The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-04
GOSSIP OF. TIE CAPITOL.
WILL Nh. MILLS BE TIE NEXT
SPEAKER?
Mr.. Morrison's Yearning for Congress.
MIR. BIaine's Good HeaIth-Patriarch
of the Supreme Court-GovernOr Patti
fSnecial CorresponGence. ]

sons Euture-SOme Other Matters.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON. Nov. 20.-There would
be something like poetic justice in the
election Of Roger @. Mills, of Texas, to
be speaker of the next house of rep
resentatives. Mr.. Mills is one of the
most earnest, most frank, most loyal of
men. 1t was he VINO first suggested for
speaker Mr.. John G. Carlisle, then a
comparatively unknown congressman
from Kentucky. But for the friendship
and influence of the Texan it is doubtful
if the house would have sought out Mr..
Carlisle and elevated him to the station
in which he won SO much fame. Merit
and learning, when hidden under the
bushel Of modesty, are not always dis
covered and brought forth. Between
Mills and Carlisle there has always ex-
listed warm, an admirable friendship.
When the Republicans obtained con-
troll of the house and elected Mr.. Reed
speaker it became necessary for Carlisle
to resume his place on the floor and on
the committees. Mr.. Mills had been
means, and Mr.. Carlisle had been a
member of the same committee before
becoming speaker. The question was,
which Of them should take precedence
on the committee? According to Gus
tom the precedence belonged to Mills.
But Mills insisted that Carlisle should
go on ahead of him, and Carlisle in
sisted that Mills should keep his proper
place at the head of the Democratic
members. The nearest these two lead
ers ever came to quarreling was over
this question of precedence, so eager was
each of them to honor the other. Mills
proved the more stubborn, for he is as
stubborn a man as we have in public
life, and his name was printed after the
ex-speakers in the list of committees.
There is man in this town whom l
feel sorry for. He has a government
position of great honor and usefulness,
in which he outwardly seems contented,
while at heart he is yearning for the
halls of legislation and the great COM
mittee in which he once served with
such great distinction. There are thou
sands of men in this country who would
like to be an interstate commerce COM
missioner, life appointment with
comfortable salary, but William R. Nor
rison, former coadjutqy of Carlisle and
Mills, says he has not yet become entire
ly reconciled to being "buried alive"
The friends of Secretary Blaine tell me
he is renewing his youth. Not in ten
years has Mr.. Blaine seemed so young,
vigorous and cheerful as he is today.
saw him the other day walking through
Lafayette square from the state depart
ment to his residence. He walked at
brisk pace, with sprightly step and
head erect. PerceiviDg some distance
ahead of him friend sauntering along,
the secretary quickened his pace almost
into run and quickly overlook his &C
quaintance. Four or five times day,
in good weather, Mr. Blaine walks
through the park, and there isn't nurse
girl or even baby among all the habit
ues of this retreat that does not know
him.
For some reason or other Mr.. Blaine
never walks through the White House
grounds, though that route is shorter
than the other. Remarks about Mr.
Blaine's health are out of fashion, but
one of the secretaTy's intimate friends
tells me that if he hadn't accepted a place
in the cabinet, where he finds congenial
employment for his energies, he would
not be alive today. "Ha@ he remained
in retirement at Augusta" says this
friend, che would have rusted out. The
trouble with Mr.. Blaine is that he is a
hypochondriac when idle. Every little
ailment he magnifies into fatal chronic
disease. Without work Mr.. Blaine
would fret himself into his grave"
He doesn't look at all like a man who
is worrying himself to death as he walks
through historic Lafayette square.
A queer little old fellow is Justice
Bradley, the patriarch of the supreme
court-a most delusive man. When you
see him on the bench weakened, sleepy,
seemingly senile, you think it pity he
doesn't retire from active service. Yet
this little old man does more work than
any other justice on the bench. He
rises always at 6 o'clock in the morning,
and for years has made it a rule to eat a
peach and take a bit Of exercise or airing
before breakfast. A conductor on the
Metropolitan horse car line tells me the
old justice-he lacks only year and
half of fourScore-often takes round
trip ride with him on Capitol hill before
2 o'clock in the morning, standing ON the !
platform shifting the cool air. Moral |
work hard, eat a peach and take con-
before breakfast.
saw Governor Pattison, of Pennsyl- |
vania, the other day. Here at Washing |
ton the gossips have it the young govern
or will be president some day. Patti |
son is one of the most surprising men | |
ever saw. He is so modest and unassum-
ing, both in manners and appearance,
that at first meeting one naturally under |
rates him. Afterward you are aston |
ished at his force, his fine command of |
language, his originality, his quiet but |
persistent masterfulness. He is the sort |
of man that d new acquaintance will say |
of: ''Oh, well, / can do as l like with |
this fellow. He isn't much" But he is /
also the sort of man who. after listening 1
cheerfully, and just as one is thinking he
has possession of him, naturally and /
easily turns and becomes possesSor him
self. The governor is surprising in an
other way. he does not impress one as
being either very tall or large, and you
guess him at feet 10 OF II. and about
los or 170 pounds. Being curious about
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