The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-21
STORIES OF OUR SENATORS.
What One Of the Members Of the Upper
House Has to Say Cpnceruiug Ills
Colleagues.


A senator recently chatted at Wash
ngton with a Times Herald reporter
concerning his fellow-senators. The
following was the result:
Perhaps to me as interesting a
character as there Is In the senate Is
Hear. With his spectacles. his white
hair. his smooth. ruddy face, he Is the
exact picture Of Plckwick as drawn
by Cruikshank In his Illustrations OF
Dickens. Iioar Is always soft. plausi-
Bile and gentle; and yet there IL no one
In the senate who has greater taste OF
capacity to make life u burden to the
opposition. Particularly Is this true In
respect of some particular senator to
whom Hoar has taken. we Will say. a
political dislike; personal dislikes Hoar
does not indulge In.
"All through the tariff figM Hoar
took great delight In hanging on the
flank of Mills and pinching him and
nipping him at every chance that Of
fered. Mills Is Il splendid character To
annoy. He Is splenetic, hot. easily
aroused and excited and but little able
to defend himself while his temper Is In
the saddle. HOar was forever. during
the debate. sticking penknives into
Mills about a speech which the Texas
senator made in Massachusetts during
the last Cleveland campaign; wherein
Mills had promised II the Democrats
succeeded that coal should be free. From
first to last Hoar kept reminding Mills
OF This speech and kept that Irritable
statesman In q perpetual fume. Hoar
would lug out the coal business by the
tail In this fashion: On one occasion
during the tariff debate there were but
six senators visible at their desks.
Mills was the only Democrat. Quay
was talking.
"Hoar came In and beholding no.
body to guard the Democratic side but
Mills saw at once u hole for coal an
noyance Of the Texan.
"'Will the senator allow me a mo-
ment"' Hoar sweetly asked Of Quay.
Certainly, responded Quay. who
was talking against time, and merely
to force certain schedules on cutlery
and glass.
why, l only wanted to observe
remarked Hoar. bending benignant
eye on Mills. that now that the sena-
tor from Texas Is In sole charge Of
this bill for the Democratic side,
would like to ask unanimous consent
to take up the coal schedule and put
coal on the free list. The senator from
Texas will remember that during the
campaign of 1892 he told the manu-
facturers Of my state In speech which
he delivered at Boston that If the
Democracy carried the election, which
they unfortunately did, and elected
president and a congress. which they
unfortunately have, that he could
promise that coal would be free-listed
therefore ask unanimous consent that
this be done.'
Mills sat glaring like a wildcat at
his tormentor, and as If in a state Of
taclt rage. Mills never said a word.
Hoar kept smiling at him blandly.
After brief pause Hoar resumed:
AS the senator from Texas makes
no objection, l ask unanimous consent
to take up the coal
but I object shouted Mitchell, Of
Oregon.
"'well,' said Quay. who still had the
floor, and no doubt thought 1t a good
way to close an inciden: which had
no purpose beyond that Of nagging the
Democracy. i move you, Mr.. Presi-
dent. we indefinitely postpone further
consideration Of the tariff bill,'
This necessitated a call of the sem
ate and bells went jlngling in restau-
rant and clOak-rooms. About fifty
senator's filed in, among the others
Senator Palmer, who had evidently
been hastily torn from pie, as he car
ried flaky collection Of piecrust on
his venerable beard.
"Quay's motion was, of course. voted
down. and he droned on with his in
terminable time-killer of a speech"
One on Senator Lodge.
Lodge, the young one from Massa-
chusetts. has. more than any other
senator, literary repute. He Is sup
posed to know intricately all about
books, and be able not only to read but
write them. 1T would seem that Lodge
Is not always fair, however, In grabbing
credit In his behalf. During the pas
sage Of the Mckinley bill was mem-
ber OF the house. Some Republicans,
supporting the bill. had drawn a beau
tiful picture Of the cottage and yard
and general home life of the New Eng
land factory hand. He was showing
what O blessing a high tariff was to
the workman.
wilson. of West Virginia. now post
master general, was replying to this
from Dickens American Notes and
his sketches an American life, de-
scrjptlon of the cottage and life of the
New England factory hand, to show
that long before the war, and, in
long before the war or pro-
tective tariff, Dickens had found all Of
these beauties In the home life of the
New England factory hand. which the
Republican was now trying to ascribe
to protection.
Wilson was doing first rate for his
side until ELL at once. Mckinley. who
was lolllng back In his chair listening
to him, turned to Lodge. who sat at his
elbow. Cabot. said Mckinley, do you
the year Dickens visited
America, and wrote his american
Notes? I think II was ut a time when,
under whig rule. we had n high-board
protective tariff
lodge didn't know, and Mckinley
him to the library to find
out. II was not ten minutes before the
erudite and learned Lodge was back
with the book. He never went near
but. standing In THE middle
aisle. craved permission to ask Wilson,
who was still talking. n question. 1t
was granted. Then II was Lodge pro.
ceeded to cOnfound and almost silence
Wilson by showing that Dickens visit,
when he made the New En-. land dis.
cOveries. touching the factory hand, OF
which Wilson had just been reading,
was cOincideDtal with a high protec.
tive tariK which then, and had for some
years, prevailed.
Lodge gained great celebrity at the
time for his prompt. full knowledge Of
books Mckinley said nothing. and few
people know at this day Of how lodge
taane to tree Wilson that day during
the tariff debote."
sss
Ingalls, FInying of Voorhees,.
Speaking of Senator PETER, reminds
me that no one expects him to be lIis
own successor. Most senators think
ingalls, will follow him. And. by the
way, the senate would be glad to see
ingalls, come back. He was an inter-
esting character. and today were you
In behind the senate cloakroom doors
while gossip and "Reminiscences are float
Ing, you would hear the senators Oft
and again telling stories of ingalls,,
what he did, and what he said; and