The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1897-06-11
YHE NKW ME- BER
Congressman James H. Lewis Is This
Years Idol.
HE IS A VERY FAST TALKER
Men Who Have Made Regulations in
Their First Year in the House
of Representatives.

Congress, rather the house of repre-
sentatives. is as regular in some things
as the Nile. That river is no more reg
ular in its overflow than is the house
in the proauction of ephcmcrally great
men. The Nile has its big food once
year. Each congress produces its
precocious new member.
This year it is James Lewis,
Of the state of Washington. James
Hamilton is Il peach, "a lulu, a daisy,
a conner. crac' KEY jack, an only peb-
BILE. IL sundOwner. Cr anything that
signifies the pow, ar vein that he is the
only thing. lie is the SockaeXis of
the holso Of representatives.. That
noble Indian rams bases no faster than
Lewis unwinds a speech. And as
for making "A hit. the member from
Washington sCcceeded where Bailey,
Mcmillan, Richardson, Simpson and
other opposition leaders failed. In the
house of representatives he is the
pitcher whose delivery is too hot to
handle by the stenographic catchers,
who pose as sharps If uuallOyed purity.
Talk! Why james Hamilton is so
fast at that noble pastimc that the re-
porters Of debates simply held up their
hands aud said he was too much for
them. And still Lewis made every
person in the house understand every
Word he said when on Monday, he
quietly notified Speaker Reed that he
would offer the resolution lie had ban
tered Jerry Simpson to offer,
Readers Of the Plain Dealer, who
have good memories, ought to remem-
ber a description of Lewis published
some time in December Then he was
placed in the catalogue of 'sun down
ers. - Senator Wolcott has long had
the reputation of being the most fastid-
ious dresser in congress. He com
paros with Lewis, however, as q
rhines tone compares with Il diamond.
And still Lewis IS contemptuously
called poDulist. In the same breath
it is recalled that six or eight years
ago, when the first batch of populists
appeared, the raiment the 1. re or six
OF them wore was not worth $40. But
while Lewis was elected by il fusion
Of democrats and populists. he is an
example Of the cuurtiv southern demo
crat transplanted, largely nodded by
Pacific coast influences. While seedi-
ness of raiment and luXuriance of un-
kempt beard may be the caricaturist 5
conception Of incarnate popuiism. it is
far from true conception, if Lewis Is
really populiSt.
But speculation as TO the signs that
denote the true populist are not the
purpose of thsee few remarks. At the
outset il was the intention to say
something about the heroes developed
by the last two or three congresses.
The Fifty-folrth developed Mime
sofa man. When Charles A. Townc
mad" his speech on "Thc Dutv Of the
Republican Party he gathered in the
laurrls bestowed upon the orator.
True, the subject matter of his adj
dress, "free coinage - did not please
the republicans, but his manner did.
Reed discOvere that he was danger
Gus. 50 he never gave him another OPP
portunlty to speak. Towne WAS unfor-
tunate in his confidence in himself
He bOlted the St. Louis platform and
ran as silver republican. He felt so
confident of election that he left his
own district to help friend. In
stead of being reelected he was de-
feated by 900 votes. His friend, Rep
resentative Hartman, who thought he
needed Towne's help was reelected
by over 49,, 900 majority. Towne, by
that speech, however. made himself so
prominent that his fellow silver reubli
cans made him chairman of their pro-
visional national committee. He is
now organizing the men like himself
to repudiate the st. Louis platform, as
unrepublican and IN American.
Now. Towne and Lewis are alike in
many things, but they are both young
and uncompromising bimetallists in
whom the art OF oratory is highly de-
veloped. Towne. however, looks more
like student than the young man
from Washington. Lewis is ardent and
frank in his erubcscent rhetoric. but
both are equally strong in invectives,
Now Chan Clark Of Missouri was
perhaps the meteor in the Fifty third
congress. Like the feline. he has come
back again. He rested during the
Fifty fourth congress while a music
teacher who didn't know the differ.
ence between motion to refer and one
to adjourn occupied Champs seat.
Clark has been saving few thing:
sarcastic about the inactive republi
cans, evidently fishing for public favo,
again. but mill never grinds witt
water that is past any more than the
public a second time takes up a con
gressional favorite. When Chamy
arises to talk there is a languid inter
est. but not absolute quiet, as three il
when Lewis says "Mistah Speaker. -
The republican Youngsters have beer
unlucky ever since Reed has beer
prominent. He so far overshadow
them all. either in the chair or on tn,
fioor, that they have little or no oppor
tnnity to attract general attention
Young bolivar and Cousins of low;
come as near being able to occupy tn
middle of the stage when they arise a
any other. Rowland Blannrehasse
Mahaney of Buffalo occasionally trie