Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-10-31


rises to the level Of promises and its
great opportunities, or, failing to full
fill the first, falls short of the last.
III. V. b.
From the Int.r-cccnn Regular Correspondent.
WAsHINGroN, Oct. Is, 1877.
Under the shadow of the ladies' gall
lery in the Senate Chamber, at the
extreme left of the Vice President, in
the seat which wes SO long kept va
can't for Pinchback, sits a man who
resembles, in the cut of his hair and
beard, in the contour of his face, and
the full symmetry of his figure, ex-
President Grant The hair is dark,
almost to blackness, with little wisps
of gray above the ears and over the
temples; the beard is auburn, thick,
full, and evenly trimmed. That por-
ton Of tho face which is exposed is
fair and smooth, and the absence of
crows feet at his time Of life indi-
Gates that the wearer does not let the
tolls and troubles of busy world in
terfere with his repose of mind, but
stands higher than long ankle
ty can reach. You would call it a
good face, and the head is marked
with all the indications ofintellectual
development. The eyes are small but
keen, and have u pleasant smile about
them constantly. A black frock coat
is buttoned closely about the some
what stout figure, which is taller than
it looks, and when the man is seated
behind his desk Of polished mahog-
any he tolds his hands cOmplacently
and observes the proceedings before
him as if he were spectator and not
an alleged participant. But he will
not be spectator long, for his name
is Stanley Matthews s, and it has been
SO closely associated with the events
Of the last eight months that its 0wner
will, not far hence, be called upon to
vindicate his wisdom and the propri.
ETY. of his public acts.
1t has been understood that it was
Mr.. Blaine's intention to give Mr..
Matthews a drubbing when the latter
came within his reach in the Senate
rial arena, and q bout at words be-
tween them will be anticipated with
exceeding interest. Last spring Mat
thews wrote a letter to Governor
Chamberlain, OF South Carolina, and
advised him that for the best inter-
ests of the Republican party he should
surrender the government of that
State to Wade Hampton. Blaine held
the letter up before the Senate, in his
dramatic way, and asked sneeringly: !:
"Who is Stanley Matthew'S? And
who made Stanley Matthews sponsor
for the Republican party 7"
Matthews is there now, and will
have to answer if Blaine puts such q
question again. But he is able to de-
fend himself. His ability has been
recognized as debater in the hiehest
courts of the country, but he has had
tslight legislative experience, and per-
haps has never met so formidable an
antagonist as Blaine. The latter's
tactics in debate, it is we'll known, are
unusual. Matthews haa been accus-
toned to cool, deliberate argument,
long sentences, a premise or two, and
a "hcnce we infer" and IL remains to
be seen how well ne can control HIM
self under Blaine's pungcnt thrusts
and terrific charges. IT. Matthews
gets up to argue a point, and Blaine
interrupts him, as 10 his way, it will
require an amount Of GOODNESS and
self-possession which few men have
to enable him to keep his temper and
his forensic feet.
Itiswell known that Blaine is well
charged with ammunition, prepared
for contest of this kind, aud in case
| it comes he will trouble Mr.. Mat
thews to explain some matters,
which, for the sake of peace between
them, had better not be revived.
| For a reformer, Matthews has an
extremely assailable record. He Is .
man who considers himself capable
of doing things for the good Of self
or country that most politicians would
neither dare nor wish to do. He ie
under obligations to all parties, and
his entire acquaintance, but he thinks
the world ia deeply indebted to him.
He is one Of the men, for there are
more like him, who consider them
selves doing an incalenlable benefit
to suffering people if they accept
from that people a favor of any sort
They think the world indebted to
i ShOH ~ ou UAttut tlut tiC WoAAA -
not able to pay, and in their inmost
souls believe that the whole universe
would go into bankruptcy and be
sold at mRrshal's sale to liquidate thai
obligation so far as possible. This II
the sort of man Matthews is. Al
| optimist in the narrow sense of tha
II term--a believer in himself for al
4 good things that should be had o.
done.
4 When Matthews is nominated fol
:. office he thinks that his constitnenc.
lis honoring itself and showing it
u good sense and when hc Offered
himself az the fittest man 10 take Johl
Sherman's vacant scat in the Senate
he was somewhat surprised that tn
, whole state Of Ohio did not rise ul
like William Allen, and shout 'Mat
thews for ever
When he was nominated for Con
gress in 1876 TO run against tina
statesman "Bounding Banning Mat
: the VS. made canvass of the distric'
and spoke 70 Applauding multitude
! each night. He rode in carriage I
, meet his appointments and sent bi
for it 10 the committee that was man
: laging his campaign. II was enoug
I thAt he should stand 40 candidAt
1 for office, Without doing the vulga
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