |
