The Anaconda standard., 1896-02-02

cordially though they were strangers,
and in about half a minute had
learned that the daughter was an ART
list and that she had been admlring
the picture of the speaker which hanes
in the lobby of the house. Now thss
portrait is one to which Mr. heeo Is
rather partial, but IL has been crltl-
cised very severely, and one of its crit
les is Mr. Dalzell of Pittsburg. The
Pennsylvania congressman was IN the
speakers room, and Mr.. Reed called
him over. Here, Dalzell." he said.
Here is a young lady who doesn
agree with you about that picture OF
mine" And then Mr.. Dalzell Joined
the group for a minute or two. Then
the speaker excused himself with a
cordial handshake, and his Visitors
went away with a very warm spot IN
their hearts for Mr.. Reed.
Mr.. Reed is no less considerate OF
people who write TO him-not the peo-
pie who write begging letters though.
Almost every mail brings the speaker
a request for money. Some one wrote
to the speaker recently thatat a meeting
of a board having in charge an uh-
| doubtedly worthy work, he had beeh
| put on their list for a contribution OF
| $500. Fortunately American candidates
| for office do not find IL necessary 10
subscribe to all the local charities as
| candidates in England do. II Mr.. Reed
were assessed very often for $500. his
| family wouldn't have bread and meat.
Other people write to the speaker with
| modest requests for one or two dol-
| lars.
Mr. Reed has a warm spot in his
heart for old ladies. one of the mean
est duties he ever had to perform was
| to remove the apple and cigar stands,
which disfigured the house wing OF the
| capitol when he first became speaker.
Mr. Reed announced when he came In
| to office that he was going to get rid
of the hucksters; but every time he
| faced the duty he had to draw back.
| Almost all these men and women had
some sympathetic claim. The most
| urgent was that of the woman who
made application for the cigar privi-
| Iege which her husband had enjoyed.
| The husband had just died, and the
| woman had no other means of support.
| When Representative Van Schaick OF
| Wisconsin went to the speaker to in
tercede for this woman, Mr.. Reed said:
| Ivan Schaick, you're a rich man and
I'm a poor one; but I'll put up half the
| money If you will buy that woman
| out" Arrangements were made hnally
to get department position TOT thIs
| woman, and most of the other con
| cessionaires" were provided for in the
| same way.
| A case in which the speakers SYM
| pathy was not wasted was that or a
| man in Texas. His letter TO the speak
| er was typical of much OF the speak
| er's mail He was stranger TO MT.
| Reed: he was not even a Maine man.
| He simply wrote to the speaker be
| cause he knew no one in authority,
| and because Mr. Reeds name was ia
| miliar TO him. He had been arrested In
| Texas on charge of impersonating
| man who had served in the same com
nm IL
| cation for a pension was not made IN
| the name under which he served, but
| in another name, which differed In
| only one letter from the name of the
other man. This change of name he
| explained in a satisfactory manner.
| In support of his statement that he
| was not personating another, he had
| the other man as witness, and the
captain of his company also testified
i'm his favor. But the grand jury had
indicted him. and ne seemed I'm a fair
way to go to the penitentiary. Mr.. Al
len was 80 much interested in the case
when he read the letter that he made
an investigation and laid the result
before Mr. Reed who became equally
interested, and went personally TO the
department of justice and interceded
for the man. The result was an inves-
tigation by a special agent which dem
onstrated pretty plainly that the man
was a victim of persecution by over
jealous agents of the pension office,
and the prosecution was stopped.
What Mr.. Reed did for this stranger
is characteristic; he has done the like
again and again, and his good Offices
have been sought very often by demo
Gratis in his state. He would as soon
do a kindness to a democrat as for a
republican where no politiacal princi-
pie was involved This does not in
clude the getting of appointments foi
, his constituents. Mr. Reed has his
own ideas about the civil service. HC
believes every office holder should bt
kept in place so long as there are du-