The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-28
TWO BIG MEN OF THE HOUR.
BOuTke Cochran and Tom Reed are
Bosom Friends.
Queer Freaks of Fortune-Although
These Eloquent Giants Differ Poll
tically, Their Paths Lead to the Same
Goal.

&No0N GEoahS OL COfVun6-A1CnouB
These Eloquent Giants Differ Poll
ticalIy, Their Paths Lead to the Same
Goal.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Washington, Jan. 20.-If ex-Speaker
| Reed and William Bourke Cochran were
| personal as well as political enemies, the
debates between them in the House would
be even more interesting than they are
As it is, each is too fond of the other to
| give him a severe thrust, even for the
sake Of that party applause which is like
| the breath of life to a debater in the
| House of Representatives. Cochran ad-
mires Reed and Reed admires Cochran.
| Cochran thinks Reed is the greatest
man in the Republican party, and Reed
thinks Cochran is the greatest man in
| the Democratic party, at least in the
! House of Representative. Both Reed
and Cochran have enough of the cynic as
well as the critic in them to keep them
| from admiring many people. Reed,
| especially, finds it hard to admire, for he
| is a great yankee, Just as Cochran is
| great Irishman, with the Celtic reverence
for greatness, modified though it is by his
| American training. They have known
| too many great men, to indulge in in
discriminate admiration, even if they did
| not have that keen sense of humor which
dispels illusions and penetrates pre-
| lenses.
1t is their humor which chiefly makes
| them so congenial, probably 1t gives
them both a philosophical point of view
which to observe the passing show, and
| this their attitude most of the time al
| though occasionally they are as deeply in
! terested in something as the smaller
men whom they rather look down upon
are in everything 1t was in the last
| congress that the first became well &C
| quainted. Cochran was member of the
/ House in the Fiftieth congress, he made
a failure. His speeches did not take. In
fact, one, at least, of them displeased the
southern democrats so much that they
| almost Kissed him. he really made no
| particular impression on the Houseexcept
| in this one disagreeable speech, and he
| stayed away so much of the time, especi-
! ally after making that speech, that he
| did not make many personal friends. If
/ he knew Mr.. Reed at all, he certainly did
not get on intimate terms with him But
when he came back here at the beginning
! of the last congress, when there were so
| few republicans that the democrats, flow
! ing across the middle aisle, surrounded
them as the sea does an island, Cochran,
! when his name was called in the lottery
| of seats at the beginning of the session,
chose seat right across a narrow aisle
! from Reed, so that they sat sile by side
! oil through Judb COuBT6SS.
REED AND CocKRAN's POINTS IN COMMON.
They soon found that they had much
| in common Their point of view, as
have said, gave them a common standing
ground as to most things, and where they
| differed they were able to argue AMIGA
| bly,, and finally to agree to disagree
| They were both fond of wit and humor,
| especially the repartee of brilliant con-
| versation or debate, and therefore, of
| dinners and society gatherings where
| clever talk was to be expected; both
were reading men, enjoying not only Eng
| lish but French literature; both were
| fond of the theater and of theatric people,
and there were other tastes and ways
which they shared alike. Yet they were
SO different that neither could feel Jealous
of the Others powers as public men,
and especially as orators, for this
I is what they are, neither being
a constructive statesman or a
/ lawmaker in the strict sense of the term.
| AS orators, they are almost opposites.
: Reed is always the typical yankee, and
| Cochran is always the typical Irishman.
( Reed is almost never excited; Cochran
! is seldom anything but excited. Reed
speaks with elaboration, almost in a
] drawl, except when in the hight Of pas
! sion, and even then he is deliberate, com
! pared with Cochran, who pours forth his
! tiuent periods like torrent of lava, and
| who roarS out his china Ses like the tradi-
| tional bull of Bashan IL always seems
ODD TO hear such clear-cut words of wit
and wisdom from the moon-faced, fat
! bodied, awkward-le legged ex-speaker, but
/ it is no less strange to hear polished argu-
ments from Cochran when he is below
ing with excitement, pounding his desk
with one hand wiping the perspiration
from his brow with the other, while the
| language of a marvellous memory rolls off
his tongue.
A REMARKABLE PAIR.
They are remarkable pair, ia cling one
another. Reeds extraordinary physical
| appearance is now well known, but Cock
rams, which is not so generally known, is
equally extraordinary. Cochran has the
biggest head in either house of congress
1t is the longest the broadcast, the thick
est. His hair is long and thick, his eyes
are large, bright and protruding. his eye
hrows large and heavy, his mouth shaded
with moustache and his chin with a
little tuft of beard. His head is set on q
short thick neck between shoulders so
broad and over a chest so deep as to be
disproportionate with his legs and arms
II Is the head and neck and chest of -one
type of oraror, so that if you had not
heard him say word you would think he
was an eloquent speaker. When he is
speaking a resemblance to the
AAChf NuAbu GNBII OnO NutuhS VI db
| first sight, is heightened by the way
he losses his hair and shows his teeth,
and strides up and down the aisle. II g
has the greatest voice in either House of
! congress. 1t is the loudest, strongest and
1t would be the most musical if he did not
so soon become hoarse with excitement.
1t fills the hall of the House so that the
rafters seem TO vibrate and carries for the
moment as with the rush of cavalry
charge everything and everybody before
it. His opponents can hardly refrain
from Joining in the applause which seems
to his supporters a faint way OF express
ing the enthusiasm which he has stirred
up within them. At such moments you
realize the power which the great Irish
orators had over their constituents, for
you feel that If Cochran could demand
immediate action three-fourths of his
hearers would do whatever he wanted
them to do.