Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-01-14
5ai1Y eagle
SOME IN CONGRESS, OTHERS HAUNT
THE WHITE HOUSE PORTALS,

THE WHITE HOUSE PORTALS.
Mr. Martin, of Texas, Was tho Rei-ninc
Crank of Last Session - .ACaIauaity''
Weller - Weaver, the Father of Okla
homa."
Especial Correspondencel
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6-Here is congress
again, starting on its long session Its work
is still 50 embryonic that the lockers on take
more interest as yet in legislators than in
legislation. Just now we are looking for the
cranlzs Every congress has them, and this
congress is no exception TO the rule. By
cranks we do not mean dangerous characters,
as they are known at the White House, prob
ably the most prolific headquarters Of cranks
in this country Capt. Dinsnore, the man
who keeps his eye on everything and every
body at the executive mansion, tells me the
crank crop is much larger than most people
have any idea Of Every day they run some
suspicious looking person out of the building,
as promptly and as gently as possible and
nothing Of it reaches the newspapers or the
gossiping public. The congressional crank
can't be run out.
Somebody has said that the line of demar-
cation between crankism and genius is very
narrow and not very well defined one and it
is, therefore, no wonder that some of the
cranks in which the country abounds have
prevailed upon rural constituencies TO accept
them as geniuses The elected and chosen
crank has as many rights as any other MEM
Der of congress- and here he is. In taking a
rapid look at him with the writer as guide
and commentator the reader must under
stand, at the ontset, that often the congress
man known as a crank may be simply a man
with hobby, or man of extraordinary
pertinacity or earnestness. Some of the best
men in public life are set down by the
thoughtless as cranks, just as small boys on
the side streets and IN the alleys think every
man who wears eye glasses dude.
In every congress the wits and practical
jokers of whom there is never dearth, will
have some victims. In the last congress
they pitched upon luckleSs Maj. Martin, of
Texas. The newspaper correspondents helped
them out. Poor Martin was soon made the
hero Of many stories, like that yarn about
his blowing out the gas In a Washington
hotel. The gas blowing incident made Mar
ia famous from one end of the country to
the other, and though everybody expected
it would cause his constituents to keep him
1t home, here he is, as bright as new TN
pan, ready to endure all the practical jokes
which his fellow members may wish TO play
upon him. Martin says the gas story actu-
ally helped him to secure a reelection, as the
people of his district, using tallow candles
and plain kerosene lamps themselves have
not much sympathy with jokes based on lack
of information about the use of gas and a
good deal Of sympathy with man who
meets hard luck among the pitfalls of large
city But Martin need not fear this winter
He has had his day, and must now retire in
favor of some other victim.
Calamity Weller, of Iowa, viii be sadly
missed. he was one of the most picturesque
cranks the house has had for some time. 1t
was a rare treat to hear one of Weller's char
acteristic calamity speeches. He was always
predicting ruin of everything and everybody.
The country was going to the dogs. There
were to be panics and famines and floods and
cyclones and wars and pestilence. As if TO
emphasize his dolefulness, Calamity" used
10 have very severe headaches, and when he
had one of these ''speils, and speech TO de-
liver at the same time, he tied his big head
up in a wet towel and came on the floor look
ing like en- escaped hospital patient. His eff
forts at oratory were usually met with shouts
of laughter, and yet Weller was a good ways
removed from idiocy.
Young, of Kentucky, was another interest
ing crank. His hobby was trying to have
everything done his own way. In his own
opinion, Mr.. Young knew more about parlia-
meutary law than Speaker Carlisle, and when
he became aroused to realization of the fact
that the house was not being run properly he
got up and lectured the speaker and the COM
mittee on rules and everybody else. Young
had wild way of swinging his arms about
and twisting his body out of shape III an en-
deavor TO make an impression on his hearers.
He never failed of an audience, but it was
not always a respectful audience. For APP
Dlause laughter was substituted, and poor
Young had rather hard time of 1t. Never
theless he was a useful and in some ways an
intellectual man.
Weaver, of Iowa, used to be called a crank.
This of itself shows how easily a man may
acquire that title. Weaver is also one of the
missing, having left congress to seek his for
tune in Oklahoma. For ten years he has
been one of the brainiest men and most I'M
certain political quantities in his state. he
has teen in all parties, and q success in all
He ran for president on the Greenback ticket.
Just now he is at the head of the Labor party
in the west. He is sure to come back to con-
gress if he lives and keeps his health. He Is
irrepreSsble Last winter when Weaver was
carving on his flibustering fight against the
whole house, he was roundly denounced on
all sides. But he stuck to his unpleasant
nost, and alone blocked the wheels of legisla-
ton for a week He was repeatedly asked
during that fight if he intended going out to
Oklahoma, the country in whose interest he
was filibustering. He as often declared he
had no intention OF going farther west than
the state of Iowa. Yet as soon as congress
adjourned he pulled up stakes and set out for
the new FL Dorado.
1t was generally expected Weaver would do
well out there No man had done 50 much as
he for the settlers. 1t was Weaver who had
secured the opening up of the whole tract TO
occupation by farmers. Why should he not
rise in the politics of the new community
But for some unaccountable reason the people
of Oklahoma had no use for Weaver. They
Jumped his claim" and virtually ran him out
of the country by making it unpleasant and
improbable for him 10 stay. What ingrati-
tule! Hurt, but not crushed. Weaver started
back 10 Iowa l am told he was 50 needy that