The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-04
A NOTABLE REUNION.

The Men who Voted for Banks for Speaker
OF the Thirty Fourth House.
Washington Special to New York Sun.
An even dozen of the twenty seven survivors
of the Thirty fourth Congress came TO the Re-
publican League Club house TO- night to celebrate
the thirty third anniversary Of the election Of
Gen. N. p Banks rs Speaker. About two
hundred other Republicans came TO shake hands
with the veteran Congressman, that when
the white-haired ex-Speaker stood up at the call
of General Besle. the president of the League.
at the head of the audience room, he was met by
q vigorous shout. 1t was partly Banks shout
and partly Sherman shout, the progress of
the evening proved. The eleven members of
the Thirty fourth Congress who joined in the
shout sat rourd the head Of the room in a circle.
gray hair ana beard, was only two
seats away from General Banks. John Sherman,
in evening dress, with rose in his lapel,
faced the old Speaker Then there was ex-
Senator Cragin, who does a French spoliation
claim business here; Abram L. Wakeman, of
New York, with lots of adipose tissue distributed
over him, and ruddy. jolly face; j. s. T.
Stranahan, with a round, shiny bald head and
strong face wonderfully free from wrinkles;
viii Cumback, of Indiana, whom everybody
called the boy; Guy r. Pelton and T. T. Flag
Ter. Among all the white heads the dead black
beard and hair of Russell Sage stood in
marked contrast. but the Wall-strees fnancier
never winked when the speakers, one after an
other. told how time had whitened their pates
and grizzlei their boards. He kept his secrets
to himself In the crowd that chsered were
General Grosvenor of Ohio. Tom Browne of
Indiana, Frank Hiscock. Senators Cullom and
Chace, Tom Reed. Captain Boutel le, and Stru-
BILE of Iowa. Senator Dawes was, ludicrously
enough, the only Massachusetts man who helped
make mp the group.
General Banks 10 1.-the. nervous and active,
the same figure, with the same hair, mustache,
and little tuft of whisker the lower lip turned
snow white, who was elected after 1872 fruitless
ballots ON the Sd day Of February. 1856 A big
engraving of Charles Sumner, that looked the
very likeness of Senator Morrill, not twenty feet
away, hung over his head, as he rose first. He
made o graceful speech of thanks for his recep-
ton. and dwelt on the troublous times of his
election.
When he sat down there were cries Of Sher-
man, but the Ohio Senator coaxed Galusha
Grow to talk. Mr.. Grow brought out large
collection of familiar platitudes the science of
government, and closed with bit of poetry,
saying in the chicks that it was period of party
formation, and ono knew how hard it was to
snap the political ties they broke in those days.
John Sherman had eulogies for everybody. He
had one for General Banks that contained just a
little stinRsr for Mr.. Blaine He told of the solid
squad that voted for Banks. "Aow many was
1t, GenerAlf'
Zone hundred and threen
81 thought tn ere were more"
THAT was enough"
ut has been said" continued the Senator.
athat General Banks elected because he
was the httest / want to say that he was the
only man we could have elected. In ell my ex-
GERS, have never found hir equal. We voted
solid for him-the 103, So il was later. voting
on great questions for principle, small ones
Tor practice, until We elected Lincoln in 6l"
Senator Sherman went down through political
history with stride, puncruating 10 by bringing
in the pictures on the wall-Thaddsus Stevens,
the great commouer of the Thirty-ifth and
Thirty sixth Congresses; Grant and Logan. He
said that he found the South glad of the results
Of the war, but unable sometimes to carry out
the logical conclusions of such belief squeezing
In just u phrase of protection at the end.
Cumback, the boy who got laughed at every
whore for looking so young helped along the
Sherman boom.
Russell Sages tongue tricked him and the
audience laughed when he said Sherman and
Morrill, had been a century in public life. The
slip amused everybody except General Schenck,
who shifted at their gray hairs and said Morrill,
might well ask to be a boy, for he in Con-
gress twelve years before they elected Banks
Speaker. II they were old. he antec,lu-
Wan. Standing there, stocky and brownish-
gray of beard, ne did look as young as any of
them The speaking went spasmodically
until III o'clock. There will be a dinner to-mor-
row night, when the old stories will be told once
more.