The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-02-19

slowed away in his coat pocket, and as
sure as he gets excited in debate 30 sure
does the red bandana come out and
fash before the Senate like an ori.
flamma. He has been q snuff taker for
many years, but in that he has plenty OF
company in the Senate Even the lord
ly Roscoe takes snuff, and 80 do proba
bly, a third of the members Of the
Senate.
Thurman has aged very much during
the past four years. He is a terrible
sufferer from periodical attacks of neu-
ralgia in the face and head. Of late
years these attacks have occurred more
frequently, and have been more severe,
and have told on even his powerful con-
stitution. In build Thurman is thick
set and stocky, and rather below the
medium height. His appearance is
somewhat venerable, that is, above the
shoulders. His beard is gray and
graying fast, and is worn moderately
long. His hair is also beginning to thin,
is quite gray, and of late years he has
allowed it to grow to considerable
length. His head is large, his face
square and massive, and the mouth,
which is the noticeable feature of his
head, straight and firm, and when he is
warmed up in debate his lower jaw
closes with spring like steel trap
Below the neck Thurman looks like q
sturdy, well-to.do, plain, matter.of-fact
farmer. He customsrily wears busi-
ness suit of some dark mixed stuff. The
pants have a ready-made look, and a
habit of being baggy at the knees, and
trife short, as is apt to be the case with
the troWsers Of all men who sit and
write much. The boots are always
large and roomy, and are evidently
made more for comfort than for STYLE
As have said, he is not great orator
in the sense that Conkling is an orator,
or Matt Carpenter or Dan Voorhees,. He
revels In no wealth OF imagery as Woor-
hees does. He does not run to rounded
periods and sonorous sound like Conk.
ling, nor does lie indulge in brilliant
flashes Of meteoric wit and humor like
Matt Carpenter, but he talks straight on
in sturdy, growing sort of a voice,
dealing sledge hammer blows always
straight from the shoulder. His witty
speeches are not lacking in wit, but his
witty passages always contain that pith
of wit, brevity, and are always put to the
occasion. He is the master of all the
powerful weapons Of debate. He can
on occasion be more sarcastic than Ed
munds, more witty than Carpenter, and
more savage in his denuncistion than
ConkliDg, but he never wastes any
material, nor dbes he ever allow
any of his speeches to wander away
from the point at issue for the sake of
mere effect. he always talks to the SEN
ate, and never to the galleries. His aim
is always to convince his colleagues, and
make votes for the measure which he is
advocating, and never to make reputa-
ton for himself among the occupants of
the galleries, or start q sensation which
shall attract the pens of the newspaper
correspondents. Therein he is the anti
pode of Blaine, who almost invariably
speaks either for the gallery or the cor.
respondent, or both. His mind is pre-.
eminently judicial. His taste is for
questions of broad craftsmanship, and
he is not good politician. The few
AhASVNhOo hO LOO L1ohO AL DODiAO lAAOi hhA
they are very few indeed, have been
made when he endeavored, at the insti-
cation of particular friends, to adopt the
role of politician for policy's sake. He
has no taste for that role, and has never
succeeded in it, but wherever he has
been himself, and acted for himself and
on his own judgment, he has been right
almost invariably. There .is no other
man in public life in this country to day
who has been in public life one.half so
many years as Thurman has,whose pub.
Tic record is so clean and spotless and
such monument to his ability, his in.
tegrity and his wisdom, as Senator
Thurman. He ought to be Chief Jus.
tice' of the United States, and had the
star Of his destiny landed him in that
high place instead ofguidigg him into the
arena Of politics, he would have left be-
hind a reputation as a Judge which
would hardly have been second to that
of Taney. 2.