The true northerner., 1896-04-08
STATESMEN PARADE.
Washington's Daily Procession
of Greatness.
SPEAKER REED IS IN TIE VAN,
He Used TO Have q Companion. but Nov
He Walks Alone Somewhat Oppressed
by Carking Thoughts - Promenade Of
Justices.

WASHINGTON April 7.-tSpecial lin
these balmy days of spring Pennsylvania
avenue Is becoming gay once more Every
evening just before o'clock we have now
the statesmens parade. This procession of
greatness has been TO some extent inter
fered with by the winter, but IL is now In
full blast again. 1t Is very interesting
show At that hour the statesmen of the
senate and house, tired of their long after
noon of doing nothing In the overheated
and not easily respirable air of the capitol,
love to stretch their legs In a stroll down
the broad avenue that leads from the ma
tional state house to the executive man.
sion.
Tom Reeds Change.
Conspicuous among the paraders every
day Is Speaker Reed. Generally he is alone.
There was time when Mr.. Reed rarely
walked down the avenue without one or
more jolly companions. In the old days
Dolliver of Iowa or Payne of New York or
Lodge of Massachusetts generally accom-
panied him. Joking and laughing as they
ambled along. Now the big speaker is
usually accompanied only by his thoughts.
With his hands clasped behind his back,
his eyes on the pavement and his big body
rolling gently from side to side Mr.. Reed
waddles along, observed by all but rarely
seeing any one. 1t Is a subject of much
comment that the speaker has changed
since he became a candidate for president.
No one can deny that this is true, but 1t
would be unfair to say that the change has
been so marked as To spoil or pervert one
Of the most interesting characters we have
had in Washington in many years. Mr..
Reed with all his strength and ability
and courage, is an exceedingly sensitive
man and / have reason to know Is often
hurt to the quick by jokes concerning his
presidential aspirations. Like most great
men, he is extremely self conscious and
do not doubt 1t is true that since the am
bition TO become president entered his
brain Mr. Reed has not been able to forget
1t for single instano. He doubtless finds
Ii all exceedingly uncomfortable thing to
live with.
Mr.. Reed is sometimes accompanied by
Congressman Aldrich of Illinois or Sem
ator Aldrich of Rhode Island in his after
noon walks down the avenue, but he Is
not as lively and jocular as he once was.
The big speaker appears TO have become
convinced the people of the country regard
ed him as something OF a joke and that
the only way in which he could convince
them of his earnestness was by SOLDERING
down and standing all the time on his
dignity
stevenson's Popularity.
Vice President Stevenson is also a fire.
quent participant in the statesman's pa
rade There is no more popular man in
Washington than the vice president. Every
one knows im and every one loves him
AS he walks down the avenue he is met by
friends at every turn and IL Is easy To see
in their greeting of him and his of them
that the feeling is earnest and from the
heart. And yet, despite all this personal
popularity, here is scarcely any talk OF
General Stevenson for president Not that
he is thought too small for the oflice-far
from it-but the simple truth is the vice
presidency is sinking lower and lower In
the estimation of the politicians IL is an
Office absolutely witho.t influence or pow
er and somehow it is the fashion to look
upon it's incumbent as beyond the posst-
bility of promotion On every side one
hears "a sneer at the office. but not at the
man who now fills 1t with so much dignity
and grace.
The Justices Parade.
Chief Justice Fuller and some of the as
sociate justices of the supreme court walk
down the avenue nearly every day They
are nearly always in group by them.
selves, not mixing freely with senators and
representatives. This is due i'm part to the
fact that the supreme court adjourns reg
uarly at clock in the afternoon while
neither house of congress usually con.
cludes it's sitting till about 5 Therefore
the justices are the leaders of the process
sion But mere Is another reason for the
ola ichn ,f 4
They have "a sort of tradition that the dig
nifty of the court requires them To certain
extent to set up a coterie of their own
and not TO mix freely with other people
They do mix. of course, hut Only with
some reserve. In their dinners and other
social intercourse they form clique or
circle of their own, and avery iutellectuai
and charming circle il is
Justice Field is never seen In these walks
down the avenue His health is falling
fast now. and the famous old jurist. now
80 years of age. is trying hard To keep up
strength enough TO enable him 10 stay on
the bench = years longer. which will
beat all records for length OF service. JUS
tice Field came upon the bench in S63
1t is about time the Macs were COM
ing. " said a statesman who has the Scotch
prefix TO his name during a discussion OF
the presidential situation We have
waited long time and think we are now
fully due DO you know that with all the
Macs there are In this country we have
never had one in the White HouseY We
have never had one as vice president. nor
as speaker Of the house of representatives.
nor rs chief justice of the supreme court
Two Macs-a Mclean and n Mckinley
have been on the supreme bench a. asso-
ciate justices, half dozen have been in
the cabinet at various times in the past.
and of course great many have been in
congress. But we aspire TO higher things
We want the presidency OF the United
States just for n change -
Another peculiar fact In the political
history of the country is the absence OF the
name of Smith from the roll OF great men
Though perhaps the most common name
In the country. we have never had Smith
for president or vice president, or In the
speakers chair. or Oh the supreme court
bench WALTER WELLMAN
Tints TO Avoid.
Only a woman who hates her friends