The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-30
CAPITAL CHAT.
Washington Post.

Washington Post
lion. Miles Crowley. the picturesque
IeNas representative. is only 3. wears of
age, and prints In his biography that ho
was chief engineer of the Galveston fire de-
par!meni for two terms His ,onularity
there is said to have given bin the political
ihilnence that sent him to the State legis-
latufe' ilrsl as representative, then twice
as a senator and afterward to congress In
the next congress X. b. Hawley, a repibli-
can VIII represent that Texas district. the
only republican from that State Crowley.
by the way, is not native Texan He
halls from aristocratic Boston. aud recently
Colonel WiNiam Sterett and other people
from the L1Ae Star State have been adyer-
Using this fact
Since Jerry Simpson is coming hack to
congress, it is recalled that he was the
very hrst representative to throw dignity
to the winds and to appear sailing down
pennsylvania avenue on bicycle, The gay
eNhilaratlon which was apparent in his
collntenanee every morning as he refined up
his steel seed in front Of the capitol quick
ly made the example contagious, and Con-
gresham Tom johnson, single-taxer and
iree trader, was the next to brave public
opinion. That broke the ice. and so many
OF the Capital City that no one keeps any
track OF the new members who are learning
from iiuc To time. II is said. however. that
Uncle ice Cannon, Senator Chandler and
good many others have never had the
bravery to try TO ride the bicycle when they
are home during the summers shaking
hands with theiI constituents.
That story Of Amos Cummings and the
lri,lm1D named
fost' sand one OF the employees at the capt.
toll who halls from New York State. re
minds me Of a sort of political godfather
OF cummings, also an lrishman. who used
TO exercise Watchful care over the dongs
Of the Fammany congressman When Cum
mines was chairman of the naval commit
tee he made a great speech in the house on
the subject Of the marine architecture from
tue earliest times down to the present
When he went over to New York after the
speech, his Old friend met him and took
him to task.
What is it you don't like about that
Speech asked Cummings.
Now. Amos. me boy. II was n grand
splche fun av foine wurruds and figgcrs
galore bat yea missed wan important in
stance that Oi shud have tho't yeZ wud
nave REMEMBERED, Ncah-he built the ark
Amos and yes gave him no credit at all.
cummings has said he doesn't know yet
whether the old man was poklng fun at
his speech or whether he was in kead car
nest about the important historical refer
ence that he had omitted.
Texas member of congress tells of .
nopu''st opponent on the stump in the late
campaign who advanced an argument to his
fellow citizens against voting the straight
Bryan and sewall ticket, "Fe.low-cltiz-
ems. he said, in the course of his speech,
we are al FOR Bryan. but yer amt ;oin'
Ter vote for that man seawall is you
Ihat man Sea-wall Is a Clevel1ud democrat,
he IS. Ii We elect Bryan and Sea wall they
VIII assassernate Bryan. They assassernat-
ed Lincoln and they assassernated GARFIELD.
aud they would assassernate OF candidate
Bryan II he re ,ched the White House, Then
VIC should have that man Sea wall for
president, and, as told you, he is Clcvo-
land democrat. Yer Amt goin' ter vote for
that man Sea wall, * you?"
This argument was repeated all over the
great Lone Star state. and as Cleveland
and Cleveland democrats are Of a stripe
that enrages the average Texan, there was
no stampedins of Texas popuists for the
Chicago ticket.