Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-02
MR.. SPEAKER REED.
Anecdotes and "reminiscences Of the
Maine Representative.

HIS CAMPAIGN STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHs As
DESCRIBED BY ONE OF HIS CONSTITUENCIES
FIRST PUBLIC sPEEcH-JUDaE CARRIERS BEcoIr
LECTION OF HIM AS A BOZ WAY DOWN KAsr.
| Correspondence of The EVENING STAR.
| BRIDGEroS, Me-, November 80.
Tom Reed Just now is one of the most prom
inent figures on the political chess board. No
| wonder. then, that we Maine folks are proud Of
him. Not that we are by any means a unit in
our political support of this distinguished Rep
resentative of the first district, but we would
not be human if we, as people, did not have
a state pride in claiming him as our own.
The Reed evolution is a marvel. dozen
years ago Mr.. Reed was scarcely known outside
of his own city; but now behold him! The re-
publican leader of the national House and his
name a household word from Maine to Cali
fornia, from Lake Superior to the Gulf Of
Mexico. He went up a rocket, but has not
come down stick. He is bound to stick. how
ever, to his congressional seat, albeit his dis
trlct Is close one, SO very close as to require
constant vigilance and biennial herculean
effort to prevent his being elected to stay at
home.
HIS FIRST INTERVIEW WITH REED.
$50 long as live shall never forget my
first interview with Tom Reed and what he
said to me at the time" remarked the vener-
able Judge Henry Carter of Haverhill, Mass.
to me one day. He had begun telling me his
personal recollection of the Meal Dow liquor
trial, an event SO famous in Maine annals and
which, together with its cotemporaneous
Maine law liquor riot" had most potential
bearing on the politics Of our state for some
time after. Judge Carter, now considerably
over seventy. was formerly a leading factor in
Maine polite rs well as prominent journalist
and jurist, al las the man of all others who.
III the historic campaign of Sc, was the means
OF reversing the democratic majority of 5000
OF the year before and carrying the state for
Freedom and Fremont on a tidal wave of 90
600 majority. He was born and reared in my
native town OF Bridgeton. and he delights in
talking about old times in Maine with his
former townsmen.
1T was at the great trial at Portland in
June, 1888. known to fame as the "Neal Dow
liquor trial" continued the Judge. Meal Dow,
then mayor of Portland, was arragned on a
technical bubble, on the charge of having pur-
chased liquors, Ostensibly for the city agency,
but In reality for sale on his private account,
contrary to the very law Of which he was the
author. being municipal Judge, the case
came before me. The counsel for the state was
the late Henry Clifford, afterward one of the
Justices of the United States Supreme Court,
while the counsel for the defense was William
Pitt Fessenden. the late distinguished Senator
1t was forensic battle of giants City hall, in
which the trial was held, was packed to over
howlng, and excitement was intense. Mr..
Clifford made an adroit, plausible, mastery ar
gument. That Mr.. Fessenden's plea was able
goes without saying. But in my official 'opin-
ion / punctured the sophistries in MIR. Cliff
ford's points, showed the falsity of the charges
against Mayor Dow and acquitted him.
mo sooner had the court adjourned than 1
was accosted by tall, gawkey, round-faced
norid-compiex loned boy: whom soon learned
reJolced In the name of Thomas B. Reed, who
shutfied up to me, and, in a peculiar drawing
voice. thus delivered himself:
Mr.. Carter, just want to say to you that
after l heard Squire Cliffords argument
couldn't for the life of me see how there was
any escape for MIR. Dow, but / declare, after
hearing your opinion, the cobwebs were all
cleared away
That" continued Judge Carter, with
smile. was the first speech / ever heard
Tom Reed make, but he's delivered quite a
number OF speeches since then, and has himself
proved an expert at clearing away the cob
webs woven by his legal and political oppo-
nents"
Born, reared, and still residing in Mr. Reeds
congressional district, have had excellent OPP
portunltles to see and study this unique, this
remarkable man. The limits of this article,
however, preclude more than few paragraphs
about him. and these are chiefly of q reminis-
cent, anecdotal character.
HIS FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE.
The first public speech Tom Reed was ever
known to have made, and which antedates by
at least decade his private address to Judge
Carter, is amusingly described by Mrs. Libby,
an elderly matron of Old Orchard. for which
account am indebted to Edgar Yates
Il carried Tom Reed to school the first day
he ever went" said Mrs. Libbey, as she
smoothed her apron with her hands. 1T was
to the school on Bracket street in Portland
Thomas was a tow-headed little fellow then.
His cheeks were fat and his ewes as round as
DuttOQS i / ted full IN oh
to school that day and SO did another girl
don't remember her name-and we had a regu-
lar squabble over the little fellow to see who
should take him. remember he sat as still as
a mouse. We used to have speaking poetry
every Saturday then. Once when we were all
done the teacher asked: Are there any others
who have a piece they can speakY' Up got
Thomas and said: Il know one:
old Jim Crow came riding by
Says he; IF be dies IS, IN tan his skin
And that's all know
That is, suppose, the first speech Thomas
ever made. wonder If he remembers it now
He had funny little voice, but he was so
earnest about reciting his piece that it made
us all laugh.
He was always a good scholar and had
rather a sober sort of voice. / know when he
was about sixteen he got religion and was one
OF the best speakers they had at the evening
meetings. He used to wear his hair long then,
all down over his coat collar. All the young
men did in those days.
Il never saw him after that till three or four
years ago, on Memorial day up to Saco He
delivered the address. knew him in minute.
lie hasn't changed much since he was a boy
only grown stouter.
HIS EARLY EXPERIENCES AT LAW
Young Yeed entered Bowdoin college in 1856
and graduated in due course; taught school q
while, then commenced the study Of law with
Sewell &. Strout, Portland. One of Mr.. Reeds
whilom pupils, Henry o. Moses, the druggist
tells me he retains pleasant memories of his old
teacher, for whom he cherishes a warm affec-
tion and esteem for his fine qualities of head
and heart.
Soon after being admitted to the bar Reed
went to California; served short time as pay
master IN the navy; next formed a law copart-
nership with Manasseh Smith in Portland then
with Clarence Hale, brother of the Maine
Senator. His next leap was into the political
arena. And some people thought him a fool
for SO doing. From this point the career OF
Lawyer Reed was rapidly upward. First city
solicitor, then to the Maine house and senate.
attorney general, member of Congress-the
old, old story OF ladder-climbing-only quickly
done. HIS career as a Congressman dates from
centennial year, 1876, when, in the September
campaign, after a fierce contest he was elected
by small margin. Every ensuing CANVASS has
been a sharp one, and an ION" year in Maine
politics, with Tom Reed left out, would lack its
most interesting feature. In this connection a