New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-13
SKETCHES or SOME SENATORS
rDMlNps VEST. GARLAND. INGALLS, AND
TiIEiR COLbEAdUEH.

i
ann inclined ~ think ho was NJ rate not lar nom
| right Tho defect under witch MI Vest ahof' Vs. 81
course, serious ono IN public speaker nv" p'''H
lessons the effect he would otherwise It"hurr hut " "
offset IN his by perfect command ~ Inc EhknHh
language u thorough knowledge Of the subject he u
called npon 10 discuss and doStorons Use Of facts ana
agurc. to -upport She side the question hc takee lie
rarely hc-llacs fer word. He never seems I" po Nv
loss a correct expression Of his meaning "ith' h'
IL neither dinusc rambling In what nc mas 10 shy
His arguments the point, lucid and concise Inc
construction of his sentences leaves nothing To he desired
There il even a certain elegance and refinement In his
| alcton which are wanting. ~ rule, In eNtrlnpoio
| speeches. All thcsc qualities combined would tehn l"
make Senator Vest the foremost speaker IN congress h'
had only powerful voice. As 1t t. 1t seems Ia cost nun
an Effort 20 be heard. His voice Is frequently drowned III
the ham and noise Of the Senate Chamber and II rarely
reaches the more remote parts OF the gallery Those
however who are near enough 10 hear him enjoy his
spcaking though they always approve OF his sen
! tmcnts
Since he was elected preside oycrthc deliberations "f
the Senate Mr. Edmunds has rarely been heard on inc
floor OF the chamber He is not brilliant speaker nor
does he make any attempt 10 he He IA Thought
however to be the ables lawyer in the body. Whenever
he has any thing say he gets up and states 1t in quiet
business-like way. There r. no attempt at rhetoric
Fine phrases not his failing He seems Indifferent 10
tie impression he may produce In the same oven tone
Of voice he goes on Calculating point after another
|
WINGED that Is who has the happy faculty OF
stating the entire question under consideration, clearly
ntclgiby and without the waste OF single wordh n"I
the time that others require. His arguments are lcu
and pcrspcuous. lie talks above an ordinary con"
vocational tone and his delivery cold and matter
fact in character his manner toward his colleagues
Like many able men, he has few personal friends ana Is
| decidedly unpopular among Senator'S. Newspaper men
he abhors Indeed II he had his own way, he would close
the galleries them. The proper way In MS oIhi"h'
for the public to get knowledge OF the proceedings oi
Congress 10 read The congressional Record IL Is Iact
worthy Of notice however, that Mr. Ednnnd1 according
TO the returns dsbnrsng clerk of the Senate Is
regular subscriber eight daily newspapers He ap-
pecates their value. apparently, in some respects
Senator Garland OF Arkansas Is. next to Edmunds re-
putcd to be the best lawyer In the Senate Ills see'"'s
brstle with references Wallaccs LXVI page 53G3i9;
or Pctcrss c. page 3240l6 and illusions Of that sort
lie is not very interesting man to listen TO- the subjects
he ordinarily discusses being dry, but what he says il
said in a straightforward manner, with no attempt W
effect and voice heard in every part OF the chamber
One OF tho most effective speakers in the senate MI
ingalls,; and he knows it. lie has q fine voice. with
manly ring TO it, which II heard on every possible oc-
oasion. by any means intended to disparaSe
the Senator from Kansas on the contrary, 1t rather
shows what interest he takes ill., and what attention tic
! paws to, everything that is going on. have otten
thought that must be in his veins little drop 81
| Irish blood lie seems happy whenever he can get
/
badgerng clever IL does seem to do hi' heart
GOOD tn overhaul a political antagonist or display his
powers of sarcasm some unfortunate victim Whom nc
has caught mapping lie is never so much IA his element
as when short sharp discussion arises which permits
tbc free uae OF nvcctive Just tingcd with little person
ality In short suspect he loves to hear himself talk
though that would to be quite natural since others
never object listen to him There Is, however some
thing theatrical I'm his manner OF speaking something
forced which does not always impress you very favor
ably When he he looks like an exclamation point
so thin and emcated does he appear and tight aud
close fitting are his clothes. lie is given to be sen
tentious and il fond OF laying down the law Some
times he will perch upon assertion and call 1t arguments
the result being that he Is in while taken up by
loss brilliant colleague perhaps, at any IA
thorougbly Informed one and then he subsidies for
short time Senator Hoar laid him out cold in this
manner the other day, and did Vance. and think
one Of the new Senators who sits on the Amen row.
viz the last and least desirable Of the four rows OF
cbars i'm the chamber But nobody doubts That MI In
| calls is man Of great ability, fine talker, and one
whom his associates and the public are always willing to
| listen to-
The Democratic side contains unusual number OF
lesser lights" Senator Salisbury is the Democratic
Inralls-but only in outward form. He is Just as thin
and tall though he does not carry himself rs straight
and II compared Mr. Ingalls, just to exclamation
mint should he more in Mr. sausburys
likened him point of Interrogation which somebody
had intellectually attempted to straghten out. Here the
comparison between the two men ends ingalls, Is man
OF brains; Salisbury moro like Gratano OF whom
Bnssano said: lie speaks an infinite deal OF nothing
more than any man in all Venice His reasons two
grains Of wheat hid in two bushels OF chaf You shall
seek all day ere you them and when YOU have them
| they are not worth the search"
Senator Williams. of Kentucky, who will hc succeeded
nv Joe Blackburn looks somewhat like the knight OF
the Docful Countcnance though he is decidedly better
fed and mas a deal than the poor Don.
their special champion just as much as Congcr does
the Republican side. Williams loves his little Joke and
introduces i'll his speeches whenever he 1t Is apt
however to 90 on at the wrong time, sign thai
| lie has cranIled beforehand. lie has also fatal
facility for quoting popular sayings. Mr.. Cougcr
name I Just mentioned, II not "A very ready speaker,
though his remarks filed with good, honest
sense He gets the scent OF rebel claim quicker
than any man in the Senate, and when he
fully traced il he nights it vigorously and generally
out with cocrs In lng. In this exciting sport il ably
assisted by Pat Of Connecticut liaTlcy his colleague
| and others the Republican side.
Some OF the best known men, like.5hcrInan, Bayard,
Beck Dawes and Anthony, cannot rank AZ orators.
Sherman IT Ia true always says something that worth
listening to- but he is hardly fluent speaker Bayard
hcstates pases, and seems sometimes for minutes at
lose to ind the word expression he Beck is
perfect stnreOuse OF facts and hgres his head full
tables and statistics but he chews his words mumbc4
| his sentences and frequently swallows them whole.
Dawes emphasizes every word with equal strength lie ia
like a triphamner whose noise may deafcn you at first
but which before long will put you to sleep Anthony
speaks rarely Of late. but hedoes II is painful watch
the effort It costs him TO 1nd the right
The man, however, 10 stir the Senate into c
the old fOges open their eyes in wonder and apazecnt
Senator Van Wyck lie cares little for the prOprees
Of the Senate understood by the dgnncd portion
Of that body lie will have his way and generally has it.
Senatorial courtesy" doesn't count for much with him.
| . cha .Tla
Thackeray would have called them feel thoroughly I'M
comfortable seems to be his chief delight As rule the
Senate with the few exceptions referred TO- enjoys the
interme-.o Even Mr. Edmundss seyerest frown cannot