Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1889-12-05

cry Sdlpl udy IHcll. oICt, WHICH, we Wele
all done, the teacher asked: Are there
any Others who have yiece they can
speak, Up got Thomas and said: Il
know one
Old Jim Crow came riding BY.
Says |, " Old man your horse will die -
Says he, IL he does ] II tan his skin,
And If he lives, I'll ride him again"
q" And that's all know
That is, l suppose, the first speech
Thomas ever made. He had funny
little voice, but he was so earnest about
reciting his piece that it made us all
laugh. He was always good scholar,
and bad rather sober sort of voice. |
know when he was about Is he got re-
ligiOn, and was ono Of the best speakers
they had at the evening meetings, He
used to wear his hair long then, all
down over his coat collar"
HIS SUCCESS IN POLITICS.
In his first candidacy Mr.. Reeds plu-
rality over the democratic competitor
was between 1000 and 1900. | have not
the exact figures. In the next heat
187S-he again carried the first district
by plurality of 4, $50 over General S. J.
Anderson (democrat, the present col
lector of the Port of Portland under
Cleveland appointment, Reed receiving
l3,4s3. Anderson 1888, and Cove (Nat-
ional Greenbackl 6,34S, so he would have
lacked 2,l9S had it required q majority
to elect.
In the campaign of 1880 Mr.. Reed
came dangerously near defeat, he lead
ing Anderson (Fusion) onl III, Reed re-
ceiving 1920, Anderson 16,SO3, with 256
for the prohibition candidate and seven
scattering. A long and costly investi-
CATION followed this election, General
Anderson trying to prove errors or foul
play on the part of the republicans, but
Reed came out of the ordeal unscathed.
In 'S2 Reeds plurality was 1858. In
S4, which was one of the lercest CON
tests ever known in the district, he was
elected over Judge Clea1es by 925. In
SO Reeds plurality was l18. In 'S8 ire
mendous efforts were made to defeat
him, but, as usual, he was Reed shaken
but unbroken by the September wind,
his plurality being increased to 1888.
In all of these contests, except the last,
there were more or less OBJECTIONS from
the Reed army inside the party.
well, gentleman, the fact is, / live
in COMPOUNDED hard district was Mr..
Reeds epigramatic reply to q question
by one of his party followers, as he sat
on the hotel piazza, putting away at a
cigar, on the evening of a republican
rally at Bridgton, in the 1888 campaign.
And he might have added that he was IA
hard man to beat.
IN CONGRESS-.
How Tom Reed awoke one day-or,
rather, read the newspapers one morn
ing-to find himself famous is pretty
generally known. Eighteen words did
it. Not long after having taken his seat
in congress he was making a little
speech when some member interrupted
him by an annoying question. Reed an.
swered him; then, Up his high nasal
tones. drawled out:
And now, having embalmed that fly
in the liquid amber Of my remarks,
will go Oh again."
This shaft of wit hit the newspaporial
bull's-eye, and from that time Tom
Reed name was familiar one through.
out the country.
Mr.. Reed in his domestic relation is
| signally best His wife (nee Susan
Merrill, OF Centre Harbor, Me- is well
read, cultivated, refined lady, of medium
height, dark hair and eyes, possesses
fine conversational powers and is social
lly charming. She is popular with the
ladies of Washington, where for the
| twelve years of her husbands congress,
sionai life she has passed her winters.
Tom Reed has sharp, apt, pungent
wit; and this is not all, for behind his
wit are brains, end plenty Of them. His
high standing is no result of accident OF
witty trickefy, but is the logical Sc,
quence of fine intellectual gifts supple
mented by hard study and indefatigabe-
work; and yet he lacks the arts and fin
esse of the trained diplomat or politi-
clan. He is earnest blunt, Straightfor-