Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-16
A GEM In THE ROUGH.
The Career of James W. Nesmith as
an Official at Washington.
HADN'T VERY MUCH BOOK LARNIN'.
He Went to the Capital Much as Sockless
Jerry Simpson Goes,
BUT CANE AWAY A GREAT MAN
WRITTEN FOE THE DrsrArcH.l

meet sometimes in this world. He was born
In Maine and elected Senator of the
United States from Oregon, and subsequently
elected to the House. Nesmith was not a
men of much "book larnin'" and was in
debted more to nature than to schools for the
qualities that enabled him to win success In
life, and think could have well adopted
the sentiments of Burns and made them his
own, If he ever could be induced to adopt
anybody's sentiments, which is more than
| doubtful
| what's th' jargon o. your schools
| Your Latin names for horns and stoolsf
Ii honest nature made you fools
| What sair's your grammars?
You'de better a'taen up spades snd schools
Or knappin hammers.
He had got an education that suficed for
his purposes by rough contact with the
world; had hardened Drawn and brain in the
rough and tumble of life, and had gone to
school principally to the woods, the waters,
and the stars, and had learned more from
wild beasts and wild men, perhaps, than
from books. He was, in word, a self
taught and selfmade man and had every
reason to be proud of his workmanship.
He possessed but little fancy, and less of
romance, and had his own opinion about
"the noble red man" which was not par
ticularly fattering to said red man. For
dry wit and humor he was unequaled, and
possessed, like Lincoln, q fund of anecdotes,
which he probably concocted in his own
brain, as nobody had ever heard of them
until Nesmith told them. And yet no one
would have ever taken him for a wit, for
the gravity of his manner gave no suggestion
of it. Hewas apparently always quiet and
imperturbable, and his jokes never brought
the ghost of smile to his own countenance.
On one occasion, going over to the Con-
gressional Hotel to Consult Barclays Di-
gest," which was Congressional name for
it, in company with Eldridge and some
other members, one of the party was con-
graduating Eldridge on a recent speech he
had made in the House, and remarked: 'rBy
thunder, Eldridge, that speech would make
you President if you hadn't taken the back
salary grab"
SWELL" said Nesmith, quick as thought,
'I'd rather have his back salary than his
chance for being President.
HIS COMPLIMENTS TO THE SENATE.
1t is related of him that he created some
thing of sensation on his first appearance
in the Senate by his backwoods style and
appearance, and after he had been there for
some time Senator asked him: "Nesmith,
what astonished you most on your first ap-
pearance here?"
"Why, 4" said he, 'tthe thing that astonished
me most was how in the world ever sue
ceeded in getting into such an august BODY
as the United States Senate, but, after had
been here for some time, my wonder was
how the deuce the rest of you fellows ever
got here"
On the occasion of the memorable dead
lock in the House over the passage of the
civil rights bill, when the House sat in con-
tinuous session two days and two nights, it
became necessary for the Democracy on ac-
count of the comparative paucity of their
number, to adopt some regulations to keep
enough of them always present and awake
to prevent the passage of the bill, and
n esmith was unanimously elected general
of the Democratic forces and invested with
autocratic power to enforce discipline. He
Immediately organized his force under
strict military despotism, appointed num-
Der of aid-de-camps and scouts to skirmish |
about the outskirts and cloakrooms and
wake up the sleepers when their names
were called, and suffered no man to leave
the hall without his permission. The ex-
cuses given by members who "wanted to go
out" were constant provocatiyes of mirth |
and laughter and served greatly to relieve !
the dteary monotony of the proceedings.
HIS STYLE OF oRAToRY.
He had something of Lincoln's felicity of |
expression, remarkable in both because of |
the want Of finished education. A good |
illustration of this was exhibited in a eulogy |
which he pronounced In the House on SEN |
ator Sumner. He said:
1
from his cultivated, high position as patriot |
ism, and although sort of John Brown, he |
threw about his efforts such a charm of |
learning, such graces of rhetoric, that it
seems wrong to class him with the coarse |
fanatic who nodded into bullets the words
the orator uttered in the Senate. John
Brown was Charles Sumner reduced to prac-
tical action, and both represented the rock
ribbed land where duty takes the place of
impulse. Peace hath her victories no less
renowned than war;" and the man who, by
converts a nation of politicians to his views
is as much entitled to a triumphal arch as
the mere soldier who, by the unreasoning
power of brute force, completes his victory
with the sword and points to the hecatomb
OF the slain as his passport to power.
In a speech defending some of his white
constituents who had slaughtered some of
their red brethren for outrages committed
by them, he said, in reply to Shanks:
Retaliation is law of our nature. Sup
posing some Indian should raise the am |
brosial locks of the gentleman from Indiana |
to ornament lodge pole, and his father,
brother or son should seek revenge, who
would complain? i
SOME OF HIS SATIRE
On an item appropriating money for the
support of horses and repairs to carriages for
the Department of Justice, of which Will
ams was then the head, he said:
This constituent of mine is the only one
who INDUCES in this gorgeous, Oriental
,plendor of riding in a ST. 600 1andaulet. Why,
sir, lawyers in my State of this caliber ride
hey are doing well at that, but there is a
spanish proverb-'Put a beggar on horse |
back and he will ride to the devil" 1 have |
10 objection to the termination of this direc- |
ion, but do not want the people to pay for
ihe transportation.
His account of his difficulties in getting to
Zee Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, was
amusing. Nesmith was unac-
Iuainted with the ways of the departments 4
allied several times at the War Depart !
nent only to be told by Cameron's door /:
Keeper, who did not know that Nesmith was |
Senator, that the Secretary was busy and
ould not be seen. firing of it at last he !
determined to force his way in, when the !.
loorkeepcr grabbed him roughly by the l
oat collar to stop his intrusion. Nesmith ]
lit him blow under the jaw that knocked :
lin fiat, ard when he got into the Secre- I
ary's presence, said:
Cameron. have been trying to get to s
ee you for week, but there was fellow '
t the door wouldn't Let ME in, and had to L
mock him down"
"Oh," said Cameron, che did not know j
L. 81 i |