Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-01-15

xQd11y eoUrxexnons pq11toR 1eofnress
cad exRq1oise ewes Lseks Il ixcsagrsy
hssr ensi spon ~ forsAe>d and short
euRoin9 beaxd covers k1s ehin- fh1n
nrnsleman y bwsaasheuldered. has
Thick hard msseles. and y Inclined 20
p0r<l1ness He - Lewis =. PHysen Of
hontise, III. ene Of the orators Of ~
Honss. The congressionsl Record con-
t~insr HUNDREDS. Il noe shcsAAndn. u
sclnunns At lis speeches. He speaks
luastly snd upoa almost ~sy given
enbjece without preparssioa, He = .
great reader. aud thinker - veil
He b chairman 81 che committees o.
bablie ian<is Ssrving his tenth year
Ia congress. no man better understands
railroad grants. and what y due 70 the
Goverun.ent from the companies who
recsiyed than He Wa . sksong oppo-
neat Of the copyright bill His per
sonality was felt In tbs Aght for free
coinage. He spoke for h bat did not
voee for H. Que Of the most entertain
in9 seenes In the House in the
last session was that IN which Judge
Turnsr, Of Georgia. called Judge Psyson
~ account for straddling tbs silver
question- With all his adroitness and
exquisite parry and thrust. the Illinois
member did not escape. His fight ex-
cited the admire alton Of thu House. but
the Georgian drew blood Nsny-a-tins-
snd-oft. however, has Judge Payson
crossed rapiers with the best debaters
on tho fioor. and been victorious. He
Is man loved by his friends and feared
by his enemies
II the stranger remains in the gallery
long enough he viii eco . brawny gentle
man with blue eyes, thin. light hair
and q grizxled beard take the door. This
is sure 10 happen II IN appropriation
bill is under consideration He wears
no mustache. His voice Is resonant and
his gestures tremulous and eccentric.
He wears rundown collar, q black
tie and plain clothes There IL no non-
sense about him. He talks as though
spurred by the intensity of his convic-
TONS For many years he has been .
member of the committee on appropria-
tons. He drew his knowledge of tho
needs and expenditures Of the Govern
ment from the tutelage Of Samuel J..
Randall. Like Randall, he has plead
for economy. Like that great leader he
has frequently fought his own party as
sociates to prevent extravagant expen-
ditures. There is not much Of the milk of
human kindness about him where new
members are concerned. No man, how
ever. can be moro gracious TO old asso-
ciates, even If political antagonists. He
understands the legislative geology Of
can tell how large appropriations have
grown from small ones and can give tho
why's and wherefores for such item in
such bills. He can take exceptions and
raise objections like Philadelphia law
yer and rise to questions of privilege
like trout to hy. He talks
much, but men listen to him when he
talks This gentleman is Hon. JOS
eph G. Cannon, Of Danville, Ill. He is
anative Tarheel, is serving his ninth
term a. Representative from the black
belt of Illinois. AS chairman Of the
committee on appropriations he has
stood foremost in the eyes of the coun-
try since Thomas B. Reed became mas
ter of the House. Although a
faithful lieutenant of the Gar
on the floor of the House and
in committee, he h by no means a
docile servant. Cannon strongly repro
bated Billy Mason's filibustering on the
Conger bill. 1t was through the ex-
preston of his Indignation that his un-
fortunate utterance was made In re-
sponsc to Mr.. McAdoo Cannon is one
Of the triumvirate committee on rules.
Here also he has been governed by his
convictions. II report is true he has
barred the way to more than one spe-
cial order that would have throttled the
House in the interest Of some measure
which he deemed obnoxious. His sup
port of the force bill and the Mckinley
bill, however, was very determined.
His partisanship here was extreme.
The same with the election cases. In
deed in these cases his bearing, at
times, was arrogant and extremely irri-
tating to the minority. No one, how
ever. has ever questioned his honesty
and devotion TO what he considers to
be to the interests of the country.
Away back of Cannon the stranger
will note clean-shaven man with sal
low complexion, piercing gray eyes and
straight, black hair. He is stub-and-
twist fellow, big Drained and muscular.
lie speaks often and TO the point His
rapidity of utterance tests the skill of
the stenographers. He is Bishop w.
Perkins, and he comes from the plains
of Kansas. lie is chairman of the COM
mittee on Indian affairs. Persist
emily he calls the attention of the House
10 Indian affairs. Il is an unthsnkful
task. There seems to be little sympa-
thy there for the sborigines. So many
conflicting interests are struggling for
precedence that Indian matters hardly
get fair hearing. Time and time
again has Perkins plead for considera-
ticn in vain Even IL he secures recog-
milton from the Speaker, he fails 20 re-
.ccive unanimous consent from the
House. But be never gets discouraged.
He comes up smiling at the first oppor-
trnity. and again prefers his request.
IT is "a Speaker pro tempore, however,
that Perkins appears TO the best ad-
vantage. In dispatch of business he
equals the late Sunset Cox. He seizes
time by the forelock and grinds leg;sls-
tive grist increasingly. There is no
more active OF more useful Represents
tive on the floor.
Such are some of the men who at
tract the attention Of stranger In the
gallery. He viii appreciate the depth