The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-06-17
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Tom Reed Has Ii erary Ambi-
tons.
BOLD CONGRESSMAN BOUTELLE.
The Life Of tho Speaker Of the House IL
Not q Happy One-Mr. Crisp Found It
Very Trying, and 1t Made He. Reeds
Life Miserable.


Very Trying. and 1t Made He. Reeds
Life Miserable.
WASHINGTON, June 16.-[Special. i
Just before starting for the ST. Louis con
vention one of Speaker Reeds most init
mate friends said To me: Il am sorry TO
say so, but believe Mr. Reed will be out
of public life after March next. l am
satisfied he will not accept the vice presi-
Dental nomination, and that his friends
at st. Louis will be authorized TO say so
to the delegates and managers. L also be-
lieve that Mr.. Reed will decline a renomi-
nation for congress, and that after March
next he will take up the practice of law in
New York city. He believes he can earn
very large amount of money in New
York, and he needs 1t, for he Is now
comparatively poor man. Mrs. Reed Is
very anxious to have her husband go to
New York. She never liked Washington
and goes very little In society. If Mr..
Reed goes out of public life it Is doubtful
II he ever returns. Nothing but a seat in
the senate or the presidency would tempt
him. / understand he has made some in
quiries rs to his chance of defeating Mr..
Hale for the senate in Maine and finds
they are not good If Mr.. Hale Is not re-
get the seat.
81 predict Also" continued this friend
Of the speakers, THAT If he does go out of
public life 1t will not be long before you
hear of Mr.. Reed in the literary world
He has decided literary ability and ambi-
ton. After he makes himself independent,
so far as money is concerned, by means of
his earnings as a lawyer he Is likely to
take more leisure and TO devote his time TO
literature. Both as a lawyer and littera-
teur believe he will win fame"
The Popular Boutelle.
Another man who knows Maine politics
very we'll tells me Mr.. Boutelle is likely TO
be the next senator from Maine. Boutelle
is perhaps the most popular man in the
state today. Some think he could even
beat Reed for the senatorship should they
be pitted against one another. Boutelle
is the boldest man in congress. He never
hesitates TO say and do what he thinks
right, no matter who is against him. He
has the nerve 60 stand up alone with the
whole house against him, as he has repeat
edly shown during the past session. The
people of Maine like this sort of courage.
Evidence of Boutelle's popularity in his
district is shown by the fact that he was
recently renominated by unanimous vote,
and the day he was named by the conven-
ton Mr. Boutelle told friend here he had
not written a single letter 20 any one in
his district about the matter.
The friends of ex-Speaker Crisp are con-
sderably worried about his health Mr..
Crisp will doubtless be the next senator
from Georgia, having practically won his
contest for that office But there are signs
that his health is breaking, and his friends
deem this particularly unfortunate now
that he is just entering upon perhaps the
most useful and brilliant part of his public
career Mr.. Crisp found the office Of
speaker of the house very trying, and the
demands which it made upon his nervous
and physical forces were very great, the
effects of which are still observable. 1t is
hoped the long rest of the coming vacation
will restore his health and fit him for his
career in the upper branch.
A Hard Seat to- Occupy.
Men who have occupied the speakers
chair or who have been close TO speakers
say there is no other office in the govern
ment, excepting possibly the presidency
itself, which makes such demands upon
the strength of its incumbent. Speaker
Reed is giant in frame and temperament
tally as strong and free from worry as he
is massive in frame. But he confessed
few days ago that the session had about
worn him out. The hardest part of it Is
the necessity which arises every few mo-
ments, every day, seven days n week, for
denying some request. The speaker is the
center of pressure. Through him almost
everything that Is done in the house must
be arranged for. Without the speakers
recognition IL is next TO impossible TO get
up a bill He holds the key TO the situa-
ton as to all except a few measures which
gain right Of way by right of precedence
on the calendar. In consequence the speak
er Is besieged from early morn till late at
night by members who have private or To-
cal bills which they want considered. Sen
ators are brought into the game with
view to securing the much desired promise
for recognition. Prominent men are even
brought TO Washington from a distance TO
labor with the speaker
A Useless Power.
Mr.. Reed recently said that every day Of
his life was made miserable by the necessi-
ty of refusing the requests of his friends
and of good fellows of his own party
whom he would be only too glad to serve
II he could. They are after him before
breakfast they hang around the hotel
waiting a chance to ride or walk up to the
CuplUOl WIFI nlln, Ills rOD1u III Une mousse
lobby Is always in state Of siege, yet not
one in score has his request granted.
Perhaps this throws some light upon the
uselessness of the power of the speaker of
the house in securing vice presidential
nomination. A conscientious speaker Is
compelled to make more enemies than
friends. He has to 'turn down" so many
men that as the session " ears along he be-
comes more and more unpopular He Is
indeed strong man in force of character
and in intellectually who can hold
speakership term after term.
During the past winter there has been
so much discomfort concerning the auto
cratic power welded by the speaker that
movement Is now on foot to change the
rules in order TO increase the power of in
dividual members and to decrease the do
minion which the speaker holds over local
legislation. This plan Is not conceived in
hostility TO the speaker but to the system
which has grown up. The favorite pro-
posal Is to create new calendar to be
known as 1.-THE members calendar" on
which every representative may have one
Of A..