The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-03-02

N0t Ouly 1ouetItSttNt Allm<tlts Uut trttt
20 Make the House so-Eager to Breai
All Records For . brief Session of Con
gress-
wAsHiS sToS. Feb. 90. - Special. 7 -
Speaker Reed now expects 10 finish up the
session of congress. so far as the house 1,
concerned, before the LIST OF May In
other words. the speaker is eager 10 break
all records for brevity OF session. The
chances are he will succeed in his design
The appropriation bills are now farther
advanced than they have been at a similar
date In the memory OF the oldest inhabit.
ant. 1t is agreed on all sides that there
is small chance OF any important legisla
tion excepting the appropriation bills be,
ing attempted. The fate of the tariff bill
settled once for all, In the opinion Of all
the leaders Of both parties, any effort 70
legislate at this session on currency or
revenue questions. NotN.lg Is in the way
nj an adjournment Of congress by May l.
Give Business n Chance.
Doubtless the country will be glad 70
have congress stop and give business a
chance. Ii Is favorite theory among
business men that as long as congress Is
In session commerce continues duller than
1
iieyed the uncertainty as to what the
statesmen may or may not do unsettles
confidence and promotes dizziness Of trade.
II this is true, perhaps the big speaker will
receive general thanks for his policy Of
shortening the session.
AT the same time it may we'll be doubt
ed II Speaker Reed Is satisfied with the
work Of the session up TO this time. In
the first place. the senate and not the house
has been the center OF attraction. Whereas
before congress met every one was expect
Ing TO SEQ Mr.. Reed at the very center Of
action, in the thick Of the fighting, us 1t
were, he has really had very dull and
commonplace sort OF winter There has
been nothing sensational or especially in.
teresting In his performances or In those
Of the body of which he is the acknowl.
edged master. This dizziness and lack of
theatrical effect have been very disappoint-
ing to many of Mr.. Reeds warmest ad-
mirers. They contend that what the coun
try likes Reed for is his fighting ability.
his originality, his courage, his willing.
ness to go in and do something, no matter
who or what stands In the way.
1t is theory with many students Of
public opinion that the people always seize
upon one or two particular incidents in
the career OF politician and idealizo them
into duplication of his character. Few
men become very popular or greatly es-
teemed In the public eye for general
course Of commonplace usefulness. Forty
years OF patient but unsensational toll,
without striking incident or those features
which stir the Imagination, will not put a
man at the very top of the ladder of popu-
larity. One act of dash or courage, of
originality or distinguished success, will
do It. Having formed its ideal the public
rarely lets go. 1t does not change its view.
The man himself now becomes responsible
for failure to continue popular. All he
has to do is to meet this popular ideal, to
live up to it, to justify 1t, to approximate
It, IL he does not care to strain points by
reaching for the whole for it, and he will
boall right. But woe To him II he falls from
that ideal and makes no attempt to stand
by It'll
Has Become Dignifed.
Mr.. Reeds friends sorrowfully claim
this Is just what he has been doing. They
say he has deliberately deserted the ideal
which the public was pleased to form of
him, and that as u result he has lost popu-
larity. / know what Mr. Reeds idea was.
as hive gathered 1t from himself and
from his intimate friends, and IL was one
which did him credit. When he came to
Washington last fall, ii was with the con-
seriousness that he was in the public eye as
q prominent candidate for president. But
Mr.. Reed realized that he had come to be
looked upon by perhaps majority Of his
fellow citizens rs man of too much bold.
ness OF action, of too grasping and original
character. In other words, he was q
combination Of the rigid, forceful, willful
car and the boyish, joking, sarcastic and
at times playful humorist. Mr.. Reed rel |
ished neither Of these ideas. 1t seemed to |
him that If he were going to DO presiden- |
tial candidate In earnest he must take on |
conservatism, give up czarism; become |
moro and moro serious and less and less |
Inclined to sarcasm and jokes.
Here, in the estimation of his friends, |
Is where he made his mistake. He has |
carried out his ideas to the letter, so far |
as his personal conduct is concerned. He |
Is no more tho Reed Of old. He is con. |
servatism personifled. He has succeeded |
In doing that which most people who |
knew him would have said year ago was |
practically impossible-he has transformed |
himself into n staid and sober and unag. |
gressive gentleman who rarely has any.
thing sharp to say to or about any one on |
the face Of the earth.
Reeds tactics led him to adopt a con- |
servative programme for the house too.
Instead of some radical legislation, instead |
OF something bold and constructive, in
stead OF new policy Of some description |
calculated to dazzle the country, he early |
announced there was to be nothing at all |
simply the appropriation bills and an
He would havo adhered to
this programme, too, had 1t not been for
President Cleveland. When Mr.. Cleve.
land called upon congress, just before
Christmas, to do something for the cur
rency and tho revenue, Mr. Reed was i'll
pleased. He was cross He felt hurt.
His dearest plans had been interfered with
A Dull Winter.
It can be said, to Mr.. Reeds credit.
hat, though ms did not like the situation,
he met It manfully. Though he believed
the president was doing this merely for
effect upon public opinion, and not with
tho slightest notion that anything could
he accomplished, tho speaker faced the or.
deal, tried honestly to do something useful
Tor the country and carried out I'm good |
faith his par Of the scheme
On the whole, IL can be said Mr.. Reed a |
policy of inaction has not been a success.
1t has not kept him up to the country's
ideal OF his character II has not satisfied
the members Of tho house, who have had
rather dull winter so far. 1t has pro-
duced probable early adjournment, and
no harm has been done to tho country,
but, as ono Of the speakers friends recently
said: 1T doesn't mako much difference
the country Endorses what we do
nf I'm a.. /