The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-28
A Merry, Shrewd and Self Confident Man,
with Ability to Grasp Situations and the
Brains to Find the Readiest Solutions.
ADevice by Which Cyrus W. Field Accu-
mulated a Handsome Sum of Cash.
Miss Rose Elizabeth CleyeIand's One Distinct
Idea About WOman's Dress-A Mild Dissi-
patton Intended for Lenten Use.
COMMISSIONERS o,DoNNELL.

Special to the INDIANAPOLIS Journal
NEW YORK, March 27.-The man most ad-
mired by New York politicians just now is John
ODonnell A month ago he was not so much as
known by name to a thousand residents OF this
city, for he had been only q railroad commits
sioner with his home in rural part of the State,
and no duties that had brought him into pub
licity extensively. To-day he could poll more
votes in the city than any other human being,
and it is the clever audacity of his feat in poll
tics that commands the high regard of every
body concerned In that field of effort He has
done it altogether unaided, too and his immedi
ate reward Is reappointment to his present
Office, while he is mentioned without a smile as
likely candidate for Governor on q ticket
independent of the regular parties. The story
of his exploit is wonderful. The first time that
he figured In any degree of influence was last
autumn, at the great canal convention In Utica.
He was. as he always Is, very busy and coAspic-
uous, and the only words that he uttered that
caught the writer's ear were connected with
some heresy OF other about greenbacks or the
common ownership of land. asked public
man IL that was the sort Mr.. O'Donnell was and
he replied: '.He has been every sort Of man.
He has taken up almost everything; grangerism,
greenbackism, anti-monopolyism. labor organi
cation, and the Lord knows what ALL"
us he crankY" asked.
"Oh. no! Few men are less so than he. He
is q cool, shrewd. practical, ambitious man; a
talker rather than a speaker, and a man who
may look out for one ism or another, but one
who all the time keeps sharp eye out for ODon-
nell"
shifted my chair so as to look at this inter
esting person. Imagine short, broad, heavy
figure, with very little neck, round, bald head,
small eyes, and face almost covered with an
iron-gray beard, worn wide and long. There
you have him. If you remember how Anthony
Trollope looked there you see him again-a
countryfed Trollope, pressed down short and
pressed out wide. The expression Of his eyes
was keen and shrewd, but it missed that mystic
rious something which indicates breadth of
mind. It was cunning rather than wise. Born
in 1927, in a rude, wooded region, and put to his
own resources to get along, he had drifted to
Lowville. in Lewis county, been apprenticed to
clothing merchant. had next gonS to keeping
store, and eventually had worked into politics.
He went to the Assembly in 1868 and 1866, was
supervisor of internal revenue in 1869, and clerk
of the Assembly in 1873 and 1874 That was as
Republican. He dropped out Of general notice
after that until, five or six years later, he went
to the Senate. and then, as the pet
Of Francis M. Thurber, anti-monopo-
list was appointed railroad commissioner
in the newly established Railroad Commission,
which Is all that the world has to show for the
anti-monopoly movement OF that period. He
was appointed as the anti-monopoly member,
Herman being the Democrat, and Rogers the
Republican. Quite appropriately, for there was
very little of the anti-monopoly movement as
political force, he got the short term, and that
has now expired
Before his term was over, Mr.. O'Donnell set to
work busily to cause himself to be reappointed
He had to be busy. for he knew there were
strong forces against him. He had long been
out of the Republican organization, and had
never been Democrat. One party or the other
was certain to win at the last election, and he
desired to stand well with both Davenport and
and Hill, the candidates for Governor last fall
When the battle ended, however, the Democrats
were wroth at him, and it is said that Ae had. as
leading temperance man, and the husband of
leading temperance woman, managed to have
Davenport's cause espoused by the temperance
folks, despite the story of the Pleasant VALLEY
Wine Company. There were hints that the
Democrats had been led to infer
that this temperance force was to
be exerted on behalf of David B. Hill In other
words, they believe that O'Donnell thought
Davenport would be elected. At any rate, moth
soo in <ha ohaNn nR a Hon al To.
January was more generally accepted or soiidly
rooted than that Governor Hill would, under no
circumstances, reappoint John O'Donnell. But
ODonnell labored on, and petitions and resolu-
tons helped his cause day by day. It was not
smooth sailing, however, for there came hints
that Mr.. O'Donnell had been the least constant
at his duties Of the three commissioners and
even the anti-monoposts, now weak and split,
were represented by one faction that opposed
him. But one morning the scene changed.
There was a threatened strike on the elevated
railroads in New York. Commissioner O'Don-
nell turned up there as an arbitrator, and set
tied the trouble between the engineers and the
railroads favorably to the engineers. He was
lionized by the railroad workmen. Tho other
commissioners were amazed They had been
grinding away at their Office, and he had been
absent on no business of the Commission, il is
said; and yet he had become crowned with
laurels
month or six weeks passed, and the great
strike on the horse railroads in this city was &C
companied by violent disorder, almost rioting.
Commissioners Rogers and Herman were again
at work in Albany. Commissioner O'Donnell
was again absent up in Gloversville. or some
where, presumably concerned with some per-
sonal affair. The other commissioners though.
they could repeat the success O'Donnell had
made in the elevated railroad case, and Commits
sioner Rogers went to New York His trip
proved him to be no such man as O'DonEell. He
is said to be well-todo and easy going. He has
not had 10 carYa hia WAY inward aa O,nonnall