The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-04-12
CAREER OF THE DYING STATESMAN.
Congressional History which Mr..
Randall Helped to Write.
Various Matters of interest From the
National Capital.
A Bridge Which Shall Out Rival Any
Yet Constructed.
Especial to the Press.l

of the country as well. Five or SIX years
ago, in the great tariff discussions of that
time, Mr.. Randall was the acknowledged
and powerful chieftain of band OF twenty
five or thirty protectionist Democrats who
could aways be counted on to resist the free
rade plans of the Southern Democrats. 1t
not great many years ago when Mr..
Randall was regarded as the leader of the
Democratic party in the House, and as such
was elected Speaker. From that position of
party leadership ne was deposed by the rise
of Mr.. Carlisle as the head of the free trade
sentiment of his party, but Mr.. Randall still
continued as the leader of a powerful faction
of his party and during tariff contests al
ways welded it against the free trade
schemes of the Southern leaders of his party.
But in the last Congress the power of the
Democratic administration was put forth to
crush him and his followers. It succeeded.
Mr.. Randall's following has not survived
him. Scarcely remnant of the old band
remains in the House. McAdoo of New Jer-
sey, Mutchler of Pennsylvania, and perhaps
one or two other Democrats, are still protec-
tionsts; but probably when the tariff bill
comes up for discussion it will be found that
they will make little resistance to the die
tates of their party.
Not only does Mr.. Randalps following dis
appear with its leader; Mr.. Randall disap-
pears with legislative practice of which he
was devotee as much as creator. Fill
clustering always found favor in his sight.
With Mr.. Holman of Indiana, and few
other Democratic leaders. he seemed to cher
ish the profound conviction that the highest
aim of statesman is to prevent legislation.
He was Democrat, but in this respect not
democratic. He did not have that sublime
confidence in the capacity of the representa-
tives of the people to do all things we'll which
is supposed for some strange reason to be a
fundamental element ofDemocratic creed. As
chairman of the appropriations committee at
the time when that committee had the charge
of all appropriation bills, he syste-
matically used the power of that po-
sition to obstruct legislation. When
part Of the, appropriation bills were
uted. it was the beginning of the downfall OF
obstruction. Mr. Randall was not able to
participate in the great battle of the House
when his system received its deathblow at
the hands of statesman whose courage is as
gr6dL as nlS own, anu WHOSo cOnHUoncb III
the ability of the representatives OF the peo-
pie to legislate for the country is far greater
Mr.. Randall was one of remarkable trio
of members of the House of Representatives,
all but one of whom are now gone. All three
of them were from the city of Philadelphia,
and all of them were veterans of the House.
William d. Kelley entered the Thirty eighth
Congress and was reelected to every sue
ceeding Congress up to and including the
Fifty-first the present. Samuel j. Randall
entered the Thirty-eighth Congress and was
continuously re-eecteu.- t. Cnaries 0Nefff
entered the same Congress, and has been re-
elected continuously since, with the single
exception of the Forty-second. The inf1u-
ence of these three men from the city OF
Philadelphia upon the affairs of this country
it would be hard to estimate at its full
weight. Mr.. Breckenridge of Kentucky. in
his eulogy of Judge Kelley. attributed no
little of the present wealth and grandeur of
Philadelphia to the experience and devotion
of her representatives in Congress.
Kelley and O'Neill have always been Re-
publicans since their first session of Con-
gress, and Mr.. Randall has been Demo-
crat. Probably his successor will be a Re
publican. Mr.. Randall's old district has
been kept for him through the Republican
apportionments; but the same courtesies
will hardly be shown any other Democrat.
Philadelphia is solidly Republican and pro-
tectionist, and in these days when the tariff
line has been drawn beside the party line. a
Democrat will hardly succeed in securing
the hold upon the affections of the people of
Philadelphia that Mr.. Randall had.
Mr. Randall did pnt i, hic norlinr davc 0f
his career in Congress impress his colleagues
as man destined to become so prominent
as he became. A Maine man who served
with Randall in earlier days remembers him
as not especially brilliant or industrious at
that time. But as he continued in service
year after year be began to grow in influence
and In capacity for the work of Congress,
until he became to the present generation a
great power.
A bill has passed the House and now rests
on the Senate calendar to authorize the con-
struction of work that will, if carried out,
take its place in the first seven of the wonders
of the modern world. The bill gives the au-
thority needed for the construction of great
suspension bridge across the Hudson river
at New York. The plans OF the bridge have
been completed for some time, and have been
exhibited before the committees of Congress
The bridge planned is great wonder. The
Brooklyn bridge. which has been the one
thing most wonderful to the visitor to New
York, is very small affair when considered
beside the great plans for the Hudson river
bridge. Even the great Forth bridge, OF
Scotland, which has just been completed
and is larger than the Brooklyn bridge. can
not rival in its dimensions the plans before
Congress.
Every one who has passed from New Yorl
to Jersey City knows the immense amount
of traffic carried over in ferryboats and barg
es. The entire traffic of several great rail
| roads is ferried over at great expense ant
| bother. But the river at this point is also /;
great highway of commerce and bridge ha
| never yet been feasible because commerc,
| could not be ObStructed by piers, and the dis
| tance from shore to shore was greater thar
| the most daring engineers cared to attemp
bridge is 1895 feet; but to stretch ' a spai
| from the New York to the New Jersey shor,
| would require span of 1850 feet,-an i'm
mense distance. The great spans of th
| Forth bridge, the longest on earth, are onl,
| 1,700 feet. The two. spans which approach
| the long span on either side are each 1,50
| long, nearly as long as the great span OF tn
| Brooklyn bridge and within two hnndre'
feet of the length of the long spans of tn
| Forth bridge. The forth bridge is built upol
| the cantilever principle, so the tall towers a
| either end are not features as they are OF tn
| Brooklyn bridge. The towers of the Brook
| lyn bridge are two hundred and seventy-tW
| feet above high water line. The plans OF tn
| great Hudson bridge provide for towers nv
| hundred feet high, measuring from hlgl
water. 1t is difficult to realize the tremend
| Gus altitude of these towers. OF course the.
are far lower than the Eiffel tower; but tha
has no weight to carry as will these towers
which will be weighted down with the grea
cables of the bridge. The Washington mon
| ument, the highest work of man on this con
| tinent is only 555 feet The new bridge VII
| have four tall towers each within 90 feet 0
the height OF the Washington monument
| The towers of the Brooklyn bridge are o.
stone; but the plans of the new bridge ar
10r towers of iron. The main cables OF tn
Brooklyn bridge are fifteen and one-hal
inches in diameter; and when made were tn
| wonders of the cable makers art But tn
caoles for the new bridge will be fOrtY-eigh
| lncheS In diameter or four feet.
The entire length of the Brooklyn bridge i
| 3,7OO feet; the new bridge will be 6,500 fee
long, more than mile. The Brooklyn bridg
| has two railroad tracks; the conditions o
! the charter for the new bridge require ca
| pacity for ten tracks and the Immediate con
| structiOn of six tracks. Trains RIM o,
| Brooklyn bridge at the rate of 10 miles al
hour; they are to go on the new one at 3
| miles an hour.
The cost of the Brooklyn bridge from an
| ohorapa 70 anchorage exclusive of tho Ion,