The daily critic., 1890-06-20
THOMAS B. REED
TIE BULLY OF tbs HOUSE has HIS
CHARACTER MALYggD.
His OFT Roasted Courage aud Brii-
iiancy Faistaman Rather rhan
statcsmaulike.

EduoIial u kouisla7s C0afsr- y0ayHa,. Ha.1s.
IT courage be intrepidity in wrong
doing and brilHancy an easy. ofr.hand
audacity in the assertion Of injustice
and untruth the present Speaker Of
the National House Of Representatives
Is both courageous and brilliant
man. But the contrast he presents to
his Democratic predecessor throws
some doubt upon these points and
ought 20 start a train of reflections in
The minds of thoughtful, oir.mindei
people. Mr. Carlisle was so calm and
yet so strong. so firm and yet so Just. so
sober and yet So able so serious and
vet So scintillant. as to cast upon Mr..
Reed s swagCer and hrav5d0 the dis
credit which the meretriCious must nj
ways suffer when brought % question
by real merit
QUESTIONABLE BRAVERY.
Mr. Reed does not seem 10 MS to be a
brave man-though Il is not wise to
challenge men in this regard until the
contrary is shown-certainlv. not n
brave man in the moral sense. True
bravery is rarely tytannical and never
case hardened. II allows some chance
TO its adversary Il does not propose
to gag and bind him. and. thus de
fenseless, 10 rob him or to take his life.
Nor do Mr. Reeds peculiar talents
however trickily showy and smartlv
couspicuous-have tue ring, or the re-
Fiction, Of the true metal. They ap-
near 10 CmanatG from some secret sense
of inferiority, and, lacking the dignity
Of the statesman, they take, by a kind
OF necessary preference, TO the ways OF
the clown
a MODERN FALsTAFF.
There is more of Falstan In the inner
than in the outer man Of this greasy and
jocose despot. who trolls off the most
outrageous and brutal acts Of legisla-
tive oppression with a leer and a sneer.
where a piece Of drawing insolepce.
meant for sarcasm does not at once re-
spond TO the demands of tongue used
to vituperation and both bv nature
and habit vile. He has FalstaTs pbilo-
sophie contempt for honor. FalstatT's
disregard Of the claims aud rights of
others; Falstaff's appetite for plumber
and insensibility 10 truth. III FalstafT
was brilliant, he Is brilliant. II FalstafI
was brave. he Is brave. But his valor
Is that which considereih first of an its
own interest, and his briliancy that Of
the dead mackerel In the moonlight
That stinks and shines, aud shines and
stlnks. Intellectually, hu Is pest.
house Of peripatetic political disease
WHAT MS GAME Is.
Mr. Reed Is playing a game. IIr Is
playing q game Tor the Presidency.
But he Is playing Il neither like n poll.
tician, gentleman, nor a gambler Tie
is playing u Ike q crook, with marked
'hIds and a gang Of confederates close
az hand
lie will never succeed He may.
ard doubtless will, do infinite harm be
fore his power can be arrested. He
may, indeed, throw the business Gf the
country into vast and ruinous confusion
lie Is craitier than Keller, the Repub
lican Speaker next before him. who
disgraced the Chair Of the presiding
officer Of the House and brought upon
himself and party both obloquy and
derlsion, and therefore he may not fall
so low rs Keifer fell, but. all the same
his fall will be OdiOus and oyeTwhelm
ing lie Is q bucCaneer Of the scuttle
ship breed, a freebooter "Uut for the
stuff Malay pirate tempered by
Yankee shrewdnCes aud the Maine
liquor law, which was created for the
manufacture of rascals and the aug.
menlation Of crime He has made
himself master Of the body Of which
he is the legal servant and is striving
to secure absolute control over the
Republican parry
The stakes he Is aiming at are too
great TO be won by foul play. They are
seldom won by any kind Of play. This
man cannot succeed where Blaine failed.
though Blaine Is 10 Reed, Hyperion 10
a salyT He will come 10 grief, and
fetch his party with him. However. If
he does that, il cannot be written upon
his tomb that he did no service and
lived IN vain.