JUDGE GEORGE GRAY

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cessors." Mr. Gray's incumbency of his being well adapted for both formal and second term as Attorney-General was cut running debates. On one notable occasion, short by his election, on March 16, 1885, when the Federal Election, popularly known to be a Senator of the United States, to fill as the " Force Bill," was about to be put the vacancy caused by the resignation of to a vote, with a general belief that it would the Hon. Thomas F. Bayard to become pass, Senator Gray took the floor and made Secretary of State in the cabinet of President a speech against it, continuing for three Cleveland. The newly elected Senator com days, which was generally admitted to have menced his service March igih, and being caused the defeat of the measure. In the twice re-elected for a full term, he held the course of that speech he was frequently office until March 3, 1899, when a change interrupted and, as the record shows, was of political control in his State alone caused abundantly able to cope with the ablest lawyers of the opposing party in the Senate, his retirement. As the present purpose is to sketch such as Senators Hoar and Evarts. briefly the legal and not the political career As a senator he was always considered of Judge Gray, this is not the opportunity reliable by his own party. From his youth ' to refer at large to his service in the Senate. he had been deeply imbued with the prin At an early period of it, he began to take ciples underlying the constitutional theory a leading rank among those of his own of our government as held by the Democratic political faith and was appreciated by his party. His father had been, in the days of opponents both for his personal character, its power, a member of the Whig party and his sound judgment and his ability in a supporter of Mr. Clay. As a Whig he debate. The character of Senator Gray's was elected to the only office he ever con service brings to mind a remark of the late sented to accept, that of membership in a Secretary Seward in his eulogy of John M. constitutional convention. At the down Clayton, a distinguished predecessor of Mr. fall of the Whig party he became a Demo- . Gray in the National forum. "Fame is crat and his son George grew up in that attained in the Senate," said Mr. Seward, faith, which commended itself to his judg "by pursuing either one of two courses, ment and has always received his unvarying namely, either by the practice of delivering and consistent support. The fundamental the prepared, elaborate and ' exhaustive doctrines of the real democracy were part oration, which can be done only infrequently, of George Gray's mental equipment and his and always on transcendent occasions, or fidelity to them has grown with his growth. by skill, power and dignity in the daily While far removed from being a hide and desultory debates on all questions of bound or intolerant partisan, he rested securely upon the bed-rock of those doctrines public interest as they happen to arise." It was in the latter method that Mr. and applied them as a test to the various Gray acquired a fine reputation and he be measures which from time- to time he was came recognized as a ready debater whose required to pass judgment upon and to aid was always welcomed by those in accord vote. As a senator he was emphatically a - with him and feared by those who were not. faithful advocate of the policies of his party That he was seldom absent from his seat and of the principles in which he believed, and, while there, was a ready and frequent while always tolerant to those who honestly participant in the current of business of the differed with him. There was absolutely sessions is ascertained from an examination nothing in him either of the opportunist or of the record of his fourteen years of service. the visionary. He had no sympathy, indeed Occasionally, on a question which specially was impatient, with those, of whom there interested him, he would speak at large, have been too many in our public life, who