The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-12-07
TALK OF THE WEEK.

TALK OF THE WEEK,
a Chicago newspaper man who accompanied
Speaker Reed on his tour through the West dur
ing the late campaign was in Washington the
other day and dropped in to see the Speaker at
the Capitol. After shaking hands the Speaker
drove his hands into his pockets and stood for
an instant gazing quizzically at his visitor.
"And you knew all about it and wouldn't give
me hint eh ?' Mr.. Reed said at last in a half
reproachful tone ''Knew all about what, Mr..
SpeakerY' the Western newspaper man inquired.
"Why, the storm, the blizzard, the cyclone, or
whatever you call it," answered the Speaker as
he swayed his big body backward and forward
IN pensive sort of way. You knew the earth
quake was coming and was going to scatter us
all over the face of nature and bury us out of
sight, and you wouldn't even give me hint"
The newspaper man laughingly admitted that
he had half suspected election day would be
cold day for the Republicans, but he never
dreamed hOU cold. "Then you weren't playing
big practical joke on me when you paraded
me through the West like circus, the Speaker
resumed, "only to have about every district that
l spoke in go Democratic? Well, maybe you
weren't, but it looked a good deal like it to
me-" And the Speaker smiled one of his most
ironical smiles, and went on to show that it was
all an accident, which was not likely to happen
] 80 -
\
Judge John Henry Mccarthy, of New York,
is one of the Democrats in the present Congress
who declined a denomination. 81 wish | was
coming back sometimes now, he said the other
night, ''just to be in Congress that's almost
unanimously Democratic. think would have
run again If | had known how we were going to
sweep the country. But can't afford to be in
Congress. No poor man can. If l had plenty
IF Ill
devote myself to it, and try to make national
reputation AS it is, I've got to look out for
my law practice in New York.
X K II
Some weeks before the election Representa-
tive Washington F. Wilcox, the member for
New Haven and the only Democrat in the pres
ent Connecticut Congressional delegation, ven
tured the prediction that in the Fifty-second
! Congress the proportions of Democrats and Re-
publicans would be reversed, and there would
be only one of the latter and three of the former
For this Mr. Wilcox was ieered at by the Re-
publican press of the State and informed that it
was in very bad taste to wound the tender sensi-
bilites of his colleagues in the present Congress
| by predicting their defeat Mr.. Wilcox smiled
quiet smile and waited, and the election vndi-
Gated fully the correctness of his judgment.
Democrats were elected from the Hartford Dis
trict, now represented by Mr.. William Edgar
Simonds, and the Bridgeport District, repre-
sented by Judge Miles. Mr. Wilcox has in
! vited his newly-elected Democratic colleagues
| to be his guests in Washington for while this
winter, and they are coming down after the
| holidays to get their first insight into the way
things are done at the National Capital. The
new member from Bridgeport is Mr.. Robert E.
De Forest and the Hartford man is Mr.. Louis
Sperry.
There is good deal of a probability that
| Connecticut will also have one new representa-
! tive in the Senate in the next Congress. I'm
fortunately, the Republicans succeeded in cap
turing small majority in the Legislature, and
he will not be a Democrat. But there is
strong ant-Platt faction among the Republicans
and the Democrats may combine with them to
elect less extreme partisan than the grave and
| pensive statesman who looks so much like the
| great Lincoln. A good deal of strong feeling
has been stirred up in Connecticut against
! Senator Platt for his share in admitting the new
! States of Wyoming and Idaho, which, with
| populations not as large as the city Of New
Haven, are given two United States Senators
each. But while Senator Platt is strong parti-
! san he is an honest man, as is shown by his
| poverty. He has been for years in the Senate,
but grows poorer and poorer every year.
X X X
Pennsylvania seems to be very prolific in
Pooh-Bahs. Politicians up that way aren't at
all modest about holding as many offices as
they can get their fins on. 'Happy Jack"
Robinson, Of Media, who will succeed Smedley
| Darlington in Congress from the Sixth District,
is otherwise known as the Pooh-Bah of Della
ware County. "Happy Jack" not long since
! announced himself a candidate for the
! United States Senate against Don Cameron,
and it is said he might have given the son of
| Simon good deal of trouble if Senator Quay
had not sat down on him. Quay invited Robin
son to como to Washington last week, and after
an interview with the Boss at the Capitol
'Happy Jack" didn't look as happy as he did
before, and announced that he would not be a
candidate against Cameron. Robinson won
the title of Pooh-Bah in this way
While he was member OF the
lower branch of the State Legislature, Tom
Cooper resigned his State Senatorship to accept
the place of Collector of the Port of Philadel-
phia. Robinson Immediately became a candi-
date for the vacant Senatorship, and was elected.
and at the same time for Congress to succeed
Mr.. Darlington. He was elected to both places.
Immediately after election, not satisfied with
the honors thus heaped ON MIN, he announced
his candidacy for Don Camerons seat. If he
had succeeded in knocking Cameron out. it is
understood "Happy Jack' would have re-
garded himself formidable candidate for the
Presidency in 1892.
More Successful Tests of Nickel.
Mr.. Abbott, of Carnegie, Phipps q Co., had
long conference with the Secretary of the Navy
yesterday in regard to the tests recently made
by that company of nickel steel with view to
the utility of plates of that metal for naval yes
sells He reDOrtp1 that ha tests ed