Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-26

cheeks, bright eyes deep in their sockets a
long neck encased in high collar and stocks
bony fingers and a form as straight as an
arrow and appearing tall beyond actual meas
urements by Its slender proportions-he moves
silently and aimlessly about the hall like a
shade OF some dead and bygone Congress
moving among strange people amid familiar
! scenes. With dignity he walks along the aisles
as one who has often walked that way before
but no look o. recognition passes over his face
as he meets members here and there and the
members look at him with blank faces. with
no quick light of recognition. no words
OF welcome. Interest and curiosity fix many
eyes upon him as he strides through the
alsles. Time moves so swiftly and changes
come so fast that statesman of the time of
, Webster Clay. COrwin. Calhoun. one who has
visited jackson in the White House cannot ex-
pect to meet many familiar faces in the Con-
rress of today. Ii Clay Webster were TO
come back they would probably move about in
this way anu look strangely on the scene And
this old man Is of their day and generation
a superhuous statesman lingering still to see
the work of time; link between the present
and the past. Nung in the old and old III the
new generation of statesmen, he acted with
those of years gone by and watches with ex-
perienced eyes and observation quick to criti-
, else the present generation of men.
CONTEMPORARY OF WEBSTER.
the halls that still vibrated with the voice of
Webster. who spoke in the old hall where now
only marble statues stand, who walked by the
side of President jackson down the aisle of the
House to hear Adams speak OF Iafayette--he
the statesman of past time now wanders
through the halls and the corridors of the
Capitol. coming suddenly Oh the scene like II
surrec.iOn.
Hardly day has gone by this session that lie
has not been at the Capitol. He walks about
i'll the House 4 lille each day watching the
proceedings with critical sort of Interest;
sitting now III seat once occupied by one OF
his Oid-time friends. now lOuuging in the cloak
room; now sleeping on "a sofa-living again in
the scenes which are full of associations to HIM
which no other man in the hall with him can
quite appreciate. In Banks only does lie recog-
nize an old colleague. A stranger to them ALL
he Is more familiar with the place than they.
OF course he is not an absolute stranger;
they all know who he Is; they have read OF him
i'll Legislative history; his spec ches NAV have
furnished them examples Of cloqGence. the de-
livery of which they practiced i'll their schools.
But now he Is only among them. not OF them.
Sometimes he is seen IN the Senate: sometimes
i'll the House. lie divides his time between the
two. but Is generally in the House. In which
ever house he Is his bearing is always that of a
man familiar with the place but not with the
people. He is seldom engaged i'll conversation
with any OF the Senators or members.
NEARLY HALF A CENTURY AGO.
He entered the House in 1913 and served for
thirteen years in that body, and then he served
in the Senate until he was expelled by resolu-
ton. together with other southern men, for
taking part i'll the rebellion. His service Gll
autedateS the war. In his day he was one of
the orators OF Congress. and his powerful ring
lnc voice is still retained. but il sounds hike a
voice from past generation-al all out of tune
with the voice Of today. He Is still bright
| liz
familiarity with men We have learned to veneer
ate III the distance of time is odd and refresh
ing. lnstnctiyely he compares things as he
sees them now with what he was familiar with
III the days of hls activity. and his prefere noes
remain with the old time. when he sat the
| arm of Clay's chair. with one hand on that
| statesmans shoulder, while listening to the
| famous Webster speak.
| THEN AND now.
| There is 2 marked difference between then
and now" he said to STAR reporter There
was much more order and decorum then than
now. When | sit in either house now 1 cannot
| help but draw the contrast. The men OF my
| day, when Webster and Clay ami their many
distinguished colleagues were in Congress-
there was less boisterUusness than now. Mem
beers and Senators did not then all stand up
and group around the gentleman who had the
| floor. There were sharp passages of arms and
some very lively times. but members kept their
seat if not entitled 20 the floor. The man who
arose to speak occupied the floor until he had
finished. If d speech of interest was being
made they listened. or if they were not inter-
ested they wrote at their desks or talked in
whispers. They kept at their seats and showed
| respect for the body of which they were
members. Usually attention was paid to
speeches and the speeches were delivered diff
ierently from what they now are Members
and senators did not read their speeches.
They spoke freely and there was more oratori-
q al off af.tr hH / hut
speech read in the Senate in my time. and that
reading was so much commented on that the
Senator thereafter spoke freely without notes
Some members and Senators actually wrote
their speeches and committed them. You
could tell this from the stiffness OF their deiv
cry, but all the great men who figure in his
tory spoke on the floor of Congress with as
much naturalness and freedom as If they were
engaged in conversation. That was the charm
OF their delivery and they usually held atten.
ton. l was IN the Senate when Mr.. Blair was
speaking on the educational bill this session.
half dozen or so of the Senators were talking
together, writing letters or reading the news
papers. and one man was sitting still, appar-
emily doing nothing. l thought then that this
one man might possibly be listening to the dis
course. | cOntrasted the scene with others
have witnessed in that chamber.
Congress is larger and in measure un-
wieldy. 1t is more tied up by rules and under
control of the presiding officer. In my day the
the Speaker for recognition got the floor Had
the Speaker refused to recognize man SO ris-
ing resolution OF censure would quickly have
been passed upon him. There was great Dig
nifty among the members on the floor and they
were jealous of their power and privileges.
DETERIORATION IN LEADERSHIP.
lone thing that strikes me particularly as
watch the proceedings of this Congress is the
absence of distinguished leaders Individual
leadership has deteriorated since the war.
Blaine and Conkiing have been the ablest
men In the Senate since the war, but they
would rank, think, with the second rather
than the first OF our great orators OF the earlier
time. / find in Congress today many able men,
but there are few SO conspicuously greater than
all the rest to be great leaders. The DEM
Ocrats have no leader in the Senate now, have
they! Ii seems to me not. suppose Vest and
Daniel are your principal orators
"Oratory does not seem to be as it was in
Congress. You appear TO have no great
orators now. There is too much reading of
speeches and not enough earnestness and tire
IN the delivery. In my day when a man spoke
he braced himself and stood in attitude of
power and dignity. His head and shoulders
we're thrown back, his bearing that of great
dignity. HIS voice was clear and bold. All
the good speakers had this bearing on the
floor The object was to be heard and to impress
the hearers. The old hall of the House was
not particularly good place to speak in on ac-
count OF the echoes, but the members who
were IN the habit of speaking knew
certain places to stand to make themselves
heard. L know 1t used to be said that my voice
could be heard in every corner of the hall and