Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-11-25
The SPEAKERSHIP.
Pleasant Pen Sketches of the
Three Candidates.
Carlisle a thoughtful Man, Cox a
Learned and Brilliant One.
Randall a Man Who is Ever Calm
but Quick and Emphatic.
The Men Who Nave Held the Posi-
tion in Years Gone BY.
Special CORRESPONDENCE of the Register.


cianssnd siztpsussss ere plasiag shuttle
rock ~tth the speakcrship, sending it now
to this man, and then to that.
Professionals of this sort are never at
rest. They can only be passive in thun.
derstorm. 1t is wonderful what capabili-
ties for management" these fellows have!
They are fitting everywhere. Decency
runs off of them as the rate runs from the
roofs. Yet they are vain enough to think
that men must listen to them. Kind lis
tenirg is often an act of the most delicate
interior modification. The statesmans
power Of suffering is the grandest merchan-
disc of his life.
Vanity is the most com Portable OF vices
ard the professional has lots of it.
The candidates for the Speakership are
in their first heat and haven't fully un-
folded what is in them, but the
nearness of the caucus makes them
wiStful.
Carlisle.
Any morning, about ten o'clock, you
may see, coming out Of the Riggs House,
a man something above medium height,
slender of build, with a smooth, pale, stu
Gent.like face, written all over with intel.
lectuality. His head is covered with thin
reddish brown hair, and he wears a beaver
hat after the manner of William VI. Eyarts.
That's John G. Carlisle. His face is kind,
his voice is agreeable and his manner,
though not inviting, is cordial. Carlisle
l,. oil hp
shows ii. He is u great book worm and
great thinker And the hardest thing in
the word, By reader, is TO think real
thought. He is un4uestionably the ablest
mn on the Democratic side of the House.
No man, on either side claims equality
with him IS a lawyer. In the discussion Of
constitutional questions, Robeson perhaps,
more than any other member, came nearest
10 him, since Garfield's time. Tucker, Of
Virginia thought he did, bat he didn't; he
lacked the profundity OF all these men
where He Has Born.
Carlisle has Just turned his forty eighth
year. He was born in what is now Ken
ton, formerly known as Campbell county,
Kentucky, September s, 1885. He studied
law under old Governor John w. Steven
son, Beck's predecessor in the Senate. He
was State Senator. Lieutenant Governor,
and Presidential eleCtOr before he had
re.ched two-sCore.
He came into the Forty.Fifth Congress
clothed with modesty, and Randall gave
him plenty of time for recreation, locating
him ON the Committees on Expenditures
in the Navy Department, Ventilation OF
the Hall, and the Census. Carlisle had
B nj. Butler as a colleague on the last
committee, and ere long the Essex states
man discovered that his co-worker was a
profound lawyer. And yet Carlisle has
never served on the Judiciary Committee.
In the Forty.siXth Congress lie was on
Ways AMI Means with such as Fernando
Wood, Conger, Kelley, Dunnell, Phelps,
FIVE, Morrison and others, protectionists
and ree-traders, and contradictions ON the
tsrlil, generally.
disputed with them.
How They work IL.
Very few biz scores are made in Con-
eIess solely from what man has in him.
Bills, Jobs, and committee reports are the
auiunCts which help fellow looking for a
r, i,utation. 'Tis only ability of the first
O, der that can quiet the tumult OF general
q btte end hold the ear of the House.
Carlisle has his ability. His voice, how
ever. is not strong. 4 speaker needs to
bsye good lungs. Carlisle is universally
respected. He was always Union man,
81 fought hard to keep Kentucky under
u q stars ard stripes. He fayors revlslo
0. the present tariff and leans strongly
Il NrrG the doctrines of free trade. Some
~ ,,ey,ry best men on the Democratic
sic Of ne House are supporting HIM tor
| the Sperkersh:p, among them William Il.
" rri,Op. of Illinois. an able, conscientious
u IN yLu Was Mr.. Kerr's first lieutenant
| 81 yplrs age, and chairman OF Ways
d VI, n. IN the Forty fourth Congress,
! vh:cu Ir. ktI7 wa&Speaker,
.Sunse," Cox.
No n.sn in the House has had as many
V, ars OF service as Coz. Not counting the
| Forty eighth Congress, he has served elev
! an terms twenty-five years. He repre-
sented the Columbus Ohio district in
the Thirty fifth, Thirty sixth, Thirty-sev
e,lh and Thirty eighth Congresses-eight
years, therefore, from Ohio. When he
first entered the House 10 is5,, James i
Orr. Of South Carolina, was Speaker.
Franklin Pierce made him Secretary OF
legation TO Peru, in 1856, after ne hsd
given ur the editorship OF the Columbus
Statesmen. In 1865 he removed to New
York. After law practice there OF four
yesrs, he was sent to the Forty-tirst Con-
gress. be was a candidate for Representa-
tive at Large in the Forty third Congress,
and beaten by Lyman Tremain, but he SUB
s.quently got in as the successor of Jim
Brooks, who died during his term. Kelley,
o; Pennsy lyania, has had
A Larger Continuous Service,
but Cox has had as many terms. He was
IN the House four years before the
Judge got there. The latters first
term was the Thirty y-seventn. OF all those
who were in the House during the stormy
period OF the rebellion, these two men,
with Randall, are the only ones now in
that body. Many memories cluster around
them.
Cox is nearing three score. He was born
at GAINESVILLE, Sept. 30, 1924. He has stood
the wear and tear OF political life remark
ab. V well. He is snail, thin, wiry, jerky
in bis movements, and an untiring
worker. Apart from the law, he
is the best read man in Congress.
His intellectual scquis ons are profound.
Many OF his speeches are the rich over
fuwipgs OF a copious erudition. He has
resdy genius and his wit is boundiess.
Like FaIstaff, he is not only witty himself,
but the occasion of IT by example in others.
He has written books aud pamphlets, con-
rrituted articles on political economy, the
arts and sciences, TO our best magazines
end periodicals. I doubt il there be so
good a scholar,
40 Cultured u Man
IN public life to-day.
Cox has strong voioe and was in the
Spesker's chair for q spell after kerrs
death. He is an sdroit parliamentarlsn
There is vast deal OF reason
and Justice in his candidacy. Dot
think it's q sentiment. Il isn't Look at
the men tehind nim-Hewitt, DJrsheimer.
Siocum, Potter. Felix Campbell, Hutch
ms, John II. Bsgley snd Perry Bs.m mt
Then there's VIM. F. Robinson, whp
,erved in Congress vita Kenneth R,ynor,
Alexander Stephens and Abraham Lincoln
nesrly forty years ago. o..
Cox" said a New England membe rs
n many things superior to either o! the
other candidates ! know his attainments,
his culture, his versatility, his skill IS q
parlsmentsrian. l grant all, Yet there
seems to be to be about him want ot sin
cerity. Cox is what call 'tinnicky'; h.'
restless. His humor has put life into the
House, but hash't it helped 20 kill him
He has enjoyed large share OF public at