Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-24
GATH'S GOSSIP.

An Estimate of the Character of the Late
ThurlOw .Weed--A Relic Of Past Age
and "Reminiscences of Old Time Politics
doubts rs to the Complexion of the
Next Senate--Cleveland's Resignation a
Mayor of Buffalo Received With Sat.
isfaction by the Rings.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
New York, Nov. 23.-Thurlow Weeds
death is neither social nor moral, but
only journalistic event. He never as
sisted to hasten the dispatch of real intel
igence, like James Gordon Bennett. nor to
fortify the righteous indignation of men
like Horace Greeley, nor to mingle scien-
tific truth with political revolution. like
BENZ. Franklin. He had the kind of sue
cess he sought. not only dramatic mystery.
the appearance of being behind profound
politics, the credit with grounl,ings Of
having raised great men, and his financial
independence. Yet be was s:has been:'
| and something of {, Blrnum. He died like
many inflated kings, with an idea that he
would make great gap. recognize the
gap, but it is an act of somno,ence. like
that of having been visited by old Parr
100 years ago, and some senile oddity
whose "reminiscences were more abundant
| than refining. The mans name always
suggested his nature to me,-a, rank weed.
with an aristocratic botanical suffix. Let
no young man of these candid times seek
an example in the poor, old country Met
tern1ch, who is now a piece of clay, re-
manded to his Creator.
Weed was Yankee OF Connecticut
stock, born, like Rip Van Wrinkle.
under the shadow of the Cats
kills in 1897, two years before
Senior ..Cameron's birth, and when Was h.
lngton had just ceased to be president. To
this city ne introduced himself by tramp
! ing up Broad street with the trunk of one
OF the sloop's passengers on his shoulder,
,, even more humble than that of his printer
prototype, Benjamin Franklin, when he
entered Philadelphia ninety years before.
New York was then nearly all below Grand
street, and contained about $4,000 people.
lie had q remarkable and indispensable
faculty for remembering names and faces.
.
His acquaintance with men interested in
politics throughout the state was eand
at that time when the art OF controlling
great masses Of voters was still in its il
fancy, was unprecedented. and excited
constant admiration. lie was. too. shrewd
and kindly, and faithful to mis- friends. and
slow to quarrel. Il ths preliminary work
o. the convention, the controlling, the har-
molizing, the laboring with the dissatis-
fed or lukewarln, he was without rival
lie rarely missed tie weak points of any
body he had 10 win over In dealing with
persons who plumed themselves ON having
superior judgment, he was particularly
happy, for he listened to their deliverances
with sort OF delighted surprise
and never attempted to dispute them.
The amendments he suggested, however
radical, were thus made very acceptable,
and their real bearing concealed
He was also particularly fortunate, too,
| IN the selection OF Mr.. Seward early in life
as his political protege. Mr.. Seward had
force enough, and character and capacity
enough, to reflect high credit on anybody
who took charge of his political fortunes,
and to give certain elevation to manage
| ment which had the promotion OF them for
its object. Association with him was,
therefore, distinct gain for Mr.. Weed,
for it magnifed his calling. But his fail
ure to get the nomination for
Seward in 1860 was dis
appointment which practically brought
his professional career to a close. He
wept over it bitterly, and never again
showed the same zeal as a working poll
tician. In his last puffs of the boss sys-
tenn he was evidently still living in mag
nation, in the old and simple New York
in which he began his career, when office
holders were few and far between, the rev.
enue was trifing, and boss was simply
like himself, a kindly and shrewd s.pa'imus
inter Paris who had the art of winning
men over to his views, and making them
feel that they were all little wiser than
he was. OF the brutal, coarse, silent, AFRO
CANT boss of our time.
without opinions or convictions, or any
art beyond giving so much pay for so much
work, he was certainly not really the pro-
totype, and yet he opened the road for him
through the Democratic woods.
An observer calls attention to the posi-
bility of President Arthur's opponents or:
ganizing the senate thus: ''Without an
extra session there would be no person
qualified to fill vacancy in tie presiden-
cy if it should come to pass. Will the
president call congress together to provide
for this contingency Ostensibly the Re-
publicans have forty senators, including
Malone and Riddleburger, against thirty
six Democrats. The legislature of Nebraska
has an anti-monopoly majority, which will
doubtless defeat the reelection of Mr.
Saunders, or of any pronounced Republ-
can who will go into the party caucus. If
this expectation should be verified, it
would involve the loss of one vote. The
legislature of Colorado is closely balanced,
with senator to elect, and with a bitter
fight going on between the Teller and Hill
factions, which leaves the result there in
doubt. There is returned majority of
twelve Republicans in the legislature of
Illinois. with violent feudS that are certain