The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-20
THE HOUSE IN ACTION.
What Happens When Reed Rises and
Sticks Pins i'm the Democrats.

Washington Letter in New York Tribune.
1t is one of the sPectacles of IA session to
see the House almost deserted. engaged in
some embarrassing routine; the Chair. oc-
cupied by the gentleman from somewhere,
listless; the clerks now half asleep. AMI
now rising TO drone away, reading words
that they scarcely Sc AMI nobody appears
TO pay any attention TO; The proceedings
apparently conducted by Mr. Jones on that
side and Mr.. Brown on this. and nobody
but Jones or Brown giving the slightest
heed to chem; the few members in their
seats writing or talking; a hum going up
over the room that browns the voices Of
both Jones and Brown; member In the lob
bies, in the cloak rooms, in the restaurants,
everywhere except in their seats. 1t is
one of the spectacles that are worth going
miles to see. when. before an outsider can
figure out what mas happened or how 1t
came about, Jones and Brown get very
much excited, the keen, stern face of
Speaker Crisk is seen behind his desk, in
place Of the gentleman from somewhere;
Mr.. Reed suddenly looms forth from his
place in the first aisle to the left of the
center. and from every door on every side
of the room member are streaming into
the House and gathering In mighty groups
around their leaders.
1t is then that you realize why the Re
publicans love Reed. and why they follow
him with such unexampled devotion. For.
city together behind his back, his great
figure towering over all the rest, his big
than can be found in the empty air, his big,
round brown eyes looking out in a sort Of
a lazy, indifferent way, he suddenly and in
mark across the room into the Democrats,
and they skurry and scatter AMI cry out
for all the world as if they had been struck
hV the diSHha rye of n fratlfnO QlIn iC
one of the most picturesque scenes that enc
can witness in a deliberative assembly.
Congressional Record the next morning
Ii seems innocent enough; and you wonder
1t was one of those remarks that just fit
the case, that just meet the situation and
put a whole book of comment into a quiet
arhOriSm.
The manner in which the Democrats bat
tie with Mr.. Reed adds to the humor OF the
scene. Few of the Republicans ever think
OF giving assistance to their leader. Some
lines Mr.. Burrows. or Mr.. Cannon. or Mr..
Dolliver, will intertect an observation on
the Republican members stand arotnd with
their hands in their pockets and a smile on
their faces, watching the fun. But the
ever it is that Happened to bring Mr.. Reed
to the front; whoever said, on the Demo-
cratic side. the thing that stirred up the
was, no more attention is paid to the man
or his. remarks. But a dozen or more of
the principal Democrats gather In a bunch
to think it safe, and then
they all talk at once, shouting his at him,
yelling that, and looking for all the world
like a parcel of hounds baying at an amia-
bic elephant. But II you know Mr.. Reed
you Will, know that however amiabls he
may look, he is outrageously dangerous.
And the more innocent or inane he looks
the more severe will be the punishment
of those who &c. at him; lie has a habit,
when his mind is working at its best, of
Withdrawing all expression from his face
and of making 1t look like a big full r1oon,
In 1t and then it is that he Is going to
be most exasperating. II generally ends
by some wise old Democrat like Holman,
who has been through such scenes so many
of prolonging them. rising to a point of
order. Holman rarely takes part in any
encounter with Reed. He reserves himself
@ TGT the making e see of a RRGis,nt Of fb Or@er' And nd
chance, he gets himself IN the way
of the Speakers eye and claims recognition.
Mr.. Crisp generally understands that the
opportunity is to be afforded him Of maxi
ing an end Of the scene, and he say =, A..e
gentleman from Indiana very promptly.
Mr.. Holman says that he rises to a point
of order, and that, the point is such and
taken, and Mr.. Reed says no, IL isn't, and
then he fires a shot or two at the Speaker.
and the. Speaker and his gavel and the
voices of half the Democrats in the House
sound out at once in a chorus of confused
protest, and somebody says something
about the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Re-
publicans laugh hilariously and Mr.. Reed
sits down. And that which makes the Re-
publicans so true to their leader and which
makes the Democrats so veXed and unhap-
py is that he was morally, logically, con-
stitutionally, politically and unqualifiedly
right. He chooses his ground with unerring
Judgment