Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-07-02
STORIES OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD.
Dramatic Incidont-How He Spoke.
Kindness to Reporters.
;ol

Kindness to Reporters.
Especial Correspondence.
NEW YORK, June l5.-When went to
Canada as reporter, in the early seven
ties, Sir John A. Macdonald was under
going the severest ordeal of his life. The
great Pacific railway scandal was under in
vestigation and hot charges of personal
corruption were preferred against him.
He was equal to all emergencies, however.
never witnessed more dramatic scene
than, when repelling the accusations in
the house of commons at Ottawa, he
stepped in front of his desk and, holding
out his hands palm upward toward the OPP
position benches, exclaimed with dra-
matte force which would have been no dis
credit to Booth, "These hands are clean"
The effect was electrical The galleries
rose as a man and cheered the plucky
statesman, and despite the fact that their
political future hung on the moment many
of Lis opponents applauded in unison with
the popular outbreak.
This incident, while it marked his prompt
retirement from power, increased Sir Johns
popularity. No matter what charges were
made against him in the future, every one
believed him pure personally. He made a
charming leader in opposition. While
speaking with a force and satire rarely
heard in the house, there was invariably a
playful smile on his face He usually be-
gan his speeches in low voice, repeating
the last few words of his sentences as
though gathering Roadway for the next.
After his exordium, however, his face
lighted up with enthusiasm, the hesitancy
and repetition in speech fled, and his words
came forth with remarkable fluency-now
hot with invective, then sweet with dulcet
responsiveness or biting with keen, scorch-
ing irony. In common with all great par
liamentary orators Sir John had the art at
times of saying nothing in great many
words, but as a rule his speeches were
fraught with meaning, apt in illustration
! and direct to the point at issue.
10 newspaper men Sir John was always
pleasant and obliging. A note for obscure
quotations used in his speeches (and he
was remarkably apt in this way) always
brought forth a ready response: requests
for information of. any kind were treated
with delightful nrbanity. He was ia.
vorite with all parliamentary reporters in
my time, and, while some may have dub
bed him "sly old fox" on questions Of
| state, every one admitted that he was the
very embodiment of courtesy and kindness
in personal intercourse.
| No better evidence of his playful humor
even in affairs of moment, can be giver
than his comment on an interview be
| tween the Marquis of Lorne and Londor
correspondent, shortly after the former ar
rived in Ottawa to assume the governor
generalship of the Dominion. 1t was ar
! open secret that Lorne and the Princess
Louise went to Canada to promote it's ma
| terial interests by the influence of theil
rank and station. The marquis requested
| the journalist to write a letter to his news
paper exploiting the resources of the coun
try "Indeed will not, your !ordship,
was the answer he got "And why?'
| queried the marquis. Because our adver
! Using rates are shilling Il line, payable
| invariably in advance Lorne was dunn
founded by the suggestion and dropped
the subject. On hearing the story Sit
John naively remarked ''The Scotch in
stinct will creep out; would have paiG
the bawbees myself if the marquis hat
taken the hint" JOHN w. PosTGATE