The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-03-21
How Senator Jones Hs NMlsrepre.
semGe@. M
ondence Of the Philadelphia Press.l

Correspondence of the Philadelphia Pressl
WASHINGTON, March 7.-Senator Jones, OF
Florida, whose name was accidentally printed In
stead of that of Senator JONAS in the special dis
patches to the Press, and several other papers Of
prominence as one of the four Democrats voting
against ex-senator Conkling's confirmation TO the
Supreme Bench, seriously regrets the misprint
This warm-hearted Irish-American was notably
one of Senator Conkling's best friends on the
Democratic side of that body, and probably no
affirmative vote on either side was given with
more hearliness than his own. When Mr. Jones
entered the Senate seven years ago, he was not
yet forty one years of age, selfeducated man,
whom the force of circumstances had brought
to the front in an aristOcratc, old Southern COM
munity. He was at a disadvantage, even among
his own party, in the Senate. Though the SON
of deceased surgeon in the British army in
India, and therefore of considerably better birth
than the average Irish emigrant, his early life
had been cast in an humble lot. He worked as
a carpenter till some years after his marriage, his
wife. who was born in a condition somewhat
above his own, stimulating his ambition and
helping him TO educate himself He is man of
powerful frame, six feet one and half inches
high; of sandy hair and ruddy complexion,
which grows redder and redder under the slight
est embarrassment Having served no preliminary
apprenticeship in the House, he felt and looked
a stranger 10 Washington ways, and the crude
force which the discerning one saw in the man
was called "terribly raw material " by the casual
observer. He sat nearly opposite Senator Conk-
ling, for whom his rugged physical strength
seemed from the first to have fascination
After he had once risen in his seat for q brief
maiden effort, blushing fearfully all the while,
Senator Conkling came over to him, laid his
hand on his shoulder, and whispered: You
have way of standing wonderfully square in
your feilocks. / like it."
HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR coNKLUG.
IT. D~1l. =
session, Senator Jones, who thinks independently
and fearlessly if sometimes wrongly, was the
only Democrat who commended against the right
of the Senate to try the ex-SecretarY. At the
close of his speech to that effect, Senator Conk-
ling rose and said in substance: The argument
OF the young Senator from Florida is convincing.
/ own that to me 1t throws new light on the
matter" The New York Senator's own speech
on that case, in executive session, have heard
Senator Jones say, was the finest he ever heard
him make. OF course, 1t never got into print,
but for logic and ingenuity, and q general inn
pressiveHess 1t was a two-days' feast of fatness.
The kindly feeling so early begun between the
polished, superintendent New Yorker, and the
deep chested, raw-boned, Ingenious exotic of
Erins sod was never dimmed by betrayal on
either side No congratulations were more
hearty than those of Senator Conkling, when
the Florida Legislature returned Senator Jones
for second tenn and / never heard any other
expression than that OF manly, almost fraternal
sorrow from the latter over Senator Conklings
retirement from public life, and bis reiterated
avowal that the imperious, sensitive New Yorker
was one of the greatest men of his generation.
You can therefore see why he would much
rather the Louisiana Senator should have his due
in the matter of the vote Again, on general
principles, / think big, stalwart-framed man
never likes TO be COMPOUNDED with little one
and Senator Jonas is small and slight chesied,
with pronounced Jewish features while Senator
Jones is ripening into one of the most command
ing looking men in physical presence that the
Senate boasts.
MATRIMONIAL RUM0Ra
After decorus term of widowerhood, report
says that he has now reciprocated attachment
toward the daughter of an arisiocratic Newbury-
port family, attractive lady far from thirty
in years, who visited Major Ben. Perley Poore
and wife here a year ago. Should this result
matrimoniallv, it will be one of many suspicious
marriages, the parties to which first met and
loved each other at the home like Ebbitt House.
that of Miss Elinor Sherman, the Generals third
daughter, and Lieutenant Thackara, u. s. N,
now resident in Philadelphia. being another.
The Florida Senator above mentioned is the
victim in another newspaper case of mistaken
identity with Senator Jonas. The current num-
Der of Puck, in its double page cartoon, entitled
" A Freshet of Frauds" has big headed mana
kin with his features, and labeled Jones" on
one of the floating RATS grasping fifty million
bag of would-be plumber from the Treasury en-
titled Mississippi Levees, which is q pet scheme
OF Senator Jonas, not Jones. II is now in order
for the aggrieved Senator 10 write new version
of Edward Everett Hale's brochure, my
Double and How He Undid Me-"