The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-27
MILLS AS A FIGHTER.
HIS VIGOROUS SPEECH IN THE REPEAL
BILL DEBATE.
How the Texas Senator Runs Counter TO
Public Opinion-The Presidents Oppor-
tunity-The Passage Where He Raised
His Voice to q Commanding Height.

tunity-The Passage Where He Raised
His Voice to Commanding Height.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2S-[Special. Sen
atpr Mills of Texas made one of the most
vigorous speeches of the repeal bill debate.
Hf was forceful not only in his rhetoric and
hrs gestures. but he had the backwoodsman
habit of pulling his sleeves up above his
elbows. Mr.. Mills is plain, blunt man
who believes in calling spade spade, and
like many another man of this sort reared
ih the woods or in the fields, likes to take
His coat off whenever he has important
business on hand. If it had been possible
for Mr.. Mills to take off his coat without
violating the propriety of the senate cham
Der, doubtless he would have done SO and
been glad of the chance But since this
was impossible he did the next best thing,
and between his sentences tugged away at
his coat sleeves and kept them most of the
time well rolled up above his elbows
When you see man with his coat off or
with his sleeves pushed up, you may be sure
he means business Mr. Mills meant bust
ness on this occasion. He threw mauls.
sledge hammers, rocks and other things at
the heads of the opposition.
A Courageous Texan.
This repeal bill debate has brought out
some queer situations, and Mr.. Mills posi-
ton is an illustration of the manner in
which this contest has induced men to
stand now for things which they never
stood for before. Mr.. Mills has always been
q silver man. He represents one of the
strongest silver states in the Union, but
these things make no difference with q
man like Mills. On reaching the conclu-
sion that his duty in this particular in
stance was to favor repeal, he would have
done SO had the whole state of Texas
marched up here with shotguns and pistols
in hand to prevent him. AS chairman of
the house committee on ways and means
Mr. Mills favored free wool, although his
state of Texas and particularly the district
which he then represented were solid for
the wool tariff. He fought prohibition in
Texas when prohibition seemed likely to
capture the state.
When he was candidate for senator,
Governor Hogg wrote him letter Offering
to patch up a trouble that they had had
about some political matter, but the blunt
and bluff Mr. Mills declined the hand of
peace extended by this influential Texan,
and on the eve of the senatorial battle sent
letter in reply that must have made Mr..
Hogg's hair stand on end in anger and sur
prise Notwithstanding all these acts of
running counter to public opinion in his
district and state, Mr.. Mills has always
been returned to congress and was finally
promoted to the senate by his admiring
constituents. The theory on which Mr.,
Mills governs his life is that the people of
Texas respect man of courage and con-
sistency and will not strike him down.
In the Senatorial Theater.
During these long weeks of discussion
we have had some rather pathetic scenes in
the senate chamber, and none more sad,
though with a comical side to them, than
the heartlessness with which some senators
are deserted by their colleagues whenever
they rise to commence their speeches. In
what is known as the morning hour, which
comes Immediately after the senate meets,
the attendance is usually very large.
Nearly every senator is in his seat, for if
the day is to bring forth any new move on
the part of the leaders it is expected to
show itself at this time. AS soon as pre-
liminaries are settled in the morning hour
and the senator who is entitled to the floor
arises in his place and addresses the pre-
siding officer, as rule about SO senators
also rise in their places and make for the
cloakrooms, the restaurant or the COM
mittee rooms.
A similar exodus occurs from the press
gallery, where the correspondents are al
ways on the alert for politics or battle,
but have no patience for listening to long
and prosaic speeches. The occupants of the
public galleries, however, do not stir. They
are there out of curiosity, to see the great
men and hear them, and to most of these
auditors the speech of one great man is
nearly as good as speech of another. Thus
almost in twinkling the orator finds him
self with an exceedingly top heavy house.
On the floor are the presiding officer, the
clerks, a few pages and perhaps five or six
senators scattered about and looking very
lonesome. The audience is in the galleries.
Strictly speaking, the auditors to whom
the senator addresses his words are not in
the capitol at all, but far away in the state
which he represents. They are the people
whom the speaker wishes to reach, and
whose favor he seeks.
When the Scene Changes.
If one wishes to see how quickly the SEN
ate may change in this theater of politics
and ambition, let him wait for that mo-
ment in which a dull and uninteresting
senator takes his seat and some of the real
orators or leaders rise to address the senate
People come docking into the chamber
through the doors like bees entering hive
after swarming. They come from the cloak
rooms, committee rooms, and even from the
faraway library and house, so quickly that
one wonders how they could have received
the information that there had been a
change of scene and of speakers in the SEN
ate chamber. In 60 seconds the senate
changes from sleepiness, lonesomeness and
desertion to a theater crowded with ami
mated and eager senators and newspaper
correspondents.
The President Addresses Congress.
President Cleveland improved an oppor-
tunity the other day to make little speech
to the senate and house. In the early days
of the republic it was the regular practice
for the president to come to the capitol at
the beginning of each session of congress
and make an address to the national legis-
lature, this address taking the place of the
annual message of later days. The occasion
which the president improved was the an
niversary of the laying of the cornerstone
of the capitol. The president presided at
this meeting and made short speech. It
WAS nOticoa hlo that where the voice Of other