Evening star., 1897-04-17
OLD THAD STEVENS.
Some RccoIIections of the Great Com


Z. V. Snialley in Chicago Times-Herald
In tohacconist's window the other day
noticed some boxes of cigars with the por-
trait of Thaddeus Stevens on the lid and in
stopping to look at the once familiar face
flood of memories of the great Pennsyl-
yania statesman came into my mind There
are probably very few of the younger gen-
GRAFTON - say, the young men between
twenty-one and thirty-that can tell who
Stevens was or what he did, so evanescent
Is political fame in the United States. Yet
during the whole war period and the
stormy reconstruction times which follow
ed in Congress he was the master spirit Of
the House His home was in Lancaster,
Pa. tobacco-making town, where the
cigars came from He was a whig in his
early POLITE al career. and became one of
the most radical of republicans. He hated
slavery intensely. and devoted a consider
able part of his means to benefactions for
color.-d people. Stevens was a small, thin
man. of hatchet-like face, and a large Ro-
4 man nose His keen and often fierce gray
eyes were shaded by very heavy eyebrows
He Was clean shaven and wore a brown
wig in temper he was iraScible and mas
terful- He was by all odds the best run
ming debater of his day, and so keen were
his weapons of satire and ridicule that all
antagonists feared him. He was always
conceded the first choice of seats in the
House. After Old Thad was seated the
drawing would begin for the rest of the
members. When Blaine entered Congress
ia December. 1853. his name came first out
OF the box. and he planted himself right
beside the old Pennsylvania autocrat.
Stevens had habit of making running
comments in an undertone on the current
business OF the House. sometimes humor
Gus. but more often sarcastic. The young
member from Maine kept diary during
those TWO years that he sat beside Old
.T1ad and put down his best sayings and
anecdotes. I have often wondered what
l,e~ame of that diary. l meant to ask
Blaine some time in his later years. but
never found good opportunity. 1t GER
,tainly would afford very interesting ma
1erial for u magazine article
The newspaI ers generally spoke OF Stew
ems very respectfully as "the great COM
snoner." u title he well deserved, for he was
for more than a decade the recognized
master In our commons. the House OF Rep
reseniajives. His feilowmenbers always
spoke cf him to each other as odd Thad."
HE had club foot and walked with diei-
sulty with the aid of stout stick. During
the two years preceding his death he could
hardly walk at ALL and ne was carried
regularly from his little old-fasnioned brick
house on Capitol Hill up the east Capitol
steps and into the House In a chair iofne
by two strong doo-keepers- How well l
iTemenber the scenes during the impedeh-
.ment trial of Andrew Johnson Stevens
was at the head of the committee oppoinied
lby the House TO prosecute the .mpcach-
iment proceedings. After an hour or TWO OF
tbUsiness in the morning the House would
adjourn and go over to the Senate to wit
mess the trial. The procession would form
with ths impeachment committee in the
lead and Old Thad carried a1oft in his
chair at the head of the long line. With
Ijis stern and implacable face. The old man
looked ike a Roman conqueror borne In
Triumph at the head of his iegfous.
.Inigh; give many Illustrations of his n.srci-
less sarcasm. ! remember that Al one de-
bate he was opposed by Horace MAYNARD
of Tennessee Maynard was very tall and
straight and had long black hoir. which he
Ewore well down over his coat collar ard
which gave him somewhat the appearance
of an Indian. 1t was even rur.sored that
pc had some aboriginal blood in his veins.
Maynard was a college graduate erd nr'ded
himself on his scholarly attainmen's. ard
u the close OF his address he quoted one or