The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-21

no nero 0emOlddCc Ol luS IOIINcT POI
'ished self it was tossed through win
dow and found it's way to the ash bar
rel. If wood were receptive and had
tho power Of articulation, it could tel
strange tales of the emotions of the
man who grasped it SO firmly and
brought it down with so weighty an
arm. For long time the desk top was
also missing. although Mr.. Reed made
many efforts to secure it Immediately
after congress adjourned. Because Of
his anxiety to obtain it, somebody
thought that it was intrinsically valu
able, and secreted it. Now that it hae
been recovered. Mr.. Reed intends to
send it to his Maine home and hang il
up over. the fireplace, just where his
English ancestors many decades age
used to hang their shields and boar
spears.
Speaker Crisp has arranged to send
to Georgia the desk top used by him
during his first term: and he also re-
tains the gavel in his possession. The
desk tops and gavels will be valuable
memorabilia for the pooterity Of these
great men; and some day the govern
ment will want to purchase them as
relics for the Smithsonian institution
and pay fabulous price for them.
The thin green cloth which covered
Mr. Reeds desk, and which is almos,
macerated as the result of its expert
ence, is in the possession of a young
married woman, who was a pretty
belle two years ago, and when visit
ing the capitol the day after adjourn
ment stripped it from the desk. She
says that she intends to keep it for
ever, and bequeath it to her issue; for
she Is an enthusiastic admirer of Mr..
Reed. and regards the shredded green
baize as priceless heirloom.
'These things will all be lost or for
gotten in short time" said Mr.. Reed
the other afternoon. These relics o1
political Excitement are well enough to
keep in families, but the general pub
lie never takes any interest in them.
That which is likely to last forever i.
the impetus which was given for ma.
jority rule in the days when the old
desk WAS hammered 30 hard, and when
the gavel crumbled beneath the weight
Of my arm and hand. The noisy scenes
are already almost forgotten, and the
wooden relics are valuable only to my,
self and family; but the principle that
congress is elected TO do business will
probably last forever"
Tho distinguished and aggressive
ex-speaker is not a man who seems to
have any personal pride or egotism.
He is as modest and approachable a
man as there is in either house Of CON
grese; and he is possessed of fund OF
good humor which often disarms his
political enemies.
Speaker Crisp, who now holds power
second only to that Of the president
of the United States. is also an unpre-
tentious man whom everybody likes;
string out for his friends. He is the
last man whom one would expect to
pound needlessly upon his desk 70
maintain order; yet he was obliged to
do 50, as his desk indicates, He says:
"A great deal of the speakers work, in
securing order, is due to the careless
ness of representatives who disregard
ths call to order, and continue their
conversations or puplic speaking, in
voluntarily, feeling that they must
continue until their ideas are fully set
forth. The house is not Intentionally y
disorderly body. Its very size seems
to encourage feeling OF Individual
uresponsibility." SMITH d. Fry.