The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-17
THE SENATE YANKEES
Gossip About New England
Members of Upper House.
HOW FRYE SAT DOWN ON CALL.
millionaire Hale's Rise From q Farm
Boy-Hoar's Noted Ancestors-Justin
5. MorriIPs Tariff Reputation.

reSpOndence. New England is in propor-
ton to population the richest part of the
United States. From Maine 10 Connecti-
cut the country is dotted with savings
banks, and the bulk of the vast insurance
wealth of the Union is owned there Tom
Reed tells a story of Nebraska farmer
who, travelling through Maine, happened
to stop at little house hanging from the
side of a rocky hill, which constituted the
farm. During his stay he made many
cutting criticisms upon the character of
the soil, and asked the farmer why he did
not go West, where the land was so rich
that you could thrust your arm into it up
To your shoulders and pull from the bot
tom dirt as rich as guano.
Il want to know" said the farmer, "and
where might such lands be?"
Where live in the West" was the re-
ply, (which is in Blank township, Blank
county, Nebraska
81 reckon [ have mortgage on some of
that land, replied the Maine man. And
ne thereupon brought out an old tin box
and showed mortgages on half the farms
of the township. II bought these mort
cages" he went on, with what made off
my farm here, and as long as you fellows
pay the interest | guess | will stay"
And so it is all over New England.
Yankee thrift has made the farmers the
masters of many of the richest lands of the
far West. The biggest office buildings of
nearly every Western city belong 10 life
insurance companies, aud are owned by
New England. Chicago was practically
rebuilt with Boston capital, and the rest
of the states of the Union largely rely upon
New England for the money and the ma
chinery which turns their raw materials
into gold and manufactures. With the
worst climate in the United States, with
half-sterile lands torn by nature into the
toughest of mountains and the narrowest
of valleys, New England has had to fight
for every inch she has gotten from the
world in the way of progress. She has
had to save her pennies In order 10 get her
dollars, and this tussle with the world has
made her strong and rich. Ithas hardened
the intellectual muscles of her statesmen,
and has nodded them into a type of their
own.
The congressman from New England
are among the strongest men in Wash
ington City. They number all told in the
lower house only twenty-six. or eight less
than the representatives Aof the one state
of New York and two less than Pennsyl-
yania. All New England has only five
more representatives than Ohio, and you
can add the twelve New England senator's
TO the twenty-six New England represen-
tatives and the New England men here
then will only exceed by two the repre-
sentation from New York in both houses.
Still it has been for years one of the
strongest sections in congress- JamesG
Blaine, of Maine, was long the leader of
the Republican party and he held the
speak ership of the House in the stormiest
times of our history. Now Thomas b.
Reed is the leader of the opposition in the
lower house, and the senators from New
England are among the strongest of the
nation.
Take look at the men from Maine Sem
ator Frye is a typical Yankee, but with it
all there is no broader gauge man in the
Union. He is thoroughly equipped on all
public questions, and ne tests everything
with the loadstone of common sense. He
was twelve years in the House of Repre-
sentatives before he came to the Senate,
and had made reputation there as a bold
and fearless leader. When Blaine was
made Garfeld's secretary of state, he was
elected to take his place in the Senate, and
his first speech was in defense of New
England and against the South. Senator
Call, of Florida, had described the work
ing men and women of New England ''as
hungry, starving serfs," and Frye replied
that the working people of one of the
states of New England alone had enough
money deposited in their savings banks to
buy all the real and personal property
of five such states Florida and
ha l.Ft .cs -
chusetts," said he, "have 500, coo, 900 de-
posted in their savings banks, and the
whole valuation of the state of Florida is
only S30000,0O0." He then went on to
attack Louisiana and North Carolina, and
succeeded in angering the whole Demo-
cratic side of the chamber. Ii is pecu-
iarity of his that he handles all things
without gloves. He is packed full of prac-
teal common sense and he has manly
hatred of all sham, and it does not make
much difference whether the sham is
Democratic one or Republican one.
There is nothing snobbish about Frye and
ne would just as leave be called "BilI' by
his constituents as Senator Frye. He tells
a story of himself when be was attorney
general, which illustrates the saying that
the senator is not without honor save in
his own country. He was attorney gem
eral of Maine at this time, and was going
from the capitol TO his home. Said he:
ASH walked down the steps OF the state house
! met a man who accosted me with 'Good
morning, general '(food morning, sir" said
l. When got on the train another aequaint~
anee spoke TO me and said, Good morning,
major" "Good morning, str," answered. At
the next station met another friend who adj
dressed TIE as GOOD morning, colonel" and I
replied GOOD morning, sir" The next man
greeted ne with Good morning" Mr. FRYE
and | replied Good morning, sir" had re-
ceived so many titles, however, In the course of
an hour that hardly knew which was the right
home. man met me who yelled out the sans
greeting that he had given me in my college
ds aud shouted. "Ho1 are yer, Blll?" aud I
suppose that was the best one
There is, however, nothing undignified
about Senator FRYE. He has the plain,
everyday manner of the Yankee business
man, and life is very earnest matter with
him. He dresses in plain business clothes
and has never become aecllmated 10 the
lounging, loafng airs OF some OF his fel-
low senators. He is not man OF much
means, and he lives very simply at Wash
ington City. He said few years ago that
he was not worth $50 000, and his salary
probably constitutes his chief means %
support. He does not believe in saving
money, and he says he got lesson to this
effect from his grandfather when he was Q
boy. Said he:
was brought up in a Quaker family and
when during my boyhood got chance 70 take
4 trip % Boston my grand ather gave mo s. 70
suepd did not know any boys In Bo ton and
could thluk of no way 10 have s. worth OF fun
without boss, 80 / Kept tie money in my pocket
When got hOme fny grandfather asked me how
I had spent the s.. aud J. with the air Of one who
mad .iole ylTtuous act, said: II di1-not spend
IL III All Grand a;heg / saved IL ard have il
in nav pocket HereupOn nay grandfather re-
piled. Thee may give me back the money,
William. 1 gave thee that money 10 spend At
Boston. This taught me a lesson and ever
since that have known better than 10 save
money.
Senator Frye -, however. by no means
Il. ~ =. iar e.