The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-30
STORIES OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD D.

| Dramatic 1ncident-How He Spoke.
Kindness to Reporters.
Especial Correspondence
| NEW YORK, June 15.-When / went to
Canada as a 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
! l never witnessed a 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 op-
! position benches, exclaimed with a 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 his 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
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 fed, and his words
came forth with remarkable fuency-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 thu art at
times OF saying nothing in a great many
words, but as rule his speeches were
fraught with meaning, apt in illustration
and direct to the point at issue.
To newspaper men Sir John was always
pleasant and obIging A note for obscure
quotations used in his speeches land he
was remarkably apt in this way) always
brought forth a ready response; requests
for information of any kind were treated
with delightful urbanity. He was IA
vorite with all parliamentary reporters in
my time, and, while some may have dub
bed him a '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 given
than his comment on an interview be-
tween the Marquis of Lorne and London
correspondent, shortly after the former ar
rived in Ottawa to assume the governor
generalship of the Dominion. 1t was an
open secret that Lorne and the Princess
Louise went to Canada TO promote its ma
terial interests by the influence of their
rank and station. The marquis requested
the journalist to write letter to his news
paper exploiting the resources of the coun-
try. Indeed l will not, your lordship,"
was the answer he got. And whyS"
queried the marquis. Because our adver-
Using rates are shilling a line, payable |
invariably in advance" Lorne was dunn |
founded by the suggestion and dropped |
the subject. On hearing the story Sir
John naively remarked, 1.-THE Scotch in |
stinct will creep out; would have paid |
the bawbees myself if the marquis had |
taken the hint" JOHN W. POSTGATE.