News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-02-02
washington Notes.


the floor of the Senate he is regarded
as a sort of financial oracle, albeit the
utmost confidence is not Teposed in
his views, though the vastness Of his
information on the subject is admit
ted. He is q much more entertain
ing speaker on the stump than in the
Senate. His voice is as hard as the
lines of his countenance and his ges-
lures have IN up-and-down tendency
whichSnfake I'm seem like his own
oaunt frame, ali long and no wide.
/ Up-and -dovnness may be very good
quality in financier, but it is nothing
to brag of in gesture. Mr.. Sherman
is apparently always ready with argu-
ment. but he stammers at times in
way that suggests the embarrassment
of the school-boy. However, this
seems to be rather due to physical
than mental difficulty, for the SEN
fences always come as he starts them,
and sometimes even seem to crowd
each other.
Senator Garland is another man
who can command attention when he
addresses the Senate. He has clear,
full-toned voice, which he uses with
such perfect ease that it is a pleasure
to listen. He chooses words readily,
and uses them with lawyer-like precis-
ion. His gestures are very simple and
graceful, and on the whole he seems
to be entirely at home on his feet. He
speaks, generally, with the air of a
lawyer addressing a jury, whom he is
more anxious to convince of the just
ness Of his cause, by reason and sound
argument, than to entertain with any
flourish Of words or beauty Of ide as.
Mr.. Garland, like the other gentleman
l have mentioned, speaks without note
or manuscript, though his speeches
are well filled with quoted precedents
and cited authorities.
Senator Plumb of Kansas can prob
ably let loose more words in q given
amount of time than any other sena-
tor on the floor. Not even Mr.. Beck
with his manuscript can keep pace
with him, or even in sight of him. He
speaks without notes, in very high |
and not very pleasant voice, and swings
his arms with quite as much freedom
as the senator from Missouri. On the
street he might possibly be mistaken
for drover, and in his seat in the
Senate he looks trifle out of place
but once he gets on his feet the stu
alton changes. He begins with the
air of man who has something to
say, and proceeds to say it as though
in a hurry to catch train, and before
he has gone far train and al seem to
be going along With him. He is al
ways earnest, and, though modest
and retiring enough in appearance,
frequently aggressive and everresolute.
He never attempts any fancy flights,
but attends strictly to the business i'll
hand until it is finished.
Mr.. Beck is man Of burly form,
and one might guess his positive, even
aggressive character from his short
cropped, thick, black hair, which
stands out defantly from every point
of his scalp where hair has any color
of right to grow at all. He reads like
a whirlwind and emphasizes nearly ev-
cry sentence with a short, nervous
jerk of his right hand and forearm, as I
though he wished to drive it home and .
make it stick for all time. His head,
too, is made to do large part of the
gesturing, which may be forcible
enough, but looks as though it must be ]
tiresome. In the general running de-
bate in the Senate, Mr.. Beck frequent
ly takes leading part, and is always s
a ready, though never very graceful
speaker. What he has to say, how
ever, is always expressed in the Ian =
guage of this world. There are
'Words of learn ed length and thunderous sound" /
but of good plain Anglo-Saxon terms 7
there is no lack, and frequently, par ,
ticularly if IL little excited, as he often a
is, they come tumbling along in great
profusion. -
Mr.. Morrill, of Vermont is a man of
ponderous, though shapely form, Of
grave aspect" and looks ''the pillar
of state" indeed. He is the "tariff
heavy weight" and his speeches, at
least such as have heard, are heavy
as his subject. He speaks slowly and
deliberately, as though choosing words
with great care, although he seems to
have his subject well in mind and to
be ever ready with the proof for all
He is generally sure of
Mr.. Beck for an auditor, for the tariff
is one of that gentleman's ''pet sore
spots y and Senators Edmunds and
Anthony, who are his near neighbors
and chums, always give him q respect
ful hearing, th3lgh it seems to me to
be done as matter of duty. Other 7
senators apparently prefer to read up
the record after it is printed, as in
most other cases.
Nature has done more for Dan
Voorhees, than for most other members
of the Senate who aspire to be known
to posterity as orators, and there is no l
doubt that the Tall Sycamore, etc.,
has aspirations of this kind. He has
a fine figure and q most magnificent
voice, which he knows how to use to
good effect. The finance question is
his present pet, and he has given the
debate of the last few days the closest
possible attention. His speech on
this subject, before the recess, was
read from amanuscript which occupied
one of his hands and prevented an ex-
hibition of that grace of gesture for
which he is famed, but he got bet
ter hearing, nevertheless, than many
ofthose who have followed him, though
he has generously helped to swell the
audiences of all, whether they gave
him a hearing or not.