Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-05-16
COLORED CONGREsSMEN.
tulored Members IN Con.ress-Their
Personal Appearance.

Washington Letter to the New York Globe.
One of the first things our country
cousins visiting the Capitol ask on en-
terlng the House gallery is, 8 Where is
their member'sS seat." next, where
Ben Butler sits ~ and lastly MS to the
colored members places T. g. Elliott,
who represents CalhoUn's district. has
just returned from his winters efforts,
at smoothing out the web of his tangled
stats politics. They differ from each
other other in personal appearance rs
much MS their white confreres. Joseph
H Rainev is quite handsome fellow,
with dark olive complexion, straight
black hair and regular features.
He is diGnifed and modest in
manner. native of George
town, South Carolina, his parents
were slaves, and himself Il barber until
1862. BY stealth he obtained a COM
mon school education, and has succeed
ed III compelling respect to his present
position Robert b. Elliott of South
Carolina, is very black, with strongly
marked African features, close curly
hair, and recedins forehead. He was
born in Massachusetts, educated i'll
England, and is Il college graduate, a
lawyer by profession. Elliott is
ready speaker, and the accent peculiar
to his race is not i'll the least percepti-
BILE. He has made q fortune within the
past few years, lives in considerable
style, drives n fine of horses, and
spends his money freely. Robert G.
Large was born in Aiken, South Caro-
lima, IN lS42-has a modern education,
sion. He is of short stature, of dark
olive complexion, with not particularly
marked features, and the least attrac-
tive personally of the five. His seat
is contested by c. G. Bowen, who
seems to believe III many offices as we'll
rs many wives. Bowen will probably
win JOSHUA L. Wallis, who represents
the state of Florida. was BORN at Win.
chester, Va, in 1912 received Jm-
mon-school education, and claims to
be planter. He is slight of stature,
of rather light complexion. close curly
hair, dresses well, and wears gay
neckties. He has not been in his
seat since the early days of the
session. The only thing known from
him Is n long speech, which he reads
with the manner of rustic schoolmas-
ter Benjamin Sterling Turner, of Ala
bama, is n large, broad shouldered man,
with very large, fiat nose, curly hair,
and, IN physique, at least, intensely
suggestive of plantation days. He was
born in Halifax county, North Carolina,
III 1915 was raised slave, and received
no early education. He is very quiet,
is seldom seen conversing, is always
present, never speaks, always votes,
and among his Republican colleagues
has considerable reputation for good
sense and political business sagacity.
Officially these men receive recognition
here in proportion to their ability to
command it..
With commendable good taste and
manhness they have never in any way
lntruded themselves where they were
unbidden. Mrs. Elliott, by the way, is
an exceedingly handsome and sty-
lish woman, very light complex
toned, scarcely darker than bruno tie,
dressing quite royalty, was shown into
the diplomatic gallery by the usher one
day This open" is generally set
apart for members and their families
Mrs. S --, the wife n member
from the state of Ohio, Indignantly
left the gallery, where the presence of
Mrs. Elliott had occasioned quite II
hutter Madame" from Ohio, an
gully asked the usher ''why he let that
woman into the gallery" He mildly
replied that being a members wife she
was entitled TO "A seat there, upon which
the lady went of with her feathers
somewhat rufiied Mrs. Elliott never
repeated the oilense; now when she
comes to the House she quietly takes
her seat IN the other gallery, devoted
to ladies who are not members
wives"