Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-07
SEVEN CANDIDATES.
All Want to Be Mr.. Speaker OF the
Fifty-First Congress.
Who They are and the Characteristics OF Each.
Lively Political Fight Anticipated
Among the Boys
Indianapolis News.

indianapolis news.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Republican
congressional soil this year is unusually
productive. The manure applied at the
late election appears to have had a stun
ulating effect. The crop of candidates
for the speakership of the next house is
more than bountiful The grain is beau
tifullY headed, and the kernels are full
and fiinty There viii be high old
time, however, when everything is gar
nered and the threshing begins. The
fails are heavy and old-fashiOned, and
cannot be held together with thongs of
buCkskin. Already there is q great de-
mand for eel skins. The music of the
fails may be heard in April, but it looks
as though the rattle of this tanning mill
would be postponed until December.
Then the caucus will be hello and the chaff
will fly. The air may be so filled with
dust as to set the whole Republican party
to coughing.
If newspapers are to be believed, there
are now seven candidates in the field.
They are of all sorts, sizes, ages and con-
ditions. All hail from north of Mason
and Dixon s line. By virtue of his term
of service, one at least of the Southern
Republican congressman ought to be a
candidate. Yet he keeps away from the
water, and will probably not spread his
sails.
The South, however, is apparently con-
tent to hold the balance of power among
the Northern contestants OF these, the
Dirigo candidates is the most formidable
IN appearance He is Hon Thomas B
Reed of Portland. Reed served
lature, three as encouragement,
four as city solicitor and has been twelve
years a member of congress. He has
spent twenty-twoIof the forty-nine years
of his life in the public service. In the
latter part of the war he was an acting as
sistant paymaster in the navy. He is the
recognized Republican leader on the floor
of the house. His phalanX is held well
in hand. When he shouts ''all up
every man is in line ready to be counted.
Repeatedly he has disconnected the Dem
ocratic majority by the rapidity of his
concentrations when votes on import
ant measures were being taken.
Twice in one day he scored
victory because of a lack of leadership
among his opponents. Crowded CALLER
les echoed with laughter, and many
Democrat crimsOned under the taunts of
the Republicans. Mr.. Reed weighs as
much as Grover Cleveland. He has
broad, smooth face, and his forehead ex-
tends to the bump of phiIoprogenitive
ness. At times his eyes twinkle with
merriment. When aroused in debate,
they Tighten an immobile countenance.
Reed has a genuine "daown East pro-
nunciatiOn. In enunciating words like
door, and floor, - he accents both
the "oo's.' He surges around the
house, retailing a joke here and
dropping a sarcasm there, but
never losing track of what is going
on. When a breeze arises, he com
monty stations himself in Republican
aisle, facing the speaker. Gripping a
desk with each hand, he awaits his oppor-
tunity. He has tongue that bites like
vitriOl. He is controlled by what might
be termed a studied impulsiveness. Act
ing on the spur of the moment, he speaks
90 drawlingly and deliberately that he
has time to study the turn of a sentence
before it is uttered. He says more sharp
things than good things. To sum up,
Reed is the bumble-bee of the house-a
breezy, bustling, big-waisted fellow,
whose hum alarms the new members,
and whose sting infuriates the old ones.
When not listening to debate Mr. Reed
usually sits at his desk porting over
choice work from the congressional
library. He has broad eXpanse of shirt
front and his clothes fit him loosely.
There is nothing of the fOp about him.
He never buttons his coat before making
. speech. He never poses for effect and
Is never caught squirting an eye at the
ladies gallery. He neither drinks,
chews nor smokes. He is as plain as an
old shoe and as blunt as a Vermont |
farmer. He always arises at prayer, and |
he is fully as moral as any of the seven |
candidates.
The Wolverine candidate is Hon Julius |
Caesar Burrows of Kalamazoo He is |
fifty-one years old and has served ten |
years in congress. Burrows wears the tri- |
colored button of the Loyal Legion. Tn |
like Reed, he is common school gradu- |
ate. He is well knit and has close |
beard, mustache and hair. He
has clear, blue eyes and gracious bear
ing. In attire he is neat and modest
The tintinnabnlation of his name appears
to have created an impression that Bur-
rows is loud in talk and offensive in man
ner. 1t is a false impression A more
retiring and unaffected statesman
cannot easily be found. A man of
sterling merit, he is influential in
legislation. He is one of the FIVE rep
Republicans on the ways
and means committee Indeed he
shone like star of the first magnitude in
the tariff debate. In discussion Mr. Bur
rows is courteous and agreeable. He
would prefer TO say a good thing rather
than sharp one. He spends much time
at his desk answering letters, but his ear
is ever open to the work of the legislative
mill. His knowledge of the rules is so
that in moments of apparent
nattention he keeps closer track TO bust
ness in the house than new members di-
rectly interested. AS eYeG in tempera-
nent as morn in May, Burrows enjoys
the good will and esteem of the whole
house. He is every inch the man he
looks, and he would make as able and as
graceful speaker as ever adorned the
chair. He always arises at prayers, and
he is undoubtedly as devout as any of the
seven candidates
The Buckeye candidate is the Hon.
William Mckinley, Jr., of Canton He
5 nearly forty-five years old, and he has
erved eleven years in congress. One