Weekly Phoenix herald., 1885-02-12
THE LEADING LIGHTS.
In the Lower House cs the 18th
 Assembly o. Arizona.
What They Look L1Ixe-Hew they Talk and Act-A few
 Sketches en
 Silhouette.

IT. As you push back the swinging g V doors leading into the Assembly n Chamber, the first object to catch y your eye is the Speakers desk at {" the extreme end of the hall. The a gentleman who sits behind that
 desk and pres;des over the assembled c n wisdom of the lower House, will at Q once attract your attention; you see
 large well shaped head, hard> i some face, pair of keen gray eyes, 5 within whose depths there always s turks kindly smile. The head 3 is crowned by an abundant growth , of iron-gra hair, while the face is
 fringed by full beard of the same color. Now he rises to put a ques-
 tion and you see the broad shoulders,
 the compact and muscular build of
 the presiding officer, somewhat
 above the medium height; his avor- dl pois is equal to any man on the
 floor, and yet he does not seem to
 carry an ouEce of superfous flesh
 That is
 GENERAL ROLLINS,
 of Pima, whom the Thirteenth As
 sembly have elected 10 the honora>
 ble position of Speaker. As a pres
 siding officer he is prompt, correct
 and impartial; as a talker, he is
 one Of the best in the Territory. His
 delivery and his eloqution are near~
 ly always correct; his ideas are
 clear and never common place; his |
 arguments are always logical and |
 his subject full of good sense. In
 his manners, the General is one of | the most genial men in either House. |
 He possess the faculty of making
 friends and has always pleasant
 word and kindly smile for all who
 meet him. There probably never
 was a more popular and pleasant Speaker in an Arizona Assembly. CAPTAIN WATKINS.
 To your right, at the extreme rear
 corner of the hall, sits the gentle>
 man whose name heads this sketch.
 Tall and straight as an arrow, with
 a fine intelligent head; the Captain
 is man to attract attention any
 where. Save a brown mustache,
 slightly sprinkled with gray, his face is clean shavep, and shows in its every line, ffrmness softened by kindness and good sense. As Ee rises to address the House you will notice his right arm hangs limp by his side. It is constant reminder { to its owner of the great rebellion, and was shattered by a fragment Of a shell in one of the battles of that ( bloody conflict, when the Captain was gallantly serving his country beneath the flag of the Union. As a speaker, Captain Watkins is one of ( the ablest in the House. He possesses that happy faculty, so rare among public speakers, of combining sound sense, good logic and racy humor. He can convulse the House with a ludicrous comparison, set them . thinking with a logical argument ( and win their votes with q statement ' abounding in reason, sense and justice. Whenever he rises he claims Y the undivided attention of the cham i Der. His voice is clear, strong and 0 distinct, he is never at a loss for ideas or for words to express them; he always goes to the marrow of the subject under debate and has the tact 10 stop when he has said enough. I Such is Capt. Watkins, of Gila; in C manners a gentleman, and as leg V islator one of the best in either i House. As rac0uteur he has no [ equal among his peers, and is al> s ways ready to tell good story or r listen to one.
 GENERAL WARDwELL. ,
 The General is emphatically leader in the House and is always ready to participate in debate on any queslon that may come up. Quick | in retort or Iapcrtie, be is never at loss for words to express his opIn> ions. In speech, he is earnest and and throws his whole soul into the cause which he champions. His gestures are all his own and hls language, while perhaps lacking in some of the graces Of rhetoric, cons tains what is far better, good hard sense and plenty of mother wit. The General is sterling Democra v of the old JacksonIan type, and be- lieves, like all good Democrats, that to the victors belong the spells. He t is an able, watchful and concIentious of the interest of Cochise. He is never afraid 10 call a spade a spade, and his outspoken utterances on every question often times sets the lobby in a roar. The General is small in stature but he is not afraid 10 tackle any man or measure that may come up for dissection. He served in the late unpleasantness and Z is a stauneb friend to the soldier. , The General has his weakness; what man has not? It cons sists in his devotion to the fair, to whom he is unremitting In his at tentlop, There is no ball or party but where he may be found, and among the merry throng there is no ( one more gallant than the subject of our sketch As is known, he IS a T bachelor, but rumor has it that when he again returns to the sylvan shade of the Huachucas be will l.. C.: l {