The evening times., 1895-11-28
NEW Mlh FROM MAIN"
Some poInis About Speaker 10
Be Thomas Bracket Reed.
HIS STRENGTH IN HIS PARTY
A Dozen Years Ago He Was Called "a
Lazy Ginnt''-He Has Won Fame,
Bat Not Fortune, Since His Ambi-
tion AwOke-Strong In His Likings,
Hut rolitic Toward His Enemies.

Enter Mr.. Thomas Bracke;t Reed. the ne W
.'man from Maine''., Firty-six years old
last month. in the prime of his powers,
mental and physical, ten times elected
TO Congress, Speaker of the House of Rep
resentativcs when he was fifty years old.
and about to bc elected Speaker gain. and
! by n curious ccincidcuce, as before, on the
I'd day OF December; today the leading ca H.
didatc for his pariys nomination for the
Presidency. and its most prominent man,
he takes the front OF the Congress sional
| stage. -r3
For the next six months he will be the
| in public life. and all that he says and does
will hc important. His political oipo-
ncnts and his party rivals will be watch
ing him constantly. and will be quick TO
take advantage ifhis foot or his tongue slip.
| Reed was ucrert appreciated outside of
Washington until within the last half
| dozen years. because of a combination of
physical lcthargy and intellectual indifrer-
| cnca which kept him from put ting forth lris
strength, If he had been OF Biaine's nerv
Gus. cxcitable and snowy temperament lie
would have had throughout his twenty
years of Congress IS the same prominence that
Blaine had throughout his Congres sional
career.
But here in Washington Reed has al
ways been recognized by those who had The
chance of hearing his remarkable conver-
sation. if n,t bytbose who heard his speeches
and read what he wrote as an unusual and
original man, fr,,m whom almost anything
might bc expected In the way OF intcilec-
tual achievement.
|, BIT OF Ills LETHARGY.
a lazy giant" was the way lie was
summed up n dozen years agn, and the
only qucsiinn was whether the giant
would ever think 1t worth while TO arise
and show what he could do. Six years
later he did arise, and he soon made his
aue Il household word all over this
country and his dnings familiar to all
who read newspapers and magazines in
other countries. ,...,,.
Since then he has grown steadily in the
public estnai ion, and has just as steadily
developed his Intellectual resources, until
now he is recognized at something like his
real yaiuc. Ills ambition, that seemed t.,
slunIbcr 80 lung. woke with a fierce appe-
ute when II did wake, and his masterr,il
will has been seeking to crafty it. and in
the process, he has steadily grown in the
plblic eye.
The new '.n,an from Maine is Il real
Maine man, and not. like Blaine. Il Penn
sylyInian, for he was born in the very city
of Portland which has ten times sent him 10
Congress. and he has lived almost constantly
in Iinc- getting his education in her schools
and being graduated at her leading: college
= and having pEacticed for thirty years at
her bar.
He is q genuine Yankee in everything ex-
cept phi ysicalappeara france. Everybody knows
how Round and stout his body IL. how rolling
, his walk, and how cherubic his face ut Il
distance, for near, too, II looks like His-
marok'S, and you can see the power behind
it. He has all the Yankee shrcwdness and
sagacty and the Yankee wit comes forth
in his Yankee voice, and even with Yankee
pronunciation and the Yankee drawl.
, HE is A PHILOSOPHER
He has all the strong New England traits
and some or tlic rihe ones. His feet are al
ways on the ground and his eyes are always
,on level with those of other men. THERE'S
nothing of the transcenGentalist about him.
and lie is Il philosopher rather than Il poet.
but lie has ideals as well as ideas, and he
admires and practices the sterncr virtues.
He is not known 10 be a member of any
church. and is not known as being regular
attendant of any one here, hut no one doubts
that he is an upright man. His private life
is irreproacliabIc, and his home life Is bcauii-
ful- His wife and his daughter and hr are
three most devoted and intimate friends.
He has never been rich, and probably never
Will be, for he is not "A money maker, and
he las neglected his practice good deal
of the tine that he has been in public life,
and he was elected To the State house Of
representatives three years after lie WAS
admitted to the bar. He has never been
able 10 keep house here or to ntertain eX
tensivcly, and this winter, at least. he and
his family will have a small fiat In Vice
President Morton's hotel. the Shorehani.
and mp on the fifth floor at that. He has
had little leisure of late years for his law
practice, and has made almost as much
money by writing for the magazines as he
has from most of his law cases. However,
he has always lived comfortably, and his
Yankee thrift has kept him out of debt.
He keenly enjoys what are called the good
things of this life by most people.
He likes society, at least the converse
tional phases Of it, and especially dining
out, although, like most public men, he dis
likes public dinners, and since he first be-
came Speaker he has been prominent in
Washing ton society, as he never was before.
He is by far the greatest of the few public
men who do appear in society, most of |
whom are more prominent there than they |
ire anywhere else. although Allison, Hale,
Lodge, wolcott, Cameron. Hit and q few |
others are exceptions to this rule.
He is fond of the theatcr. and of music and |
Of art. and of literatureu in French as |
well as in English.
He is FOND OF FUN.
He is fond OF fun of all better sorts, |
and especially of the kind that is found |
at Gridiron Club dinners under the robe
OF secrecy. Indeed, his fun and his love
OF fun are the most scrious dra wbacks he
has as Presidential candidate or i
candidate for the Presidential nomination,
even in this country, where we laugh
more than they do anywhere else in the
world. But these help to make him
very delightful companion.
He likes to be cut of doors, and usually
walks to and from the Capitol stopping
10 look in The show windows, although now
perhaps he will ride past on bicycle.
Of course he has never been able TO MAIN
ain stylish cquipage. or, indeed, any
kind of carriage and horses. He reads
newspapers, and frankly says So, unlike
sonic smaller men. who think that is be-
meath the dignity of a statesman.
Simple and straightforward in manner. |
Ike almost all really great men, lie
hates pretentiousness as he docs hypocrisy, |
and is TO all appearances as democratic
In his dealings with everybody as when
le was unknown outside his own STATE.
He is overbearing and sarcastic at times,
Iut he does not trucklc and tOady and
lie does not bully, and underneath 1t all
IL has a really kind heart. He loves his
riepds and states -his enemies, like the
Roman that he is. But he helps some
ines as well as hurts even those who are
opposed to him, and he does favor
most graciousit. II Is perhaps needless
o say that he is a man of his worI,
who makes promises carefully, but keeps
hem even more carefully.
AS wITTILY AS EVER.
yT~t. |