Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-06-05
THE STATESMEN WHO TALK.
PecuIiarities of Some of the Congress
sionaI DebaIers.

Oh Some OF the congress
siOnaI DebaEers.
Washington Letter to the Baltimore American.
The London Truth has been anus
ing itself and readers by noting some
of the peculiarlties of prominent men
in public life in England. The great
men in this country have their peculi-
.arities as well as those in other coun-
tries An hour Ia the House will
demonstrate that fact to any close OBJ
server. For instance, 1t Is not an I'M
common thing to see a member Of
the House. while in his seat, scratch
his head, clean and pare his nails, run
his hands through his hair, tickle his
ear with a feather, or do any other
absentminded trihe which might
seem out of place elsewhere. Reagan,
of Texas. for instance, the eX Post
master General Of the COnfederacy,
is never at his best unless he has q
short string, wi,h the ends tied to-
gether, with which he may employ
his hands, pulling and twisting and
working it after the cat's-cradle"
fashion. Ii he does not have the
string, his next choice is some loose
pieces of paper, which ne tears INTO
bits, scattering chem about him until
the floor ia his vicinity looks as
though a sort Of blizzard had struck
it, Hewitt, of New York, has . queer
habit of crossing his legs when he
talks He usually gets into an aisle
between the seats, and, putting bis
hands on a desk at each side of him,
crosses his legs as he stands. When
he gets warmed up he can stand with
his legs crossed without holding on to
the desk. Judge Kelly, who is the
central figure on the Republican
side, does not talk much nova
DAYS. He is getting pretty
old, and recognizes this fact. The last
time he made a set speech in the house
he began by saying that he did not
know whether or not his strength
would be sufficient to carry him
through. He has wonderfully strong
voice for one of his slight physique,
and can make himself heard ia every
corner of the great hall. '"Tom"
Reed, of Maine, who sits near Kelley,
has a very Incisive manner, and is
probably as much at home on his feet
as any other man in the house. He
is never Hurried. He is not an orator,
and does not indulge much in gestures
when he speaks; but his antagonist is
usually glad when he sits down He
has way of saying cutting things,
and can be severe as well as witty
when occasion requires. Frank Hurd,
of Ohio, has a curious manner of
fingIng his arms out at right angles
with his body, giving him the appear
ance of flying machine. He walks
with a cane usually. one leg being
considerably shorter than it's fellow,
and finds difficulty in standing with
out it on any other occasion than that
of speech-making. When he gets
warmed up in his speech, however, he
forgets cane and leg and everything
else, and the way his arms fly is
caution to those within reach of
them. Holman, ''the objector," sell
dom strikes out from the shoulder in
making his gestures, as do most ora
tors. Nearly all his gestures are
simply by the motion of his hand, or
at least of the arm, from the elbow
down. He has o very funny way of
checking up his sentences, spectacles in
hand, with chopping motion of the
right hand, which is rather amusing
to the observer, but quiet annoying
to the gentleman who want to get
little bill through and cannot because
of Holman's objection.
Hewitt, of Alabama is a queer-look-
ing man at best, but when he is max
ing a speech he certainly presents a
very peculiar appearance. He has
way of pinching up his hand as if it
were half full of salt, and of stretch
ing it out, in making gestures, as if
he were trying to drop some of the
salt on the birds tail, and of then
drawing it back quickly as if his
fingers had been prlcked. General
Tom Brown, of Indiana, never began
speech IN his life unless both hands
were rammed down in his breeches
pockets, and he never takes more
than one of them out at a time for
purpose of gesticulation. But it is
the greatest and only Belford who has
the most particular way OF his own in
addressing the House. He was never
known to stand by his own desk. He
always takes possession of the aisle
adjoining, and sometimes he traverses
two or three aisles in the course of his
remarks. Bedford uses arms, legs,
lungs coat tails, and, in fact, every
available adjunct to oratory; and thus
1t is, perhaps, thathe attracts so much
attention. It has so often been re
marked that his speeches sound
much better taan they read. In the
Senate there are quite as many peculi-
arities, comparatively, as IN the
House. A visitor to the gallery of
the Senate may often hear the rat
Ting of a bunch of keys on the floor.
He may be sure that either Ben. Har-
rison, of Indiana, or Senator Hoar, of
Massachusetts,, are sitting entirely in
their seats. Both of these gentlemen
seem to be best able to unlock their
thoughts by rattling their keys in a
llstless way. Senator Groome, of
MarVland has q great WAY of mhirl=