Page 64 - Cornelius Hedges Story

51 The Cornelius Hedges Story

The Second Session of the Legislative Assembly opened on
January 5, 1891. On that day, Hedges was defeated 10 to 6 by Sen.
William Thurston of Deer Lodge County for the position of President
pro tempore on a strict party line vote.207 Thurston was a Freemason
from Deer Lodge. On the third day of the session he was appointed
to a three-man committee to meet with the House to decide joint
rules.208 During that session, Senator Hedges was a member of the
following standing committees: Corporations other than Municipal,
Education, Federal Relations, Judiciary, Public Morals, and Rules.209
Senator Hedges’ term expired in November, l892.210

In a biographical sketch of his father, Will summarized his dad’s
contribution as a member of the State Senate. As the first Senator
from Lewis and Clark County, he “exhausted every honorable means
to rise above consideration of partisan advantage” in the enactment
of wise laws for the future, which to him was much more important
than trivial partisan politics.211

At a meeting of the Historical Society of Montana on February
l, l890, Hedges was elected Vice-president. He succeeded Granville
Stuart, who was elected President in place of W. F. Sanders. Sanders
had just been elected U.S. Senator and would be in Washington,
D.C., much of the time.212 And on April 3, l895, Hedges was elected
President of the Historical Society.213

In July and August of 189l, Cornelius, Edna, and Toby took
another vacation trip, this time to the Pacific Northwest and up the
“inland Waterway Passage” to Sitka, A1aska. They left Helena on
July 31, and sailed from Seattle on August 6. Toby reached Wrangell
on the 8th and Sitka on August 12. On the way up, Judge Hedges
was much impressed with the “wooded mountains on both sides and
patches of snow and cascades” in the inland waterway passage. At
Sitka, they were the guests of Territorial Governor Knapp at dinner
and an evening Ball.

They returned to Seattle on the 18th of August and visited at
Olympia with Grand Secretary Read of the Washington Grand Lodge.
They proceeded on to Portland on the 19th and arrived home on
August 21.214 Cornelius Hedges was also off traveling in the summer
of 1892. He attended the Templar’s General Grand Commandery
Triennial in Denver, and he commented, “The chief pleasure and
reward anticipated from our Denver Trip was the meeting of fellow
laborers in the Masonic vineyard and in this respect we were not
disappointed.”215