The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-12-22

trict very sharply, with view to sue
ceeding himself year from this date.
Personally Mr.. Hall is quite popular
with his congressional brethren and
with newspaper men, but Republicans
say that he will have to draw very deep
to pull into congress next time from his
district.
The oldest Republican member in the
house is Loren Fletcher, who seems
to have had great popularity
with the Democratic majority and
Speaker Crisp for the reason that he has
been remembered in the matter of a
committeeship better than many lead
| ing Democrats He is serving upon one
of the most important committees in
the house, namely, interstate and foreign
commerce. Mr.. Fletcher is an excellent
| organizer anG worker in politics and ::
recognized here as he is in the North
| Star state, as an extremely smooth poll
tician and a man who will be of great
service to his party. He is a member of
the National Republican congressional
committee, which has a fatherly inter-
est in the campaigns of every Republic
can congressman throughout the coun-
| try. "Your Uncle Loren," as he is
familiarly known in Minnesota, is de-
termined to succeed himself and prob
ably will, notwithstanding the fact that
his district of late years has rather a
bad record for returning men to con-
| gress second time. If there is any one
thing that Mr.. Fletcher is particularly
| noted for it is his urbanity and the
great horror that he has at the
same time of opening his mouth
when reporters are running around
within hearing, promiscuously. He be-
| lieves, with that ancient Greek sOlon,
that man has two ears and one mouth
| for the purpose of hearing twice as much
as he says. When this representative Min
neapolitan unlimbers his jaw to news
paper it is usually for a purpose, and
/ the picturesque way that he then piles
up explosives will certainly catch the
fancy of any reader even better than the
illustrations of Pears soap" or "Ply-
! mouth Rock pants" Fletcher will not
be heard very much, but his work will
be known and recognized everywhere.
~
Then we have the genial descendant of
the Deutschland Teutons, Colonel Kei-
! fer of st. Paul, who serves on three i'm
portant committees, namely, labor,
claims and alcoholic liquor traffic. On
each of these committees he will have
considerable work to do of kind which
he is amply competent to watch closely
and perform faithfully. The thor
oughness of the German nature
is very manifest in him. He will
probably not take any active part in de-
bate this session, owing to the fact that
this is his first term, but he has shown
that he is amply capable of acquitting
himself well when the occasion de
mands it.
~
James A. Tawney has had, so far, a
very successful career in Minnesota,
which is certainly deserved. In the ex-
| traordinary session he made speech
against the repeal of the federal cleo
| tions bill, which brought him the APP
proval and enconiums of many of the
older Republican members. 1t was a
strong argument on the constitutional
question involved and showed the legal
bent of his mind. AS a lawyer the
Northwest has no superior in the house.
Tawney is ambitious, and it is probable
that great deal will be heard from
him before this congress becomes his
tory.
~
Professor McCleary is in many ways
well equipped for the position that he
,, holds, perhaps better equipped broadly
and intellectually than any member
| from Minnesota. He is thorough
scholar, patient and industrious in re-
search, and has studied public questions
/ from the book and historic standpoint
perhaps better than any member from
the two Dakotas, Minnesota or Wiscon-
sin. He also made a speech against the
repeal of the federal elections bill which
was logical, able and comprehensive.
McCleary and Tawney have thus started
in by breaking the usual custom of keep
ing silent during the first term of their
service. Both have been active in push
ing pension matters in their districts.
Professor McCleary has succeeded in
having many pension cases made spe-
cial. He serves on the important COM
mittees OF railways and canals and
labor.
~
Major Baldwin of Duluth is the
other remaining Democrat elected from
Minnesota. He secured the passage the
other day of a joint resolution to allow
settlers who entered on the Mile Laos
reservation to take out their patents.
The major feels his responsible
tiles greatly and is somewhat
divided in his theory and prob
able practice upon the tariff
question. He favors the Wilson bill
theoretically and thinks that it would be
great boon to the iron Industries of
Duluth, but AYERS that he is going to
support or oppose the tariff bill accord
ing as his constituents direct that he
should do. His constituents are howl
ing: ''Keep the tariff on iron ore," and
/ it looks as if the mayor would have to
throw his theories out of the window
and stick to conditions and hard facts.
Tho man anc11Sa him, of holm ~