The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

The man was more angry than ever, but
there was certain humor IN the occasion,
and he picked up the envelope. took out
the letter. opened i and laid It before
The man then pushed the letter slowly
down again on to Greeley's manuscript 50
that he could not fail to see the signature
of Thaddeus Stevens at the bottom.
Greeley waited till it got almost to his pen
and then he Ripped it away again, saying
.ts aa asPna ng 'aSWssa s sens s os
Thad, anyway and kept on writing. 1t
was half an hour before the man got any
thing out of him and when he did his in
terview was cut short by Greeley again go
ing to work."
THE PREsrDEyrrAL ITCH KILLED HIM.
When Greeley made that tour of his
around the country as q presidential can
didate, he made a series of the most
brilliant speeches that ever came from the
stump. He spoke at every railroad station
and nearly always said something new.
have talked with men who travelled with
him during that campaign. They tell me
he was moody and unsociable, relapsing
into an almost idiocy while he was in the
cars. He would protest against going out
to speak when the train stopped, but
when dragged before the crowd, he would
brighten up and would make great
speeches. There is little doubt but that he
died insane and there is little doubt in the
minds of many but that his presidential
ambition had much to do with his death.
HOW REAGAN Refused THE sPEAKERsHIP.
General Cutcheon, Of Michigan, and
Senator Reagan, Of Texas, were chatting
about the coming speakership contest the
other day, when the conversation turned
TO the numerous speakership fights in
which Senator Reagan participated. 1.-THE
first" said he, twas in 1859. when John
Sherman came within an ace of being
elected, and though it is not generally
known, came very near being elected
speaker at that time
"The fact is" continued Senator
Reagan, 81 believe could have had the
speakership at that time if l had agreed
to make certain promise concerning it.
The contest was very close and it lasted
for weeks. Sherman's friends stuck to
him like those of Grant at Chicago, and
the parties were so divided that it seemed
to be impossible to elect anyone Bocock,
of Virginia, was the leading Democratic
candidate, and Horace Clark, of New York,
though not candidate himself, was the
leader of the Douglas Democrats, and of
that faction of our party which believed in
squatter sovereignty. 1t was he who de-
nounced Sherman as having endorsed the
Helper book, and he was one of the intlr-
entail men of the House. Toward the lat
ter part OF the contest, which ran on into
January, Sherman got as high as los votes,
and he finally Withdrew his name and
Pennington, OF New Jersey, was elected on
the fortieth ballot. Just before this,
Horace Clark called upon me at my
room and said: "Mr. Reagan, can make
you speaker of the House, if you will
promise me one thing. Sherman has Just
so many votes and he can not get any
more. 1t is the same with Bocock and
with the other candidates. If you will
consent to be candidate will throw you
the force of the Douglas Democrats and
can get you enough other votes to secure
your election. The one thing want you
to promise is that when you are elected
you will make up majority of the COM
mittee on territories of Douglas Demo-
Gratis and that you will make me the chair
man OF that committee"
II was rather surprised at this remark
from Mr.. Clark" said Senator Reagan,
land l replied: Mr.. Clark, / like YOU
very much, and don't see any objection
to the plan you propose, provided / had
not been told of it beforehand. ! can see
no objection to your having the chair
manship of the committee on territories,
nor of the committee being constituted as
you suggest, but inasmuch as you have
asked me to do so, can see that it would
be entirely wrong for me to accept such
proposition. / cannot promise to make
any such nomination and ] do not care to
be speaker on such TERMS
The result was that q few days after
ward Sherman made his speech of with
drawal and Pennington was elected"
HOW SENATOR BATE VISITED ANDREW JACKSON.
Senator w. B. Bate comes from the
Nashville district of Tennessee, and he
went to school as boy within few miles
80 t.0H Tory s<orv - ~
preacher of the Hermitage and he describes
a visit which he once paid to Andrew
Jackson in company with this parson.
"It was during the last years of Andrew
Jackson's life," said he "When we
entered the house, we saw Mr.. Jackson
sitting in an armchair at one end of the
hall with his big white hat adorned with
its black band beside him. He had gold
cane in one hand and long pipe
in the other. He laid down the pipe
as We came in, arose and offered his hand
to Mr.. Hume and then turning to me
asked as to what was the name of the
youngster he had brought with him. He
told him that l was one of his Sumner
county boys and that my name was Bate
He asked me if my grandfather was not
one OF his old officers, mentioning his
name, and replied that he was. Ire
manned at the Hermitage for two days,
and upon leaving he gave me some very
nice peaches and told me to take them
home and plant the stones. l did so, and
they produced very fine variety of peach
This was rs far back as 1874. and the trees
were bearing at the time of the war"
HOW SENATOR JONES MET CONGRESSMAN
LAIpLAw.
Senator Jones and Representative Laid
law are both great men, and it is surpris-
ing that two such mighty intellects should
not have come in contact before, inasmuch
as both have been in congress together for
several years. They have not met, how
ever, and up and until during the
past session, they were not personally ac-
quainted. Their introduction came
through little talk on silver in one of the
cloak rooms of the House Laidlaw seeing
Jones and evidently taking him for an ex-
congressman or stranger who had in
some way slipped into the holy of holies
the inner sanctum of the House, accosted
him and asked him what he thought of
the silver bill of last session. Senator
Jones made no bones of saying Just what
he thought of silver. Laidlaw straight
way differed from him and the discussion
soon began to wax warm. AS the talk
grew loud other members gathered around
and listened, and Laidlaw, in bulldozing
way, tried TO bluff Jones and laughed at
his arguments. At last, not dreaming he
was talking to Senator Jones, he said:
II don't know of anyone who has as fool
ish ideas on this subject as you have, ex-
cept that cranky Jones of the Senate, who
says, and here he quoted from one of
Jones speeches. But Jones don't know
what he is talking about No one thinks
anything of his opinion, and he is n first