The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-01-07
ROGER @ MILLS.
lFrom the New York World |

From the New York World
Roger q. Mills, the man selected b.
Speaker Carlisle to be the leader of th,
democratic house of representatives, ii
one of the least known and best known
men in public life. He is best known
in that he stands at the forefront among
tariff reform thinkers OF to-day; he i.
least known in that you will not find
his biography in any OF the encyclope
dias, and the story of his life as told in
the congressional directory is made up
of three lines. 1t states that he lives
in Corsicana, Texas, and that he has
been in congress fourteen years. MIR.
Mills through modesty has never re-
| Piled to the questions OF the congress-
ional biographer, and, as one of the
| papers put 1t year ago, no one appears
TO know where he was born, and he
bears no evidence of having had father
or mother. He is at present 55 years
Old and he would be marked man in
any crowd. Tall, straight and COM
manding, he has chest like that OF
Hercules, and his big, round, handsome
| head is fastened to broad shoulders by
a strong and well-cut neck. He stands
feet 10 in his stockings and he looks
the leader. There is none of the diff
fdence and backwardness of Morrison
about him, and his brave, dark brown
eye looks straight into yours as he
talks. 1t twinkles at times and the
man is full of humor, as well as of ser.
iousness. He can tell good story and
| would not be surprised to hear that
he could sing good song. MIR. Mills
forehead is very high, broad and fall
and he combs his gray hair we'll back
from 1t. His hair is short and rather
thin at the top and it curls slightly Just
over his ears. His nose is straight and
large enough to be that of great man,
and the ragged mnstache, which shows
out under it., is made of strands of
frosted silver. He has no beard and
the only whiskers is on his chin in a
little wlsp OF gOatee, fastened be-
meath his lower lip. His face is full
and his complexion fair, lie dresses
like gentleman, but, | Judge, does
not spend much time before the look
ing glass. His clothes are black and
his coat is the double breasted frock OF
the statesman. He wears a turnover
collar, dark necktie, and his linen is
OF the whitest. Like most of the south.
ern members OF congress, he affects
boots rather than shoes, and spends
more time in the selection of his an.
thorities on political economy than he
does on his patent feathers. His hat is
a soft felt, and his spectacles, which he
wears when reading, are of steel rather
than of gold. His only jewelry, il
jewelry it can be called. is finely
chased gold hunting-case watch, the
face of which bears the eleven letters
in his name
ROGER Q. MILLS
in place of the figures, beginning with
the hour marked VII. and the Lone
Star" OF Texas taking the place OF the
twelfth letter and standing for vi.
just above the pivot holding the hands
is the enameled word "Corsicana, anC
If Mr.. Mills watch should be lost there
would be no trouble in an honest finder
getting his address. In his manners
he is blunt as Brutus, but a deal more
pleasant. Honesty shines out of ever,
line OF his features, and his lower jaw
while il has not the iron grip of Ran
dall's, evidences great determination
Said one of his Texas colleagues las
night:-"Mills is above all things true
to his word. He is the kind of a mar
who, ii called on by an office seeker
will tell him at once whether he cal
do anything for him or not. There is
no Janus headedness about him, and ht
has none of the qualities of the chane
leon. When Mills tells me he will dc
anything, | don't bother myself any
further about it. 1 know that he viii
do it, or that his reason for not doing
| n will hn aafiofonfo l.
one of the most popular men i'm Texas
aud he led the anti-prohibition party to
victory in that state last year. He is s
man OF broad views, and is grea
student upon his specially. He makes
one of the greatest leaders our party
has ever had. Sizing him up as {
whole, he is splendid specimen O
southern manhood. He has unques.
toned courage, and is q man of con
victions. AS to his capacity as leader
as our cattlemen in Texas say, he will
round up his followers in the lower
house better than they have ever beel
rounded up before"
KENTUCKIAN.
Roger q. Mills was born in Tod,
county, Kentucky, and his father wa
a Virginisn. He makes no claim {,
patrician blood and he is proud of be
ing one of the people. He moved Il
Texas at II. studied law at Palestine
and was admitted to the bar when h,
was 90 years OF age. The law of Texas
required lawyers to be at least 81 year
old, and the legislature passed specia
act admitting him at 90, He settled a
Corsicana, now q town of about s 90;
people and situated in the best part O
) Texas, and here 1t was that he huns
out his shingle. He soon had client
and he has long been known as one O
best lawyers of the Southwest. Whe,
the war broke ont he entered the con
federate service as lieutenant colonel
and he fought until the close and cam,
out colonel. He was wounded thre,
, times, but he does not think his caree
worthy a place in the Congressiona
Directory. After the war he again
practiced law and in 1874 he was sen
to congress from the state at-large. Ill
has been in congress ever since and ha
considered tariff reform the creates
question of the past decade. He is no
a rich man aud he has worked NOR,
for his constituents than for himself
He lives in Washington at lis G street
a house about midway between tn,
patent Office and the treasury, and hi.
wife is here with him. Mrs, Mills is ;
siraight, fine looking, well-formed lad,
with dark eyes, and beautiful wavy
hair into which the gray is beginning
to creep. She was Miss Jones whel
Mills fell in love with her years ago
and the marriage took place when they
were both quite young. Mrs. Mills
father was noted man in early Texa,
history. He was connected with the
Texas revolution, and it is said that
Eonce, when there was movement tC
seize the archives in the statehouse, he
organized company and defended the
place. Mrs. Mills brother, Gen. Joh,
b. Jones, has been adiutant- general OF
the state, and the family il one of the
leading ones OF Texas. Mrs. Mills is
Thoroughly wrapped up in her husband,
and she is almost as much Interested in
his tariff work as he is himself. They
have
VERY PLEASANT FAMILY,
one married daughter living in Cali
fornia, and another living here. An.
other daughter is school girl still,
and is i'll one OF the seminaries AT
I Washington. The relations existing
| between Mr.. Mills and Speaker Carlisle
have always been of the closest. Mills
supported Carlisle when he first ran
| fnr fhQ snao L ,,l l.o l....