The Indianapolis journal., 1883-08-11
THE GREAT OBJECTOR.
Personal Peculiarities of Hon. W. S. Hol-
man-ToO Narrow for the Presidency

T. O. Craw ford, in Chicago News.
MIR. Holman is sixty-one years old, hut he doee
NOT look to be over fifty. He is above the me-
dunn height His figure is lean and large boned.
| His face has dry, harsh, uniuteresting look.
| HIS forehead is high and narrow. His eyes are
gray blue. His nose ie small and straight. His
cheek bones are as high and prominent as an In
dians. His mouth is very large and thin tipped.
Inc lips show the color of tobacco juice The
race is shaven down to the jaws, from wheEe a
sandy, thin growth of beard, thinly streaked with
gray, falls upon his breast. His hair is brown thin
and scanty. 1t is combed back and over, so as to
make slight crest. The Judge, as he is called,
has harsh metallic voice. possessing but little
IhHectlon, He Is very fond of talking, but his
manner is excessively dry and uninteresUing.
He never INDUCES in any play of fancy, and has
no more idea of humor than a Sioux He dresses
In careless suit OF black or duh brown He
wears always large soft black hat ana thick,
stout boots chopped out by the stoutest cobber
IN ms district Either one of these boots would
De neavy enough to anchor an ordinary yacht.
Ihe Judge, when he ia talking in the House,
has the hablt of making a tossing movement
with his right hand, if he were scattering
dement's to those about him. Some have likened
the menhanlcal play OF the Judges right arm to
the graceful movement OF the farmers daughter
paying out corn from the basket at her waist as
she calls the chickens about her.
Others I've criticized the gesture as one
Thoroughly inharmOnious with the suhjecJ-m mat
ter of the speech. Here" said one critic, sis
Mr.. Holman in the constant attitude OF paving
out with the widest berality, while the whole
House could not combine in any way to get one
| cent out of him.
Holman has great memory for public events.
and very complete knowledge OF the history of
the leading American statesmen He is pas
slonately fond of politics, and rarely be per-
suaded 10 talk about anything else Heloves to
pile his feet on a table settle back with a fresh
chew of tobacco, with his hat slouched over his
| eyes. and talk about Andrew Jackson
and Thomas Jefferson. He is essentially "a pro-
vlncial, and rural provincial at that. Living
in Cnnp
made but little change in his habits. His wants
in Washington are not much it any beyond the
requirements of his native village. He was born
on pioneer homestead in Indiana, and edu-
Gated in the CON mon schools of that State. As
lawyer he worked up to be judge OF the Court
| Oh Common Pleas, and from that post was sent
to Congress-, where he has always played the
one great role of 81 object"
In his private life he is very amable. He is
! very fond of his wife aud children. The hest
| thing about Judge Holman is mis- fonduess for
children. He is very religious man, and has
the provincial abhorrence of anything like ilber-
alIty. He has never acquired any great wealth,
but has enough to live with comfort in his In
diana home. He is very fond of talking to peO-
pie who will listen to him He does not mind if
you do not answer very often, but rambles on
with steady stream of political "reminiscences,
argument and criticism, which have large
threads of interest, although hidden in dun
style and manner.
] saw good deal of Judge Holman in trip
made in his company from Cincinnati to New
Orleans by steamboat last fail. He stood the
hard test of a three weeks confinement on board
| a steamboat as few men could. Never in all that
time was there the slightest change IN his man
ner He was always amiable, pleasant, and
| like all good travellers, inclined to make
the best of everything. 1t was a wonder
to me TO know when he slept. He was always
up in the morning before every one, and when
all the party was ready 10 go to bed the Judge
was always lett behind. He would be on
hand In the morning, talking easily, If he
were fresh a salad. All day he would talk
| Through the evening his tireless discourse
flowed on. When all his friends dropped off to
sleep the Judge would pick up what wakefuI
strangers he could, ana theL, when every con-
vePsatioual resource was swept away from him,
he would take out law book aud read late into
the night
understood that his opposition to nearly every
thing is regarded as matter of course. He is
\ candidate for the speakership, but has abso-
luoely no following.
1t would be hard work to make him into n real
presidential candidate. He. is too narrow and
too provincial. He has so little real knowledge
of the ways of the world and OF men, he is
easily imposed upon. While giving hm credit
for the best of motives, his career as an oppO-
signs of great character. he is a very stubborn,
honest, supplemented old gentleman, who bases
his Judgment OF the requirements of the entire
country upon the average need of the dis
trIcts of Indiana. Some of his enemies
say that he drinks, but no can say Mfr. Hol-
man neglects his public duties that account.
If he drinks he probably drinks as does many a
gentleman of the old schOOl-with discretion and
In way best adapted to please himself Dur
ing ten years. residence in Washington have
seen great deal OF Judge Holman. L also saw
him every day for three weeks last fall and /
have never seen him take even drink, nor
have seen him under the influence of liquor