Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-03
THE SAGE OF COLORADO.
A Specimen Of the Horse Sense
Of Congress man Bedford.
The Fiery Mountaineer Talks
Truthfully on the Navy.
A Pen Picture of Claus Sp coke Is,
the Hawaii n Of the Coast.
The Ideal OH ,eholder Dead.

WASHINGTON, January 80. Jim
Belford is a red headed congress.
man who represents the great
ttae Of Colorado all alone IN
the house. He has red hair, y red
nose and a red beard. He is
known as the "Red-headed Rooster #
the r okies" ia the silver country
HIS red ~hea5edness Is what frat i'm
presses you on looking at him Hats
picturesque enough without what was
termed IA debate the other day 1.-THE
colder hair of my silver, tpugued
friend" He always carries his red
head on n side In a cocky way. He
alwaye carries a cigar in tho lett side
of his mouth. His clothes are worn
as clothes are worn in the mining
countries, and he looks "a though he
would like to put his trousers in his
boots. He is representative and
torceful, and rather apt to impress
you as somebody from somewhere.
he is q bright and busy man, with his
hands full # affsirs. He Is interested
In mines, ia the Yellowstone park and
in half a deer other enterprises. Ee
has some means and a very respeets-
BILE reputation q 2 ta(ker.
Bedford is said TO be popular In Col
orado, and Ishould think he would be
as q Colorado type Of marked in.
tensity. He he popular around the
hotels and the cafes here, and in the
house he can always get q hearing.
This may be partly due to We fact
that he is believed to be ready ITO ''act
ugly" if the speaker declinee to re.
cognize hirs, But, of course, this be.
lief would not give him an cadence.
1t is his bzevity and rough wit tina,
hold tho house whenever 10 speaks,
which is seldom The other day
when the naval bill was vnder con.
siderstioc, he arranged with Chairman
Page, Of the committee of the whole,
for a FIVE minutes talk. When the
moment came Bedford wat entertaining
a select company with select stories
fresh from Colorado. But Page
was not to be entrspped into
a poesib e quarrel wish Bedford,
"rhe gentleman FROG Colorado
will take the f%ioor," said Page
SHARPLY, rapping meanwhile with 4
heavy gavel-''the gentleman from
Colorado will take the hoor." The
'f Der" is not often reserved for any
one, and Bedford appreciated the com
piiment. He got up, and, fresh from
his fresh stories, got Of the folio wing
which Is characteristic enough to b,
read in full: 81 desire to make tn,
clear and unequivoca. statement tina
[ know nothing whatever about THU
bill. I eve saw the ocean until las
summer. I represent a state wher,
We DAY forty cents atarrel for water
land yet 1 believe it to be my duty I,
discuss, as an enlightened statesman
this great question. I have been her
for four days waiting the passage O
this bill. I have been edited an,
electrified by the learned dlscourees o
Rear Admiral CalkiEs, from Indiana
ard Ct Commodore Anderson, from
z ansas, the western part of whose stat
does not contain water enough t,
fresh a salt mackerel. Then 1 hav'
been absolutely delighted by tn
learned dissertation by the gentleman
from Georgia, whose vision evldentl!
rests upon d sand hill where there j
not water enough to mellow a swee
potato. This whole debate remind
ne of a sermon 1 heard delivered ono
by a distinguished African preacher
Said he: Brethren, we have assemble,
here on the sacred abbAth day to dis
@ouss great and sacred questions. Il
the first place, I will proceed to dis
oass some matters about which Ikno,
q little and you know nothing. 1
the second place, 1 will proceed to dis
euss matters COM ernipg which 20
know q little and I kno,
nothing. W. will then conclude wit
elaborate dissertations on question
about which none of us know any
tripg.' And that has been the cor
dcct and character Of this discussio
during these four days. But 1 roe
for the purpose of calling the attei
ton of the house to this fact: TIL,
thu days of this session are shorter
inc; that there are great and impo
tant national questions in which til
people are deeply and vitality int
ested, and to the consideration
which we ought to give earnest after
ton. refer especially to the consi'
Grafton of the tarif bill. In IL
J nsme Of God, let the statesmen fro
the prairie Htates, that have no wat,
!, and expect to get meme, allow us
expedite the passage of this bill
So sensible q statesman will be hear
from In the future.
Claus Spreckles, who has a mon'
Q poly of the Hawaiian sugar trad
. which is worth from enc million
s twenty millions a yeas, looks like
8 good old Pennsylvania Dutchmal
: He is short and stout, with a fat fac
bald head frlnged witf gray hal
3 and hes a gray beard and wears 90
3 eye.glasses, and speaks bgoken En
lish very brokenly. He has been he:
y for several days to see tina. the rec
procity treaty with Hawai-, which
the foundation of his monopoly, Is n,
sbrogated. If the treaty u to be a
% rogated he wants Hawaii annexed
the United States. In any evel
he wants a good grip On %aws'
Still, he says: II hat no monopol
Dsir are tree udder reiners In Sa
Frantciso and We fights all the tin
shust like other rifals. The sgg
49,