The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-27
JOHN G. CARLISLE
A Talk With the Great Kentucky
Statesman.
THE FUTURE oFoUR GOVERNMENT
The Silver Question and Why the Democratic
Party Should Not Make 1t a Pres
idential Issue.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-TSpecial cores.
pondence of THE SUNDAY HERALD.1-It was
In the parlors of a comfortable house on Z
street, within three blocks of the White
House, and just around the corner from
Mcpherson square, that [ chatted with one
OF the most remarkable statesmen in con.
gress, last Sunday afternoon. The man sal
with his back to the light, but his big,
broad forehead, his straight nose. and his
strong, smooth-shayen jaw came character
lsucaIly out IN the shadows, and his face
was more than ever the embodiment of pure
intellect as his soul looked out of it's clear
gray eyes, and he talked freely of the great
questions of the day. There is no stronger
man In the senate to-day tina Mr.. John G.
Carlisle. His fourteen years in congress,
during which he served as speaker or upon
nelmportant committee of ways and means.
nave given him a thorough equipment re-
gardlng all matters connected with the
government and the interests of the United
States, and his wonderful intellect. married
to a capacity for perpetual work, makes
him a giant among his fellows. There is
no such worker in Washington as Senator
Carlisle. While speaker be put in more
hours a day than any man at the capitol
and his work is still before him from morn
ing until night. He has never been a dis.
clple OF physical culture. He pays, I am
told, but little attention to his diet. has no
recreatlons whatever, and his great brain
rests only when he sleeps. Our conversa-
ton was more in the shape of a friendly
talk than an interview, and | give the chat
as nearly as l can, just as it occurred, hay-
ing requested MIR. Carlisle to revise il
winch he has very kindly done.
b s-PEAKERsHIP.
The first subject was the leadership.
and asked Senator Carlisle whether lie
considered it a desirable position or . hard
one to fill. He replied:
The speakership is certainly a very
erduous position. 1t entails hard work
from the beginning to the end OF the ses
sion, and taxes the strength and tries the
patience Of the incumbent to the fullest ex-
tent. The work of selecting the commit
tees-oetermlning just what members will
deal most lntelligently with certain classes
OF euestions-and the naming of cbairmen
is p~erplexing and tedious in the extreme.
When this Is done the Speakers work is
only begun. He has to pass upon questions
OF Importance almost every hour. He has
70 De consulted as to the time that shall be
given to the various legislative measures;
must carry IN his mind d panoramic view
OF the whole legislation of the session. and
must understand the merits of each meas
ure and how 1t should be treated. This. of
course, requires d great amount of inyesti-
ga tlon and study. He must be ready to de-
eide upon all matters the moment they
come up-and new questions of procedure
and parliamentary law are always being
presented.
1.-THE mail of the speaker is very heavy
While was speaker, l sometimes received
rs high as seventy-tVe or eighty letters in
a single mail, and nearly all of my CORES
pondence related either directly or indi-
rectly to public matters"
"You were twice elected speaker, Sena-
tor Carlisle, without opposition in your
that!'
Il do not know" replied the senator. az
tried TO be fair and impartial in my decis-
ions, and l regarded my Office as that of a
Judge rather than a partisan. This is. in
my Judgment, the true position of q speaker.
III L thought the leaders of my party were
at all in the wrong on questions of order
decided against them, butif it was a matter
OF equal right, l OF course gave the prefer
ence to the Democrats
What kind of a speaker will MI. Crisp
maker"
"Mr. Crisp is a cool, cautious, self reli-
ant and able man. He never loses his tenn
per, and he has undoubted executive
ability. / was in favor of MIR. Mills cleo
ton because he was a conspicuous repre-
sentative of the Democratic party on tariff
reform and because his utterances during
the last campaign were in accord with the
attitude L think the party ought to take
upon that subject during the coming Presi-
dental campaign"
AFEw WORDS o SILVER.
"What do you think of the issues of the
mex campaign, SenatorY' said l.
"They viii include the whole list of