THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT.
When the Forty-eighth Congress met on the 3d of December, 1885,
Senator Edmunds occupied the chair of the Senate as President _pro
tempore;_ Judge Davis, not having been re-elected Senator from
Illinois, had vacated the chair on the last day of the preceding
session. Senator Anthony, who had been elected to a fifth term,
could not be sworn in as a Senator until after the commencement of
that term, and was consequently ineligible. So Senator Edmunds
accepted the position with the understanding that he would vacate
it as soon as his friend from Rhode Island, by qualifying as a
Senator, should be eligible for election.
When the Senate met, Senator Anthony was recovering from a severe
illness, and it was not until the following week that he was able
to appear in the Senate Chamber. He entered leaning on the arm of
his colleague, Senator Aldrich, and as he took his accustomed seat,
his attention was attracted by a large bouquet of flowers, bearing
the name of a lady clerk who had been retained in place by his kind
offices. The Senators soon crowded around him with their
congratulations on his convalescence, and among the first were
General Butler, of South Carolina, maimed in the Confederate cause,
and General Miller, of California, who lost his right eye in the
Union army at Vicksburg.
After prayers and the reading of the journal, Senator Aldrich rose,
and was recognized by the Chair as the "senior Senator from Rhode
Island." He announced the presence of his colleague, the Senator-
elect, whose credentials had been filed, and asked that the oath
of office might be administered to him. The presiding officer
invited the Senator-elect to receive the oaths, and when Governor
Anthony stood before him, he administered the regular oath of 1789,
first taken by the parliamentary veteran in 1859, with the "iron-
clad oath" that had been adopted in 1862. As the good old man
stood with uplifted hand, every other member of the Senate rose,
and stood until the obligation had been administered--a merited
compliment to the _Pater Senatus_. No other man, save Thomas Hart
Benton, had ever been sworn in five consecutive times as Senator.
Closing the book from which he had read the oaths, Senator Edmunds
was first to shake his old friend's hand. Senator Anthony then
resumed his seat, and nearly every Senator came to greet him,
followed by the veteran officers of the Senate, who had always
found in him a true friend. A few weeks later, Senator Edmunds
resigned, and Senator Anthony was elected President _pro tem._,
but the precarious state of his health forced him, in a speech
prompted by a heart overflowing with gratitude, to decline the
honor, and Senator Edmunds was recalled to the post of honor.
Senator Anthony had twice before been chosen President _pro tem._
of the Senate, and he had for a number of years past been the
President in the caucus of Republican Senators. It is in the caucus
of the dominant party that legislation is shaped, and unanimity of
action in open Senate secured. Governor Anthony's tact and skill
as a presiding officer had, doubtless, exercised a potent influence
in harmonizing opposing views entertained by Republican Senators,
and there was no Senator who could fill the chair, either in open
Senate, in executive session, or in caucus, with more dignity and
impartiality than he.
General McCook, an Ohio soldier, and an ex-Representative from New
York city, was elected Secretary of the Senate, defeating George
C. Gorham, who had been the candidate of the Republican caucus.
The Republican nominee for Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. Riddleberger, was
also dropped, and Colonel Wm. P. Canaday, of North Carolina, was
chosen. At the commencement of the next session, Mr. Riddleberger
took his seat as a Senator from Virginia.
A Democratic tidal wave had swept over the country at the preceding
fall elections, and the Democrats had a considerable majority in
the House of Representatives. John G. Carlisle, of Kentucky, who
was elected Speaker, was a tall, well-made man, with a studious
look in his eyes, and the winning manners of Henry Clay. He had
a sweet voice, and his expositions of parliamentary law in the
preceding sessions had elevated him to the front rank of statesmanship
in the opinion of the House. His impartiality as a presiding
officer was recognized by all parties, and his firmness of purpose
could not be moved by corrupt intriguers or brawling sycophants.
He was also fortunate in having a devoted wife, tall and graceful,
whose attractive personal appearance was equaled by her well-balanced
mind and her practical common sense. As Mrs. Edmunds was at that
time absent from Washington, on the New Year's Day after her
husband's election as Speaker Mrs. Carlisle was "the first lady in
the land," and stood at President Arthur's right hand during the
official reception.
Washington society was very gay during the closing year of President
Arthur's Administration. The receptions to which invitations were
given and those open to the public at the White House were largely
attended, while there was a succession of balls, German masquerades,
and receptions at the residences of diplomats, housekeeping Senators,
officials, and citizens. Several entertainments were given "for
charity's sake," which realized considerable sums, and the theatres
also were unusually well attended.
The world-weary rejoiced when the matin chimes of Lent announced
that the gay season was ended, but although gayety arrayed itself
in sackcloth and sprinkled ashes broadcast, the sackcloth moved in
the waltz as its wearer tripped over the ashes. There were successions
of informal dancing parties, lunch parties, and card parties during
the penitential forty days, and then came the post-Lenten
festivities.
The giving of good dinners was, however, the distinguishing feature
of Washington society during the Arthur Administration. The example
was set at the White House, where, instead of dinners supplied by
a caterer at two dollars a plate, with cheap wines of doubtful
origin, a gastronomic artist served the delicacies of the season,
cooked in the latest Parisian style, while the wines were of the
rarest vintages, embodying the fervor of long Gascon summers, the
warmth of Burgundian suns, and the delicate flavor of Xeres. Never
had epicures so enjoyed themselves at Washington, and they rejoiced
when they contrasted his dispensation with the barbaric repasts of
former years, when "hog and hominy" was the principal dish, and
tangle-foot whisky punch was the fashionable table beverage.
Washington City was greatly improved during President Arthur's
Administration. The National Museum was completed and opened to
visitors, the northern wing of the stupendous pile, the State, War,
and Navy Department Building, was occupied, and that hideous
architectural monstrosity, the Pension Office, was built. At the
West End scores of elegant private houses were erected, varying in
size from the palatial mansion built by Mr. Blaine to the rustic
cabin of Joaquin Miller, and the small Queen Anne cottages, now so
popular, and some of which are models of convenience and beauty.
Many avenues and streets were repaved, others were planted with
bordering lines of shade trees, and several of the large reservations
were adorned with statues and fountains. The previously unfinished
city, which Governor Shepherd had "lifted from out of the mud,"
became a national metropolis, in which the people of the country
could take pride.
The dedication of the Washington National Monument, on the 22d of
February, 1885, was a fit conclusion to President Arthur's official
career. This work had been long in progress, as its record, engraved
on its aluminum tip, shows. It is as follows: "Corner-stone laid
on bed of foundation, July 4, 1848. First stone at height of 152
feet laid August 7, 1880. Capstone set December 6, 1884." The
laying of the capstone was duly celebrated. The wind, at the top
of the monument, was blowing at the rate of sixty miles an hour,
and thousands of eye-glasses were pointed toward the little party
on the scaffoldings at the summit. All on the upper platform, five
hundred and fifty feet above the ground, spread a portion of the
cement, and the capstone, weighing three thousand three hundred
pounds, was lowered into place. The tip was then fitted and the
work was done, which fact was duly announced by flying the flag at
the top of the monument, and by the answering boom of cannon from
various points below.
The day of final dedication was clear and cold, the ground around
the base of the majestic shaft was covered with encrusted snow,
and the keen wind that came sweeping down the Potomac made it rather
uncomfortable for those who were assembled there. The regular
troops and the citizen soldiery were massed in close columns around
the base of the monument, the Freemasons occupied their allotted
position, and in the pavilion which had been erected were the
invited guests, the executive, legislative, and judicial officers;
officers of the army, the navy, the marine corps, and the volunteers;
the Diplomatic Corps, eminent divines, jurists, scientists, and
journalists, and venerable citizens representing former generations,
the Washington National Monument Society, and a few ladies who had
braved the Arctic weather. After addresses had been delivered by
Senator Sherman, W. W. Corcoran, and Colonel Casey, the chief
engineer, President Arthur made a few well-chosen remarks, and
concluded by declaring the monument dedicated from that time forth
"to the immortal name and memory of George Washington." The cost
of the structure has been nearly two millions of dollars, about
half of which the Government has paid, the remainder having been
secured by the Monument Association. After the exercises at the
monument, a procession was formed headed by Lieutenant-General
Sheridan, which marched along Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.
The President's special escort was the Ancient and Honorable
Artillery Company of Massachusetts, chartered in 1638, which had
come to participate in the exercises of the day. Two addresses
were delivered in the House of Representatives at the Capitol--one
(which was read by ex-Governor Long) by Hon. Robert C. Winthrop,
of Boston, who had delivered the address when the corner-stone was
laid in 1848, and the other by Hon. John W. Daniel, of Virginia.
In the evening the Ancient and Honorable Artillery attended a
special reception at the White House, reciprocatory of courtesies
extended by the corps to President Arthur, one of its honorary
members.
Meanwhile there had been a Presidential campaign. The National
Republican Convention met at Chicago on June 3d; on the 6th, James
G. Blaine, of Maine, was nominated for President on the fourth
ballot, receiving five hundred and forty-one of the eight hundred
and nineteen votes cast, and General John A. Logan, of Illinois,
was nominated for Vice-President without opposition. The National
Democratic Convention met at Chicago on July 6th, and on the 11th
Hon. Grover Cleveland, of New York, was nominated for President on
the second ballot, receiving six hundred and eighty-four of the
eight hundred and twenty votes cast, and Thomas A. Hendricks, of
Indiana, was nominated for Vice-President without opposition. The
National Prohibition Convention met at Pittsburg on July 23d, and
nominated for President ex-Governor St. John, of Kansas, and for
Vice-President William Daniel, of Maryland. The National Greenback
Convention met at Indianapolis on May 29th, and nominated for
President General B. F. Butler, of Massachusetts, and for Vice-
President A. M. West, of Mississippi.
The Presidential contest was disgracefully personal. The private
characters of the two prominent candidates were mercilessly assailed,
and political principles were apparently forgotten in the degrading
desire to defame the nominees. The result turned upon the vote in
the State of New York, which was very close. The shrewdest political
manipulators were sent over the State to correct pretended
irregularities, but it soon became evident that the Democrats had
chosen the Cleveland electors by a decisive plurality. The official
count showed five hundred and sixty-three thousand one hundred and
fifty-four votes for Cleveland, against five hundred and sixty-two
thousand and five votes for Blaine, twenty-five thousand and six
votes for St. John, and seventeen thousand and four votes for
Butler. The total vote in the United States was four million nine
hundred and thirteen thousand two hundred and forty-seven votes
for Cleveland, four million eight hundred and forty thousand eight
hundred and twenty-five votes for Blaine, one hundred and fifty
thousand one hundred and thirty-four votes for St. John, and one
hundred and thirty-four thousand and twenty-eight votes for Butler.
[ Cleveland 563,154 in New York, 4,913,247 overall
Blaine 562,005 4,840,025
St. John 25,006 150,134
Butler 17,004 134,028 ]
President Arthur's numerous friends contemplated his departure from
the White House without regret, and were confident that his
Administration would present a creditable appearance on the pages
of impartial history. Utility to the country had been the rule of
his official life, and he attained that high standard of official
excellence which prevailed in the early days of the Republic, when
honesty, firmness, and patriotism were the characteristics of public
men. He saw himself deserted by influential early associates
because he would not avenge their political grievances, while those
whom he protected ungratefully repaid him by defeating the election
of his friend, Judge Folger, as Governor of the State of New York
--a treacherous demonstration of partisan bigotry, which killed
the Judge as certain as the assassin's bullet killed Garfield.
Under President Arthur's lead, the Republican party, disorganized
and disheartened when he came into power, became gradually strengthened
and united before the Presidential election, in which it was very
near being victorious.
President Arthur, in his desire to administer his inherited duties
impartially, made himself enemies among those who should have been
his friends. Before President Garfield was interred, General Grant
asked that his own personal friend, General Beale, might be appointed
Secretary of the Navy, and he never forgave President Arthur for
not complying with his request.
The removal of Judge Robertson from the New York Custom House would
doubtless have been acceptable to Roscoe Conkling, but it was not
made, and the ex-Senator, after refusing the tendered appointment
of a seat on the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States,
turned his back on his former friend. Appointments which had been
promised by Mr. Blaine, when President Garfield's Secretary of
State, were invariably made, although the recipients had personally
abused President Arthur, yet the "Garfield Avengers," as the
officious friends of the martyr President chose to style themselves,
never alluded to his successor except as the man who had profited
by the assassination. Slander, calumny, and falsehood were resorted
to by the press to deceive the people by giving them an untrue idea
of their Chief Magistrate. His private life was invaded, his social
relations were violated, his most patriotic actions were sneered
at, and he was made the object of obloquy and vituperation by that
faction of the Republican party opposed to his policy.
I well remember with what sadness and indignation he referred to
the manner in which he had been treated when I had been selected
by him to write a campaign life of him, which was to have been
published by his friends had he been nominated for the Presidency
in 1884. There were several matters about which he had been
mercilessly abused for which I found ample explanations exonerating
him. One was his going to Albany in 1881, when he was Vice-President,
to labor for the re-election of Messrs. Conkling and Platt. I had
ascertained that he had done this in return for a visit made to
Ohio during the preceding campaign by Mr. Conkling to speak in
favor of the election of General Garfield. This had been on the
personal solicitation of Mr. Arthur, and it would have been ungrateful
for him to have declined an appeal to aid Mr. Conkling in an hour
of need by a visit to Albany. When President Arthur read what I
had written on this subject he said pleasantly: "That is all true,
but I must ask you not to publish it." Never have I seen a public
man so determined not to criminate others, even in self-
justification.
During his Presidential term Mr. Arthur did what friends and fortune
can do for no man, and what neither friends nor foes could take
from him. "He won a fame for which he himself fought, and from
which no man's censure could detract." While he was emphatically
"the first gentleman in the land," giving unequaled receptions,
dinners, and evening entertainments with lavish hospitality, he
was, as he used to cheerily remark, "a night-bird," and his favorite
enjoyment was to have two or three personal friends eat a late
supper with him, and then chat with them far into the "wee sma'
hours." His thorough knowledge of prominent men and politics during
the preceding quarter of a century enabled him to entertain his
listeners with graphic descriptions of remarkable scenes, piquant
but never indelicate anecdotes, keen sketches of men and women,
and interesting statements about the workings of political machinery,
especially in the State of New York.
Unfortunately, President Arthur, before he left the White House,
became impressed with the idea that the people had misunderstood
his official conduct, and that his sacrifices of friends and of
fortune in the Administration of the General Government had not
been appreciated. When he was at last relieved from executive
cares his robust constitution had been undermined, the ruddy look
of health left his cheeks, and his stalwart form wasted away, until
(as this work is passing through the press) his sad heart found
its peace, and his remains were laid, without pomp, by the side of
those of his beloved wife in a rural cemetery near Albany, N. Y.
An appreciative and elegant biographer of this lamented ex-President
writes thus: "_Flos Regum Arthur_ the Laureate heads the noble
dedication of his Arthurian legends to the manes of Albert. Not
'flower of kings' shall history call this Arthur of ours, and yet
must she accord him some attributes of his mythic namesake--a high
and noble courtesy to all men, small and great; an unflinching,
uncomplaining loyalty to friends who turned too often ingrate; a
splendid presence, a kindly heart, a silent courage, and an even
mind. These things go no small way toward the making of America's
first gentleman."
[Facsimile]
W.W. Corcoran
WILLIAM W. CORCORAN was born at Georgetown, D. C., December 27th,
1798; he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and then in banking,
becoming the Government banker during the Mexican War. Since he
retried from business in 1854 he has founded and endowed the Louise
Home for gentlewomen in reduced circumstances, the Corcoran Art
Gallery, and the Oak Hill Cemetery, on Georgetown Heights, while
he has contributed liberally to the Columbian College, the University
of Virginia, the William and Mary College, and the churches and
orphan asylums of Washington, besides numerous private charities.