The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-02

he owes to nature for straight twenty
four hours OF labor or for any other IN
natural strain.
only once at this session OF congress
has the speaker robbed himself OF sleep
without making up for IL later. That
was when he was making up his COM
mittees. He was at work then night ana
day, late and early. The story OF the
way tho committee places We're distrib-
uted has not been told yet; l am going
to tell it here. II is an Illustration OF
the method Mr.. Reed pursues in dispos-
ing OF the business before him. That he
is man of method is made evident by
the tale that is told of his schOOl-teach-
ing days, when it is said he kept a boy
in after school on the last day OF the
session because he did not know his les
sons. His indebtedness is still better
shown in his work as speaker of the
In the first place, it must be stated
that il Is not true, as reported, that Mr..
Reed had much of the work of distribu-
ting committee places mapped out be-
fore he came here. He was resting this
summer, and he gave little thought to
committee selections. He probably fixed
in his mind the chairmen of the princi-
pal cOmmittees-Dingley for ways and
means, Hit for foreign affairs. Cannon
for appropriations. But the rank and file
he had not considered. at all On his
way TO Washington Mr.. Allen procured
some large sheets of cardboard from a
Massachusetts manufacturer. on these
he pasted the names of the members OF
the House, arranged alphabetically from
the printed list prepared DN the clerk.
Mr.. Reed had received a great many re-
quests from members that they be ap-
pointed on particular committees. There
were fifty requests for membership on the
rivers and harbors committee-for some
of the committees there were no requests
at all. He had received also from many
quarters Endorsements of certain men Tor
certain committee places. There were re-
quests, too, from state delegations. All
these requests and recommendations were
entered in a book in which the names OF
how al aNa q no
There was also an alphabetical list OF
committees with spaces to enter the
names of members.
Mr.. Reed took the list OF members
names and studied it carefully. He weigh
ed the availability of each man for the po-
sition for which he was suggested, or, II
no suggestion had been made, he con-
sidered for what committee work he was
best equipped. If he was not sure about
member he sent for him and talked with
him, or sent for someone else and got an
estimate of the man from him.
When he has determined that man was
fitted for work on a particular committee
and had weighed his claims in the pal,
ance with those of others, II ne DECIDED
to give him a certain place he entered the
name of the committee In the alphabetl-
cally-arranged book, Then under the
rotary wrote I'D on judiciary" or what
ever his committee place was to be; Or
ten one of these entries was erased De-
cause it was found necessary to make ad-
iustments so as TO divide the committee
places as evenly as possible, and partlcu-
larly not to put any democrat on so many
committees that he would be oVerworked.
So there was constant shifting, and the
man whose hearts desire might have been
realized under the plan of one day was
scheduled for bitter disappointment on the
next. All this work Mr.. Reed did with on
" clerical assistance from his secretary
and from his stenographer. 1t kept him
very busy for two or three weeks, ana II
cost him a great deal of that sleep he val
ues so highly. He seems to have recoV-
cred his losses since for he Is now in the
pink of condition. He can sit up till one
or 2 o'clock any night, writing essays, and
never feel the exertion.
The most significant piece OF literary
work Mr.. Reed has done for some time
is an introduction to the works of Henry
Clay, which is to be brought out in the
near future Mr. Reed is a great ad-
mirer of Clay, and he devoted great
deal of time to perfecting his knowledge
of that eminent American before he I'M
dertook to write this Introduction. Odd
" enough one of Mr.. Reeds competitors
for the republican nomination for the
presidency-ex-Gov. McKinley-is writing
the ''tail-piece" for this publication.
The fact is, Mr.. Reeds enjoys the quiet
hours which he spends in his study or
with his family much more than he does
the hours which he devotes TO public
duties. To someone who said to him re-
Gently that he would feel lost II he should
ever drop out of public life, he replied
that he would be probably great deal
more contented. And he recalled as one
of the happiest experiences Of his life a
trip he made to Europe, when for two
months he travelled about among strang-
ers, never seeing familiar face
George Grantha Balm.