The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-11-01
PLAIN TOM REED.
How He Travels on His Western
Stumping Tour.

The Chicago Inter-Ocean relates the fol-
lowing incident in connection with Speaker
Reeds visit to that city. He came just as
plain Tom Reed would have come before he
was elevated to the rank of Scar" by the
Democratic editors of the country. He car
ried his own grip as he left the train and
thought it no offense to his Official dignity
for other passengers to crowd him in the
rush of departure.
As he stood on the platform at the Wiscon.
sin Central depot he was the best natured
and the least concerned of the passengers.
No one suspected him of being a poor and
penniless Car. but no one knew that Mr..
Reed had lost his money as he took the train
at Waterloo, Iowa, Thursday night. He did
not charge it to pickpockets but regarded the
incident as one Of those mistakes when a
man thinks he has put his money in his vest
pocket and drops it.
He discovered the mistake when he met
the Pullman conductor and offered to ex
change 81 bill for BERTH He couldn I
find any money in his pocket, and Pullman
conductor is not a good man on whom to
practice with sight drafts or bank checks.
These are not negotiable with the despot who
rules over the Pullman section Of the rail-
E1ad train. Mr.. REED realized this and stood
quietly in the car employing both hands in a
systematic exploration Of his pockets in
search of the missing roll He was not sat
isied with once going over the ground. He
| began with the vest POCKET and came back to
| them several times in succession, and at the
| beginning of each turn the smi lie on his face
| broadened as he realized that he was in a
sleeping car without money.
How could even a Gar win the confidence
| of porter under the circumstances? He
might as well step down from his throne at
| once, for not even Democratic editor would
fear a Gar who had lost his purse.
| The Speaker OF the greatest parliamentary
body in the world laughed as he admitted
/ that he found hims elf in the cone ition of the
/ man who was offered the State Of Texas for
/ a pair of boots, but hadn't the b0oLs.
1t was financial problem that he had not
considered in any OF his speeches on the tar
iff and other economic subjects and he ad-
| mitted that deficit was more difficult to
| handle than q surplus. For once he wished
himself Democrat just to know what to DO
under the circumstances, as the Democratic
party has had experience in deficits and are
always growing about the surplus
An acquaintance who bad been watching
this little comedy laughed too as ne offered
To set as a banker, and Mr.. Reed came to
Chicago penniless car. ,,
Mr.. Reed Is an excellent traveller. lie
does not show the fatigue OF his Western
tonr which has been one that would be i'm
| noseihle to most men. Three week ago he
left Maine to visit some Of the close districts
and help Republicans to return their Con-
gressmen. Through Connecticut, New York
and PENNSYLVANIA he made speeches, and
last week Preached IOhio, where he was
70 make three speeches in McKinley's dis
trict. Instead Of three speeches he deliv-
cred eight in that district and last Monday
he was billed for speech at Logansport.
Instead Of one he delivered two, and Tues
day came to Illinois, beginning at Cham
paign. Instead OF one speech for that day he
delivered three, and travelled 3c0 miles to
| make them.
He spoke for fifty minutes at Champaign,
took a special train for Peoria as soon as the
speech was finished, stopped at Bloomington
for ten minutes and spoke for Congressman
Rowell, and reached Peoria just in time to
swallow bite of supper and be driven 10
the hall, where he spoke for an hour to Con-
gresham Posts constituents. He retired Al
midnight and was up at o'clock Wednes-
day morning to take the train for Burllng-
ton. AT Glenwood and Galesburg he stop
ped and made hurried speeches. Reached
Burlington at II, and made a speech in ths
afternoon aud another In the evening.
thursday morning he had to leave Bur
lington at O'Clock. and while other passen.
gers bIeakfasted at Cedar Rapids, Speaker
heed was compelled to speak to 1000 people
VINO had gathered at the depot to see and
near MIN; He was obliged to eat his break
last on the train, where 1t had been taker
Dy the porter, and at the same time enter
tam the people who continually passed
through the car to shake hands and tall
with "the nerviest man in America" AZ
waterloo he shook hands with the crowd
until time to attend the meeting, for an houl
in the open air. returned TO the hotel ant
again shook hands with people who could
not be kept away. and in the evening made
| two speeches at two big meetings In difer
! ent parts of the city.