The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-04-15
Written for the FLoRIDIAN1
Brief Sketches OF Dissamg uiS Sh ed
Statesmen Of TO.day-NO. 3.
j. +. EITZGER AID.
Hon. James B. Becl, i'nittm States Senator from
Kentucky

II
1922 He received academic education in
the land of his birth; came over to America in
hls early manhood and settled in Kentucky.
| He graduated in law at the Transylvania Uni
versitv in Lexington, in March, 1886 and built
| up quite IN extensive practice.
He was nominated by his district and elected
| Representative TO the FOrtieth Congress, and
also 10 the Forty frs, and Forty second, after
| which he declined a denomination. In 1876 he
| was elected as Democrat 10 succeed John W.
| Stevenson IN the United States Senate. and took
| his seat the following March in 1882 he was
| returned for a second term
Senator Beck is a prominent member Of the
Committee on Finance and the Committee on
| Appropriations, and bears pretty much, for his
side of the chamber, the brunt OF the discussions
! arising from the bills reported by these commit
| tees.
On the floor OF the Senate Mr. Beck is not
! brilliant. but follow him through one debate and
| YOU will not fail to be convinced of his thorough
craftsmanship. You will not pronounce him an
orator, but IN regard to his abilities as a cgisa-
| tor, YOU will have no doubt whatever. When il
! is his duty 10 be there, he is invariably in his
| seat in the Senate chamber but al other times
| in those places where the real labOIS of lccisa
! ton are performed, he will he found working
always with an intense and concentrated en-
! ergV.
Few public men discharge their duties to- their
constituents and "a their country faithfully
aud as scrupulouSly rs he. Nothing is 50 minute
as to escape his conscientious attention. and
| there Is = dignity, an eaInestncss. a manly frank
| ness about him that attracts one irrcsistby
II is impossible to hear him speak without
| feeling tha, he is IA man into whose hands may
! be satcI committed the political welfare of the
! people without being fully persuaded that he is
! hlgh-mnded, whole sOulcd, honest hearted
guardian Of the peoples trust He is strong
and ready dchater; n very rapid speaker and
I there is scarcely question brought before the
Senate that he does not seem to have sled
thoroughly, his honest clcaT-si ghtcdncss being in
every way a match for Yankee shrcwdness
lie advances his views in bold and fearless
and manly way, defending his position always
with marked ability, and | doub, if his oppo-
nrnls often find more formidable antagonist.
Though fierce and impcllcnt he may sometimes
seem III the heat OF debate, he is, notwihsrand-
ln@, always t"rbcarng with others, his kind
hraitcnres and amiability being well known.
He has no patience with ritllng, nor the pO-
li)ical pr"tligacy that wastes so unsrrnpulously
ihr peoples time and money as the following
hr'"i extract from debate in n former Congress
All testify Grave questions affecting the best
lN,' rests oi tins people are before the Senate
questions relative to taxation measures seeking
- relieve the people from burdens; to the
tending al oar commerce to ail them in a va
1 rl"ty oil ways, but they have all been set aside,
perhaps forever III This Congress, and il political
debate, meaning nothing, asking Tor nothing,
proposing nohing, has been kept before lhc Sen
3
country, and to enable some Senators to make
the people believe somewhere that there are
members here who were seeking to destroy their
liberties aud overthrow thclr constitution and
laws. Therefore say that
in all his dcba'c have taken no interest what
ever, but have sought to bring these questions to
vote and 10 proceed with 'hc legitimate bust
ness OF the country. de-
sire practical legislation; | want peace and
want harmony | want Louisiana. Alabama
and south Carolina {" mliniain the same rela-
tiOnS in this great country that Vermont Massa-
chusct. and New Hampshire do insist that
every man. black or white, rich poor, Dem.
ocrat or Republican, shall stand equals be-
toie the law
And As an instance of his high and imperative
sense of duty, and the tcmerity with which he
attacks measures and those who advocate them
when he feels called upon to do so. | quote
from his speech on the report of the Commit
tee of Conference upon the bill III. r. 5535) to
reduce internal revenue taxation, delivered in
the Senate on March 2d, 1883
Mr.. PRESIDENT If this important report is to
pass by default in this way wish to say few words
in opposition to it if can. For the first time dur
ng this session am suffering with such cold that
/ can hardly speak above my breath. Indeed this
morning could not. But as the yeas and nays have
been called for, if nobody desires to oppose it, while
am not able to do myself or the subject justice,
will do the best can to furnish what ! consider
good reasons why il ought not to be concurred in.
cannot follow the details of this miserable fraud
further; my voice is gone and am suffering but
madca speech on the 18th of January i'll this pres
cncc have never been deceived about this bill
then said desired to make record and place il
where the people of this country should see ii that
in the next presidential campaign, if you please,
when the senator from ono perhaps may he the
opposing candidate to the Democratic nomlnees-I
do not think the Senator from Vermont has any as
pirations-l wanted to have record made OF what
was done as knew we should at last have
q l.; INN III pitb ~ HOuSQ 1pSiFpI
knew they would find some way, by hook or crook,
in a secret conference where they would give way
each other in the interest of monopoly, and
against the taxpayers of the country, to fix up Sc
crely such report they have, and that we should
he driven to iust where we are now. 1t is said that
| the Senator from Ohio has signed the report.
| That need not deceive anybody; he would not have
il beaten for his right arm, if he did not get
all he wanted On the 2d day of January said-l
desire to put it again upon record if the Senator
from North Carolina will be kind enough to read it
! for me
Mr. Vance read
| This bill or some bill | fear good deal worse
than tho bill which passes the Senate, will in all
probability pass both Houses before the Attn of
March if so, the facts now placed upon the perma-
records of the country will constitute this jus
tification Of those of us who vote against IT, not
only for votes, but for any future effort we
may make to obtain the relief which the country
! demands, but which feel assured this Congress
! docs not propose to give.
/ have very faint hope Of success in making val
/ liable important TcuucuOnS ana IL we do | have
still less of having them taned in the bill which
! will become law The protectiOnsts are all look
| inr to the all-powcrful conference committee for
the results they desire. Four men at last will frame
the bin. and they will he sure to give the men who
rcly on legislation to enrich themselves all they can
On all provisions of Importance to the mOnopOlists
which the Senate has increased or kept in better
shape for the protected interests than the House
has the House cOnfcrees will concur in the pro-
visions of the Senate amendments, and having done
that much to oblige the Senate the Senate conferees
will of course reciprocate their kindness by concur
ring in such increases and adjustments rs the House
conferecs can show that tGer action has made in the
same direction
Thus the bill will be made more oppressive than
either house would make il. | expect, in short to
be called upon to vote, as a whole without the
right to amend. alter, or even protest, for worse
hi III than either House passes and therefore propose
| TO give nv reasons for demanding reductions now
while we can consider the items in detail | pro-
pose to appeal from Congress to the country and to
| make up the record now. OF course one of the
| three conferecs of each House will be Democrat
and in favor of reduction of taxes but he will not
he needed in the conference and need not even sign
the report.
Whatever else may be said about the Senator from
Ohio and the measures he presents the boldncss of
his statements and the courage with which he advo-
Gates them are certainly admirable and the au-
| dacty with which he denounccs the action of the
Senate and the action of the committee of which he
is distinguished member, and in violation of all
the rules of the Senate he well understands.
auds the action of the House of Representatives
wiser and better than the action of the Senate and
tells us defanty that he will vote against this bill
less provisions at his dictatOn made to conform
to the action ofthe House, certainly is worthy of ad
mraton at least for the bodness of the position he
| assumes He tells us in substance that, unless this
| oJ hit,h To- ti,n