Evening star., 1896-06-16
SPE AK Eff REED
He Doesn't Seem to Be Bothered bV
the Political Situation.
TRIED TO PHONE ST. Louis
Went to the Capitol and Talked
With Architect Clark.
NO NEWS TO GIVE OUT

Thomas B. Reed. the plainest of plain
American citizens. spent the morning hours
today without any excitement without
appearing to be bothered in the least about
the situation at ST. Louis.
MIR. Reed remained at the Shoreham until
after 10 o'clock this morning, receiving
very few callers up to that time. Among
the callers, however, were Samuel NJ
Bryan. president and general manager of
the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Company for the District OF Columbia and
Maryland. and Manager Marean of the
Western Union Telegraph Company. They
went to see him on business matters.
Talked to St. Louis.
Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Reed tried to
communicate over the long distance tele-
phone from here to St. Louis. He went to
the pay station in the basement of the
Shoreham, got connection with st. Louis
and then tried to talk with one of his
friends The effort was failure Only an
occasional word could be heard distinctly
enough to be understood
The Speaker will give the phone another
trIal today, ard hopes to do better The
route from here to St Louis is by Phiia-
Cielphia, PittSbUrg ard Cincinnati. The line
has just been finished. having been built
that connection might be had with st.
LeuiS during the convention. 1t is thought
lnal there might nave Deen weak pat
terry at some place yesterday, or that the
weather somewhere interfered with the
operation of the line. Mr.. Bryan will get
messages over the phone from today un-
til the close of the convention, and will
receive them in his general offices. where
the instruments may work better, ana
where expert receivers will be employed.
the same kind of SenderS doing the work
at the ether end
Speaker Reed will not take bulletins. but
will depend altogether on private kilograms
from his friends. The Western Union IS
taking no bulletins this year. The mes
sages the Speaker received last night arc
said to be very encouraging, and led him
TO think there was yet a chance Tor his
nomination. He had received few mes
Sc ges up to 1 O'Clock this afternoon, and
will not begin TO get interesting ones until
late this afternoon.
Goes TO the Capitol.
Shortly after 10 o'clock Mr. Reed left the
Shoreham and started for the Capitol, pre-
sumably to supcrintend some changes
which he is thinking of having made there.
He had talk with Architect Clark about
these matters. The Speaker Is thinking of
changing the location of some of the pic
lures of ex-Speakers now hanging in the
LOBBY. He has not yet decided exactly
what changes he will have made, if any,
but the idea now Is TO put some of the
portraits hanging in the lobby on the wall
at the rear of the hall of the House. Four
or five pictures may be put in appropriate
places the walls. The Speaker had
talk of some time with Mr.. Clark Two
pictures have already been changed. but
they are not permanently located. one OF
these is the picture of Gen. Varnum. who
was Speaker of the House from 1897 to
1911 and President of the Senate from 1913
TO 1914. The other is the portrait OF Rob
ert C. Winthrop. Speaker from 1S4I to 1919
and later Senator from Massachusetts,.
Mr. Reed returned to his hotel this after
noon. and will remain there. Newspaper
boz
were answered in the negative. To one of
his friends. who spoke to him about the
apparent change at st. Louis. he said that
he was receiving some interesting news.
Last night Mr. Reed had a bundle of tele-
grams lying his desk in his room
Among those who called on him during the
evening was j. c. Payne, with whom he
intended to stop while on a visit to New
York
News He Got Yesterday.
The reports received by Speaker Reed
last night said to have been encourag-
ing. The exact nature of the information
and the source from which it came he dis
creetly kept to himself. He was, therefore,
not disposed TO discuss the possibility of his
accepting second place on the ticket. A
well-authenticated report from Boston to
the effect that large number of Massa-
chusetts republicans. including many of
the most substantial business men In Bos-
ton, had petitioned him to accept the vice
HTtSluentldl nomination was brought to the
attention of the Speaker at the Shoreham
last night.
1t was stated that a petition, numerousy
signed, was mailed to Mr.. Reed from Bos-
ton last Friday
You may say that / decline to discuss
that subject at this time said Mr. Reed
Have you received such petltion?"
Il must decline to say yea or nay"
Has such a petition reached Washing
ton?''
Really. must decliCe to make any state
ment on that subject" he answered in his
mild and gentle way. You may state"
said Mr.. Reed, that / have received a num-
ber of kilograms from st. Louis, Indicating
that there is considerable trouble ahead for
the Mckinley people. There is serious
danger of a disagreement among them over
the financial question. and there may be
some sensational developments before the
thing is over"