The true northerner., 1896-01-17
HILLS SHARP WORDS
NOT MUCH OF AN ORATOR, BUT
FRANK AND PePPERv.

Trouble.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 16. Especial T.
This Is the day Of great changes and rapid
movements. We live amid rumors OF wars
and national revolutions. Even the staid
and sometimes sleepy United States senate
appears to have felt the nervous hand OF
change and progress. One of the dearest
senate traditions has during this winter
gone TO destruction, and a new and more
rational idea has taken Its place. Until
recently IL was sort Of high treason to
the senate, which its members are fond of
characterizing as the most dignifled body
on earth, for new man to essay set
speech before he had served mt least
through one congress. In the ethics OF the
senate the young men were to listen while
the old men did all the talking. All this
is now done away with. 1t is no longer
regarded necessary that new member OF
the body shall sit in his seat chewing his
finger nails and thinking regretfully of
the great things he would say IL he only
had a chance. Ii is now perfectly proper
for senator who has but recently taken
the oath of Office to address the president,
spread out his manuscript or notes and
consume as much time as pleases him.
Among the younger senators who have
done much to break down this musty old
tradition is Mr.. Lodge of Massachusetts,
who has made at least one set speech dur
ing the present session, and who Is under
stood TO be ready to make several more
before the winter Is over. Mr.. Lodge
made great hit with his speech on the
Monroe doctrine and he Is sure of an
audience, both on the floor and the CALLER
les, whenever he chooses to announce an
oratorical effort. Senator Butler of North
Carolina, not only new member OF the
senate but the youngest man on the floor,
has INDUCED his propensity for speech
making TO his hearts content, while
Senator Elkins had not been in tho upper
branch more than month till he launch
ed forth with an ambitious speech, and
Mr.. Elkins is not much of a talker either.
He Loves to Talk.
The man who most loves to talk Is Sen
ator Hill. The New York statesman is a
peppery, tenacious, frank, bold, hard hit
ting sort of debater. He has no oratory as
oratory Is usually understood, but what he
lacks in magnetism and eloquence he
makes up in earnestness. Whenever Mr..
Hill takes the floor, which he does oftener
than any other man in the upper branch
of congress-, all the senators like to gather
around to listen. This Is so not because
they expect a great flight of oratory, but
because they are pretty sure of hearing
some sharp words, OF seeing some bold hit
ting, of witnessing some daring thrust ut
the first adversary who has the courage ID
put himself in the way of the New York
er's lance. A sample of Mr.. Hills style
was given few days ago in a little tilt
with Senator Teller of Colorado who Is
himself one of the ablest and mOsNcrench
ant debaters In congress. Mr.. Teller's
favorite silver question was touched upon,
and he insinuated that the director of the
mint had been too free with his advice TO
congress, and that the senator from New
York had been too often running about
the treasury picking up information. II
will say to the senator from Colorado, +"
said Mr.. Hill in his impulsive way, THAT
l am not responsible for the director of
the mint, nor have been running about
the treasury, though L cannot see why 1
have not a right to enter great public
department of this government If 1 wish
II it will add anything TO the pleasure of
the senator from Colorado, will tell him
that never but once in my life, when I
went there for moment simply TO intro
duce constituent, have been inside the
doors of the treasury building" This
open avowal of his unwillingness 10 seek
government patronage or of the useless
ness thereof on his part greatly amused
the senators who were sitting about
And as for the director of the mint"
continued Senator Hill, Il was among
those who were opposed to his appoint
ment. But / believe he is an intelligent
man, and that lie tries to give to the gov
ernment the facts which it his business to
know. am sure at least that he is as well
qualified for the office which he holds as
any man could be who has spent his life
running about the wilds of Colorado F."
Whereat there was litter on the floor at
Mr.. Teller's expense, in which the Colo
rado statesman good naturedly joined.
Headquarters For Fun.
The truth is, the senate has SO far this
winter been the more interesting body of
congress. Usually most of the fun is to
be had In the house, where the debates of
ten get personal and bitter. So far this
session the senate has had almost a mo-
nopoly of this sort of thing, and it is curl
Gus to note that the crowds In the gal
leries, which, as rule, are much greater
in the hall Of the house, have this winter
thronged the senate chamber, eager to en-
Joy all the fun. They have not been dis
appointed very often, for almost every
day some debate or other has brought out
the lurking personal or party bitterness
which exists in the senate under a rather
thin covering of pollteness. On several
occasions we have had daring personalities
in senate debates, and IL this destruction
of the old traditions continues much Ion
ger 1t will soon be impossible for senator's
TO proudly say that theirs is the most dig
nified Legislative body ON earth.
Outlook For Arbitration.
Now that the movement for a general
treaty of arbitration between Great Britain
and the United States, including the Ven
ezuelan dispute, is attaining so much
headway on both sides of the Atlantic, 1
think may without egotism refer to the
fact that this idea was first given publicity
in my dispatches. Nearly three weeks
ago, readers will remember, 1 discussed
the probability of general arbitration be-
tween the two great English speaking ma
tions being brought forward as a happy
means of setting the Guiana boundary dis
Dute which at one time thrpatenpd IN in