The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-06
THOSE OLD TIMERS
Stories About Martin MaginniS and
Jim Cavanaugh.
DELEGATES TO CONGRESS
Pose Of "Sunset" Cox as Affected
by One OF the Representatives
Newspaper Writer'S Fat Piok-
Up-Early Political History.

A Doe~h VI StOAACo tnAt arc VI ihtCi
est to Montana people is told by the
Washington correspondent of the Min
neapolis Journal The writer says:
Ex-Delegate Martin Maginnis of Mon
tana, has recently reappeared on the
streets of Washington, looking gray
and grizzled but bright-eyed and rosy,
and as he passed 10 or more years
Of his life at the federal city, he is still
able to find his way about and to reach
: the capitol without being lost en- route.
I Martin was a mere lad when he enlist
ed in 1861 in the First Minnesota vol
Z unteer infantry, and left Red Wing to
i fight the battles of his country on the
bloody fields of Virginia. He came out
of the war with considerable fortune.
having risen from the rank of high pri-
waite of the First to that OF major of the
Eleventh, OF which regiment the late
Judge James Gilfillan was colonel
Major Maginnis settled in Montana
after the war and became prosperous
newspaper man, which brought him to
congress as the delegate from that ter
ritory. He attained considerable dis
tinction in the house as a ready de-
batter and a hard worker for his con-
stituents. But he has never succeeded
to the dignity of a full-fedged men,
Der, for. after Montana became state
in the union some other fellow came to
COnSfcSSt anu Mag hCfCi CilJOyCu
the supreme felicity of casting a vote
or being recorded among the yeas and
nays during the long years of his dele
gate service in the house.
1t was common talk during Major
Maginnis' representation Of Montana
in the house, that he had taken Sun
set" Cox as a model in the method of
delivery. pose and gesture. OF course,
he did not attempt to emulate the su-
perabundant and Incompatible wit of
Sunset" Cox, for that was impossible
for any man, since Mr.. Cox was en-
dowed by nature with characteristics
peculiarly his own. But Major Magin-
mis- did succeed in adopting a very fair
imitation of Mr.. Cox's graceful gestures
and method of delivery, particularly
the side pose OF the head and the spas
modic twisting of the body, SO that
when at his best and talking earnestly.
the resemblance was easily detected.
The successor to Maginnis as dele
gate from Montana was Jim Cava-
naugh. who, with Mr.. Phelps, was the
first congressman elected from Mime
sofa. He served one term and emf
gated to Montana, degenerating into
a delegate Thus Minnesota furnished
two Montana delegates to congress.
Cavanaugh obtained his nomination to
congress from Minnesota by the merest
accident IT so happened that the two
duty of nominating two congressman
declined to take them from single dis
{ tricts, and selected them at large. In
the democratic convention the Irish
element predominated. IL not In num-
bers, certainly In influence, and Cava-
naugh, appreciating that the struggS
would be fierce between a. SCORE OF rival
aspirants, remained dark horse and
comparatively unknown until the su-
preme moment was reached, when, OBJ
Gaining the floor as a delegate, he de-
livered an eloquent and stirring ad-
dress, In which he dwelt with JUNCTION
upon the salt mist of the Irish isle"
and eulogized the democracy in COM
pany with Sheridan, Curran, O'Con-
nell and all the other Irish patriots
and orators, and ending with a glow
ing panegyric upon Thomas Adds EN-
met, Wolfe Tone and Charles O'Con-
nor of New York, with whom he
claimed friendship and association.
This speech carried the convention by
storm, especially the Irish delegates,
and he was nominated on the next bal
lot. This nomination proved equivalent
ITO an election.
q, A newspaper man tells how one
night, when wrestling with a short ac-
count OF news items. and wondering
how ne would be able to fill his space
on the morrow, Cavanaugh entered his
office toward the "wee sma' hours"
and asked the pencil pusher II he had
a few days to devote to his service. to
which, of course, he received an affirm
alive answer. II am going to deliver a
speech in the house." said Cavanaugh,
ION the question of territorial history
and 1 want you to look up the entire
history of territorial organization, from
the ordinance of 1887 to the present
day, and give me all the facts and stat
istics you can gather. / want 1t writ
ten like one of Macauley's essays, and
am told you can do 1t in that exact
shape!
81 want you to take your time at
this work." continued Mr.. Cavanaugh,
land have II ready in a week or 10
days" Then taking out his wallet, he
drew from the roll of money three new,
crisp 500 bills. threw them on the
scribblers table, saying: II am a sort
of newspaper man myself and know
the value of the work have asked you
to do. / could do 1t myself. but have
not the time. Take the $500. as you
may need a little money and want to
pay for help, and If the stuff pleases
me. will give you a couple of hundred
more. / want to buy some brains, and
am willing to pay for them"
The astonished correspondent, to
whom the $500 was like mama to the
starving Israelites in the wilderness.
promised to do his very best, and
Cavanaugh strobe out of the office,
merely remarking that he had no doubt
the work would be well done. In due
time the manuscript was duly deliver
ed to Mr.. Cavanaugh, and the statistics
and salient points of our territorial
history were duly Incorporated in the
speech which Cavanaugh shortly there
after delivered Great demand was
made for that speech. and b was re-
garded with particular favor at the
time. True 10 his word, Mr.. Cava-
naugh handed the newspaper man 500
more. and, expressing his entire salts
faction with the work, simply OBJ
served:
II told you a lie. I said I could do
this work myself if ] had time. That
was untrue. / apologize and want you
to accept II as sincere. II you want
good work OF this kind. one must go