Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-02-22
PRESS COM MeNTS.
Let Speaker Reed Alone,
u. Y. sun. Dcm.1


The Hon. Thomas Bracket Reed may
be found on every business day at his
regular place of business, attending con
scientiously to the duties with which he
has been charged by the fifty fourth
Congress. These are multitudinous aud
| exacting enough to drive a nervous man
| crazy, and even to make stupid man
nervous In addition to his ordinary
functions as presiding officer of the House
of Representatives,, Mr.. Reed is compelled
by circumstances to handle that hardest
of subjects, an unwieldy partisan ma
jority, composed OF Republicans of widely
different notions and interests, and in
GLIDING large proportion of new mem
bcrs fresh from grass and risky as young
colts
This is an enormous job even for a
statesman who is not also candidate
| Speaker Reed faces ii with his accustomed
tranquility of demeanor Siucly respon-
stble for the preservation of Republican
harmony in Congress in the year of a
presidential election, and for the main
tenence OF the interests of the whole party
AS against factional freaks or individual
ambitions he stands there Mt the desk a
rather noble and majestic figure, his
| upper lip barred to the fury of the storm
This aspect Of Mr. Reeds candidacy is
overlooked by our esteemed Republican
contemporaries. The speakers position
Is IN one important respect quite different
| from that of any of his competitors for
the Republican nomination. They are
tree, most of them, TO devote their I'M
divided energies to the furtherance OF
their personal conceptions. They don t
have to attend TO the common cause
But he is loaded with their interests as
we'll as his own. Morton and Mckinley,
and Allison and Quay all depend upon
the Hon. Thomas Bracket Reed to hold
the House we'll in hand. to keep all the
Republican congressman in line, to sun
press the fools and the light heads, and to
| wind up the session in a manner con
ducive to Republican success at the polls
| next November
Mr. Reed, as speaker, therefore, is not
III erely the representative of Mr.. Reed :
canvass for the presidential nomination.
He is also the trustee of the fortunes and
hopes OF Mckinley, Morton, Quay, Allison
and all the rest, if others there be. Iftba
speaker should devote too much thought
| to matters personal to himself, ana too
little attention to the general welfare of
the party, and crash and catastrophe
should occur in his department OF Repub-
llcan politics, Of how much value in
November would be the nomination
obtained in June by Mr. Morton, MIR. Me
kinley, Mr.. Allison, Mr.. Quay, or any
| other chap whatsoever:
Probably the Hon. Thomas Brackett
heed foresaw the altruistic responsible
tiles which his election as speaker would
thrust upon him, and accepted them in
MS large, serene way with his eyes fully
open to their inconvenient character,
considered from the point Of view of mere
selfish ambition If he had been less of a
republican and more of Reed man, we
can we'll understand that he would have
allowed some other fellow to wear himself
out in the speakers chair for The sake Of
Mr., Mckinley, Mr.. Quay, Mr.. Morton,
and Mr.. Allison
OnGer these circumstances we regard
as particularly ungraocful and ungratcrul
the persistent attempts of the promoters
OF rival ambitions to force the speaker to
commit himself on this issue or that in
the hope of damaging him as a candidate.
ANA the report that while the Hon
THOMAS Bracket Reed is at his post in
Washington, looking after the interests of
MS rivals equally with his own, the
friends of Major Mckinley, for example.
are endeavoring to break into and loot
MI Reed S modest little private collection
OF southern delegates, is too hidcous to lie
believed