The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-12-10
TOM REED.
The Man who will Preside Over
the Deliberations i'm the
House.

Tom Reed, the man who has Just been
elected to the speakership, is thus described
by the celebrated correspondent Frank g.
| Carpenter.
tom Reed is a genius. His brain
weighs more than that of any other man In
public life, and it is of the finest intellect
/ ual texture. He can say more bright
things in the space OF ten minutes than
any other man can get off In the compass
Of an hour. He knows what he knows
too, and he is not afraid to say it. He has
the same confidence in himself now az he
| had when ne was a boy teaching school
and applying for admission to the bar
in California. Tom Reed tells the story
himself. His admission occurred at the
time wnen the constitutionality of the
legal tender act was being discussed by the
greatest lawyers of the state of California.
The question the Judge asked me-" says
Reed" was: is the legal tender act cousti-
tutionai or unconstitutional? L didn't
hesitate moment, but replied cody and
emphatically. 1t is constitutional This
ended my questioning. You can pass,
said the judge. We always pass man
who can settle such great constitutional
questions of hand Tom Reed has been
settling constitutional questions from that
day to this. He settled his cases we'll
enough to make successful lawyer, and
his self confidence, added to his remarkable
ability, has made him the republican,
leader in congress.
"TOm Reed looks anything but the ira
ditiOnal leader. He has the frame of
japanese wrestler, and his head might
serve for that of Chinese giant. He is
IA. and tall, and his bigboned body is pad
ded st every point with muscular flesh.
have never seen him strike: but his Est,
under John l.. culliyan's training, would
fell al OK anG lie has foot which would
make him one Of the greatest football play
ers Of the world. HIS face is broad, fair,
aud fat the cheeks puff out, and pair os
small, half almond eyes shine like dia-
monds under broad forehead, which goes
on and on upward until it fades away
into fuzzy badness about three
inches In front Of Reeds
crown. Reeds mouth is a strong one, and
ne has struggling red mustache on his
upper lip containing enough bristles to
make cameI's hair brush. Re DIS hair
is thickest at the sides and at the back. Il
IS not luxariant at any place, and he
combs his sandy locks we'll up and back of
his ears, so that the ends of them inst
touch the collar of his coat. This big,
round head is pasted down upon Reeds
broad, lat shoulders with fat. water-like
neck, and when Reed sits in his chair in
the house, with his hands up, under his
chin and elbows leaning on his desk,
you wander whether he has any neck at
all, and you can hardly imagine him to be
the greatest man among all the members
surrounding him.
| Let a discussion come up and you
wonder no longer. Reeds eyes begin to
twinkle, a queer smile hovers around that
big mouth and a moment later you see hin
throw his six feet into the arena of debate,
and In sharp, nasal twang he pours sar-
casm and argument out at friend and foe,
As ne goes on with his speech his cheeks
change from white to red, his semi-bald
pate becomes the color of boiled lobster,
and he gestures violently with his arms,
emphasizing every sentence with a shake
Of his head. He cares but little for appear
ances, and during the quieter part Of the
session he walks about the house with his
hands III his pockets. stopping now and
then to tell q story to q crowd of brother
merIbers, aud making laughter wherever
he goes. He Is always ready with q story
speeches for the Record, and seldom :eor-
reefs the proof of them as taken down by
the stenographers. He can make as good
an after dinner speech as q congressional
one, and he enjoys the good things of this
life as we'll as any other man in congress-
Tom Reed is, however, SIMPLE in his
habits. He is not a money saver nor q
money accumulation, and he would be q
richer man if he had remained out of con-
gress. During his past career he has lived
very simply in Washington. His quarters
were in the Hamilton house, private ho-
tel frequented largely by New Englanders.
Reed has a couple of little rooms up near
the attic, and he worked away at his desk
against the wall and under gas Jet. The
only picture in the room was a print of
Abraham Lincoln, whom Reed admired
greatly. You never found him loafing
about the hotel, and he spent the chief
part OF his leisure in study. This year he
has changed his qusrters and he will live
at the Shoreham, which is more comfort
able, but which will be quite as retired as
he Hamilton"