National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-03-18
FROM BUENO BURRO.
IN THE CORRIDOR AND RoTuNDA.
Democracy To-Day and Yesicrday--Jcro Black and
Ills Faiher-An Ugly Cabiuet-Au Tx.
Iloss.Thicf-Thc Morey Letter
Texas Story.

and was supplemented with the admOniuon-
"Now that wasn't fuir Tn IN private life, you
know, md am no longer public property. Be.
sides that, what DO you know about my being
reminiscent
"Rnow about II? why you arc boiling over with
"reminiscences; 1rst.closs ones they are, too; top.
pcrs, i'm fact"
"Thots all very we'll by way of apology for
dragging mo into THE REPUBLICAN; but you had
no right to do IT," responded the Judge.
"well! well! Right or wrong, THE REPUBLICAN,
IS good paper and you couldn't have been
dragged, ns You call it, into more respectable
journalistic quarters"
Then answered the Judge "True enough; THE
REPUBLICAN Is good newspaper, and bright
one, too. But It's columns are not exactly the place
wherein an old. time Democrat like myself would
expect TO figure"
"Excuse me, Judge, but whatcyery you may have
been In the past don't believe you're n Demo-
crat now. / mean you are not Bourbon, you
know"
"Perhnps not; that Is TO say, I've always voted
the Democratic tickct-voted 1t from habit sup
pose-wheucvcr and wherever I've had Il vote, and
always expect TO do so. But parties are not what
.hey used to be when was partisan"
4" How is that?"
Z" We'll, now" answered the Judge, drifting un.
Willingly into reminiscent vein, they seem to
have changed places somewhat, aud there's no
fixed principles at stake with either Of them. You
take the old Democratic party for instance,
THE OLD JLrrFRsoNGAN DEMOCRACY,
imcau, that was once proud to belong to. Well,
docs seem to me that the spirit of progress and
development with which it was inspired has been
in these latter days almost wholly absorbed by the
Republicans They've got the swing-the Re-
publiCaus, mCan-now. days, and sometimes
mink they are the lcit. it.handCd heirs Of the pro-
gressrts leaders Of the country the leaders OF tl
old times ghen the democracy bad real leaders.
AS for the rcG. or legitimate Successors or heirs
they are just aboht thirly.third cousins TO the
Democracy ofmy day, and are more unlike their
predecessors than remote cousins generally are
Its struggle between the ins and the outs;
lint II, Judge%'
"You'ro right there. Now, tell me If you can
md know You can't, what side of the tariff qucs
hon this modern Democratic party Is on2 No, sir,
It's struggle, rs YOU say, between the ins and the
eus. It's all Office hunting and running for Office,
hrst on ono platform and then upon another
"You were in Congress forty-odd years ago,
believer
ayes, came to the House in 1899 as successor to
James X. Polk, who had then been elected Governor
Of Tennessee. That's good while ago, chi to a
youngster like you? Why ! served with Jere
Blacks father, and Jerc Black-let me see, he must
be nearly sevcny.hyc years old now"
"Wlth Judge Blacks inther?
"Ncs, indeed; and the way the old gentleman
happened to be elected was this; There was a va.
rAuCy in his district for the special session called
by President Harrison in 1871, and
THE DEnopATs OR LocoFocos
had about made up their minds to run the Judge
Jero Black, mean, If they had doneso he would
have been elected beyond all doubt, for the YORK
district was as close us any in Pennsylvania, But
he Whgs had their eyes wide oren, and sud-
denly brought his father out as their candidate.
New, Jere had reverence for age, suppose, and
was possessed Of q feeling of iilial respect, per-
haps but, however that may be, he didn't run on
ihe Democratic ticket and the old gentleman was
llccted."
"Then YOU may be younger than Judge Black 2"
"Ofcourse I am and that's the strange part of
4. While was the contemporary of his father,
am Junior in years to the son, you see"
You've got the advantage of him there, besides
being better looking man than he is."
"He isn't handsome that's fact old men sell
dom are, and don't think there's any of that kind
Ofseldomness about me. Now, there's Trueman
Smith, of Connecticut. Talking gof old men and
ugly men, he's an example. Smith must be
ninety years old If he's day. lie was in tho
House with me, too, before he was elected to the
Senate, and remember good one on him. Some
enthusiastic Western and Southwestern Demo-
crats thought away back in 1862, when Pierce was
nominated at Baltimore that Senator Rusi, of
Texas, was Just the man for them as candidate for
President, and they called on him to fix things. l
don't think he swallowed the bait; at any rate, he
didn't jump at it greedily. But he began talking
RGout It, and finally said half in Joke and halfin
earnest, that he wouldn't run unless he could be
permitted TO select his Cabinet in advance, 30 that
the people would indirectly vote for them, his
constitutional advisers, as well as for himself
Then one fhis admirers asked whom he would
select for such Cabinet. In reply he announced
the names Of several Of
THE uGLIEST. LOOKING MEN,
Including Dick Scurry Of Texas, and General Bill
Richardson. of Illinois. in q Cnuutry-pupuUh fF
Them the Cabinet, except one place. Evidently
there wcIe not enough ugly men in his memory
Mt the time to go around. But II happened he
looked ont of his window just then-he lived at
the old Kirkwood lIouse-and who should
come riding very uwkwHrdly on horseback up the
Avenue hut Trueman Smith. There's the man.
he exclaimed, there's the man for the vacancy in
my ugly Cabinet; just the man we want, and 1t
must be n part OF the compact that Smith shall
always ride to Cabinet meetings on horseback"
"NOur son Henry, JudgC-will he come back to
Congress"
mot he was the reply; that is, | think not
They wanted him to run again after the short term
he served but you see his position in Louisville is
better in every regard than being in the House.
The Courier Journal Is great paper, and as editor
Of II Henry has more prominence and wiclds
more influence than he would or could IN Con.
greSs. Besides don't think he's rich enough for
public life, Perhaps I'm mistaken, but in these
degenerate or progressive days--I don't exactly
know which they arc-it seems to me thatits only
wealthy men who can afford TO remain perma.
nently in political life"
Before the distinguished subscriber had time to
nsk the Judge his for this assertion about
wealthy men, the conversation was interrupted
by the appearance of one
col. RICHARD WGSTERsMITH, A GENTLEMAN, SIR, |
and story.teller of high degree; rOmancer. TO |
use paradox whose tales are always true In |
fact, Colonel Wintermith differs from Colonel |
Ochtrec, not only because his name Is Dick while |
the latter's Is Tom but because his tales are illus
trated and permeated with an evident moral-Lc |
Dick goes In for moral, while TomieXercises his .
talent In the artistic arrangement of rhetorical |
TalnbOws. 1t will be conceded, then that Colonel |
Dick is naturally Il welcome companion And he |
knows every one, as every one knows him. on the
occasion in question he was not asked to move on,
and in due course developed an anecdote worth
repeating.
GIVE been thinking about old Zeb Ward" he
began.
"Zeb wardl" exclaimed. Judge watterson, 81
remember; lie has lived all over Tennessee Ken.
tucky Missouri and Arkansas was States prison
or penontary contractor, think, all around
that section Of the country"
"Yos," said Colonel Dick, "that was old 2eb's
profession, keeping Jail, ] remember once when
he was keeper of tho Kentucky pentenuary he
had young man there prisoner who had early
developed u keptomania for ropes and hNltors
with other peoples horses at one end of them,
you know. Well, this young hopeful was stand.
ing in the prison yard .one day looking ever so
doleful when old .Zeb Osked him what was the
matter? Dye see that ar hoss, and dye hear
him clatterin' up the turnpiko?' rejoined the
prisoner, Zeb looked and listened, and saw and
heard fine horse being ridden up the turnpikc