The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-15
UNCLE JOE M'DONALD.
Interview With the Ex-senator
on Public Questions.
GAN STILL MAKE 4 SADDLE.
The silver Movement VIII Unhorse tAs
Stuffed Prophet-The West VIII
Name tho Candidates.

pleasure to his first love--the law He has
an immense practice here at Washington
City and he ranks as one Of the greatest
lawyers west of the Alieghanies. He is
noted for his sound, hard-headed common
sense, and long life Of study and prac-
tice, added to his sterling abilities, has put
him at the head of has profession. His in
come is said to be five times the salary OF
congressman. but he practices at the law
because he loves it. and he told me last
night that he could not remember when he
had not an ambition to be lawyer, and
that If he were u boy again he would choose
the lega! profession and stick to it. asked
him as to his political ambitions and he
replied:
II am not a natural politician, and poll
itics have been only an incident in my
life. do not care for political life, and I
think that am happier and better Off a.
private in the Democratic party than al
one of its officials. began to practice
law as soon as / was out Of college, and I
was attorney general of the state of In
diana before was elected to the Senate. !"
UNCLE JoE's EDUCATION.
Where did you go to school, senatore"
l asked
"In different parts Of Indiana replied
Mr.. Mcdonald. II was born, you know
in Butler county, o., and my father
moved to Indiana when was years old.
At II was an apprentice to saddler, a
relative of mine, and learned the trade,
working at it for six years"
do you think you could make saddle
today, SENATOR"
yes replied Senator Mcdonald, II
Al
saddle now in use by my sister which
made for her some years ago Well, kept
up my studies during my apprenticeship,
and entered Wabash college at Is. When
was % was at Asbury university, where
took scientific course, and left without
graduating. My graduation, if the re-
ceiving of diploma means graduation,
took place years afterwards, when [ was
in the United States Senate, and l sup
pose arm the only senator in our history
who graduated during his term in con-
gress. The college evidently thought I
was far enough along for the honor, and
they sent me diplomas shortly after
my senatorial election making me b.
A. and NJ. A. at the same time.
had before this time been given the degree
of LII d. by the state university of Indie
ana, and / was then abaut IS years of age.
I was born in 1919, about the middle Of
Monroe's second presidential term, and
cast my first vote for President Polk.
IN CONGRESS WITH WEBSTER AND CLAY.
81 was the boy congressman" Senator
Mcdonald went on, in response to my
questions, "in the session of 1919 and 80,
and / was under 30 at the time was
elected. / remember the great men Of
the time very well. and 1
can see Clay and Webster in
my minds eye today as they photographed
themselves upon it in 1s49 Henry Clay
was in the Senate. He was very tall and
spare, and he had small head with high
narrow forehead. large mouth and big
nose He wore very large collars, and
some of the paintings in the capitol arc
good representations of him. He was ono
of the greatest orators I have ever heard,
and his force largely came from the man.
ner of his utterance rather than from what
he said. He had very musical voice and
he had all the qualities of a fine ac-
tor His manner was such that his
speeches lost weight with you if you were
in such q position that you could not see
him while he was speaking. He was q
man of great force, and he impressed him.
self upon everything with which he was
connected. Daniel Webster, it seemed to
me, was by far the stronger man inteilecfu-
ally still, upon such committees as Clay
and Webster worked together in the Senate
the measures bore the stamp OF Clay rather
than Webster from his push and personal
influence, which carried to success almost
everything that he attempted"
How did Webster impress you as an
orator2n | asked.
al Il 10 a
tor Mcdonald. s.But the charm of his
speaking was in the thought rather than
the manner in which ii was presented. he
had none of the graces of Mr.. Clay, and
his speaking was done chiefly in CONVEX.
sational tone. and the most of his gestures
were only from the elbow He possessed,
however, the strongest intellectual indi-
yiduaiity of any man that i have ever
known. and he held his audiences for
hours by the iron chain of his thought
which he forged link by link as he went
along He was a tall, broad-shouidered
man with massive head and deep-set
eyes which were rather dull save when he
became enthusiastic in his speaking. He
had good Voice and his very appearances
caused strangers to stop and wonder who
he was"
THE TARIFF AND THE REPUBLICAN, DEFEAT.
The conversation here turned TO the
tariff and asked the senator whether he
thought the Mckinley tariff bill was the
cause of the Republican defeat. He re-
piled:
II do. The people have begun to study
the tariff, and the farmers are especially
alive TO the effects of high import duties
on account of the Irvine Trust The
Irvine used for the binding of grain IS
made from foreign grasses. which arc
shipped to this country and are here manu-
featured into Irvine for the reapers. Such
high duty had been put on twine
as 10 exclude the manufactured ar
ticle, and the trust raised tho
price of it To such an extent
that il increased the cost Of raising wheat
to the farmer one cent per bushel. This
started them to studying the tariff. The
Mckinley bill put tax on nearly every
article of home consumption and every
dry goods clerk and every tin peddier be-
came an obiect-iesson teacher. inc result
was the defeat of the Republican party. 1
believe myself in a tariff for revenue and l
think the United States il in such a condI-
tion that il can compete in the markets Of
the world on an equal basis with
other nations, and that 1t should
have its raw materials imported
free England is the create g
country in the world as far as the knowi-
edge of economical questions is coneerned-
John Bull runs his business on business
principles. and his legislation is for the
good OF the people and for the country.
Ii * for the masses and not for the classes
Gladstone. when the Mckinley tariff act
was passed. was asked why he did not re-
faliate upon America and put duty upon
breadstufis and the raw materials which
we send 10 English markets. He re-
piled substantially that he did not
see any reason for increasing tho
cost OF living to English peO-