The morning call., 1893-09-10

Colorado and Bynum of Indiana are tell
ing stories. They had fighl on the floor
the other day. but they seem good friends
now. Tom Reed and Speaker Crisp are
holding a conference in another corner,
and the smiles which shine out of the baby
face of the ex-czar are thrown back from
the brunette phiZ of the present ruler of
the House.
The hot weather takes all the dignity
ou: of Congress. The day used to be that
no statesman ever appeared In anything
else than a swallow-tail coat with brass
buttons. The last of these "steel-pen"
statesmen passed from the Senate with
Omar L. Conger and from the House when
Luke P. Poland finished his term. With
these came the era of the Prince Albert
coat and the double breasted frock, and
for generation or so there was mixture
of swallow-tails and black broadcoth
suits. Now every one dresses TO please
himself and there are seersuckerS and
busters tn be seen everywhere. One of the
Queerest dressers is Tom Reed, and he is
one of the Queerest looking characters on
the floor. He weighs over 200 pounds and
he rolls bout like an elephant. His every
pose would make newspaper sketch, and
he comes out every Congress in a new and
striking costume. A year or so ago he
woIe white sash about his waist and a
derby hat as large IS a peck measure.
Now be has a rakish sailor straw cha
peau. and he clothes his great form in
fiimsy iron gray stuff which is known here
as Kentucky jeans. The cloth is loosely
woven and it makes the wearer feel as
though he were dressed in sieve. The
air whistles through 1t almost without
hindrance, and one of Reed fellow-me M
bers told me the other day that he had put
on one of these suits and had thrown it
away. Said he: at seems so open that
really felt indecent. l imagined every one
could see through it and l thought was
ls,l,N ~,
gives him very different appearance. He
is. you know, a strawberry blonde
His big round face is as rosy as that
of a baby. His bald pate has the
parchment whiteness at the top of a new
drumhead and his eyebrows are white.
while his little mustache aud the fringe of
hair about his ears are OF reddish silver.
This iron gray suit adds to this white eff
feet. and makes the great statesman of
Maine q symphony i'll light gray. 1t IS
hard to keep clothes of this material in
shape, and Mr.. Reeds pantaloons bag at
the knees and fit in wrinkles over his yell
low shoes. Under his fat chin shines out
a sky-blue necktie. and he keeps his linen
coat buttoned up close at the neck. Phys
icahy he appears to be in splendid condi-
tion, and mentally he was never greater
than he is to-day. He is by all odds the
strongest man on the Republican side of
the chamber. and his tongue has as much
vitrol at its roots as ever.
No one ever speaks of Reed otherwise
than as tom Reed" He is more like an
overgrown boy than man, and has none
of the airs and snobbishness of the five-
cent statesman who thinks he is great.
The Democratic side of the chamber has
also tom" refer to Tom johnson Of
Cleveland. one of the shrewdest and most
practical business men in the House, and
at the same time one of the widest theor-
lists. johnson believes in Henry George.
and be says that his property really be-
longs TO his fellow men as much as him.
self. have not noted. however. any in
clnation on his part to make a division.
He is, you know, street-railrOad mag
nate, and is probably worth somewhere in
the millions.
He began his life as an office-boy in
Louisville and when he was hardly out of
his teens got hold of street railroad in
Indianapolis. This road never amounted
to anything while he managed IL. He paid
| no attention to improving IL, but he
| learned the business. made some money
! and then went to Cleveland. The city was
| already covered with a network Of roads
| belonging to close corpora tions. These
objected TO johnson laying new tracks
| and opposed him every way. He finally
got charter for a track down Scovile
avenue. This ran through one of the best
| parts of the town. but he had no line by
which he could reach the heart of busi-
ness and the other roads would not let
| him go over their tracks. He changed his
tactics as to the character of his 70 d
from those which he had used in Indianap-
| oils In Cleveland he nut down every
/ thing of the very best. He paved Scoville
| auenue at his own expense, spending
$50, 900 on it, and made himself noted as a
friend of the people. He got little line