The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-30
MILLS AS A FIGHTER.
HIsvlGoRous SPEECH lNTHE REPEAL
BILL DEBATE.

How the Texas Senator Runs Counter to
Public cpinion-1hs Presidents Oppor-
tunity-Ths Passage Where He Raised
Ris Voice to Commanding Height.
WASHINGTON, Sept. ESPECIAL Sen
ator Mills Of Texas made one of the most
| vigorous speeches of the repeal bill debate
Hewas forceful not only IN his rhetoric and
his gestures, but he had the backwoodsmau
habit OF pulling his sleeves up above his
| elbows. Mr.. Mills is a plain, blunt man,
who believes in calling a spade spade and
IKE many another rlan of this sort reared
IN the woods or in the fields, likes TO take
his coat of whenever he has important
( business on hand. If it had been possible
| for Mr.. Mills to take of his coat without
| violating the propriety Of the senate cham
Der, doubtless he would hare done so and
been glad of the chance. But since this
was impossible he did the next best thing,
and between Lis sentences tGgSed away at
his coat sleeves and kept them most of the
time well rolled up above his elbows.
When you see a man with his coat off or
with his sleeves pushed up. you may be sure
he means business. Dir. Mills meant bust
ness on this occasion. He threw mauls.
the heads OF the opposition.
| A Courageous Texan.
This repeal bill debate has brought out
! some queer situations, and Mr. Mills posi-
tion is an illustration of the manner in
which this contest has induced men 10
stand now for things which they never
stood for before. Mr.. Mills has always been
silver man. He represents one of the
| strongest silver states in the Union, but
these things make no difference with
| 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 trouble that they had lad
about some political matter, but the blunt
and bluff MIR. 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.. |
le Ii = = ~ 49,.
Texas respect a 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 20 senator's
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 tie 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 a speech OF another. Thus
almost in a twinkling the orator finds him
self with an exceedingly top heavy house.
On the floor are the presiding officer, the
clerks, 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.
II 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 dull and uninteresting
senator takes his seat and some of the real
orators or leaders rise to address the senate.
People come focking into the cham Der
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 chamEvr In GO seconds the senate
changes from sleepiness, lonesomeness aud
desertion to theater crowded with ami
mated and eager senators and newspaper
correspondents.
The President Addresses Congress.
President Cleveland improved an oppor-
tunity the other day 70 make little speech
70 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-
ature, this address taking the place Of the
annual message of later days. The occasion
which the president improved was the an ,
1iversary OF the laying Of the cornerstone .
,f the capitol. The president presided at
his meeting and made short speech. 1t
vas noticeable that where the voice Of other
Ipeakers had failed TO reach more than a
Tery small number OF the large audience
present. the strong, vigorous tones OF Air Z
Cleveland rang out clear and distinct over 3
he wc.ic Assem- blage- he did ret look of +,
Ict at ali hike e man whose health had been
Undermined hy some constitutional trouble.