The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-13
THE NEW MEMBER.
Congressman Lewis of Washington
is This Years Idol.


as the Nile. That river is no more
regular in its overflow than is the
house in the production of ephemerally
great men. The Nile has its big flood
once year. Each congress produces
its precocious new member, says the
Washington correspondent of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
This year it is James Hamilton Lewis
OF Washington. James Hamilton is a
] peach, a lula, daisy, conner, a
crackerjack. an only pebble, a sun
! downer, or anything that signifies the
popular vein that he is the only thing
He is the SockaleXis of the house of
representatives. That noble Indian
runs bases no faster than Lewis I'M
winds a speech. And as for making a
hit, the member from Washington sue
/ ceeded where Bailey, McMillin, Rich
ardson, Simpson and other opposition
leaders failed. In the house of repre-
sentatives he is the pitcher whose de-
livery is too hot to handle by the
stenographic catchers, who pose as
sharps of unalloyed purity.
Talk Why, James Hamilton is so
fast at that noble pastime that the re-
porters of debates simply held up their
hands and said he was too much for
them. And still Lewis made every per-
son in the room understand every word
he said, when on Monday he quietly
notified Speaker Reed that he would
offer the resolution he had bantered
Jerry Simpson to offer.
Readers of the Plain Dealer who
have good memories ought to remem-
Der description of Lewis published
some time in December. Then he was
placed in the catalogue of shutdown
ers-' Senator Wolcott has long had the
reputation of being the most fastidious
dresser in congress. He compares with
Lewis however as a rhinestone
compares with a diamond. And
still Mr.. Lewis is CONTEMPORARY
called a Populist In the same
breath it is recalled that six or eight
years ago, when the first batch of
Populists appeared, the raiment the
five or six of them wore was not worth
$40 But while Lewis was elected by a
fusion Of Democrats and Populists, he
is an example of the courtly southern
Democratic transplanted. largely
mclded by Pacific coast influences
While seediness of raiment and luxuri-
ance of unkemDt beard may he the
caricaturistS conception of incarnate
Populism. it is far from a true concep-
ton, if Lewis is really a Populist.
But speculation as to the signs that
denote the true Populist are not the
"A
outset il was the intention TO say some
thing about the heroes developed by
the last two or three congresses. The
Fifty-fourth developed a Minnesota
man. When Charles A. Towne made
mis- speech on The Duty of the Repub-
lican Party" he gathered in the
laurels bestowed upon the orator. True,
the subject matter of his address.
free coinage" did not please the Re
k,.. h;
discovered that he was dangerous,
so h never gave him another OppOr-
tunity to speak. Towne was unfortunate
in his confidence in himself. He halted
the st. Louis platform and ran as a si'
YER Republican. He felt so confident of
election that ne left his own district to
help q friend Instead Of@being re-
elected he was defeated by 900 votes.
His friend. Representative Hartman,
who thought he needed TONNES help,
was reelected by over $4,000 majority
Towne, by that speech, however, made
himself so prominent that his fellow
Silver Republicans made him chairman
Of their provisional national committee.
He is now organizing the men like him.
self to repud;ate the St. Louis platform
as unrepublican and un-American-
Now. Towne and Lewis are alike in
many things. but they are both young
whom the art of oratory is highly de-
veloped. Towne however. looks more
ike a student than the young man from
Lewis is ardent and frank
IN his erubescent rhetoric. but both are
equally strong in invective
Now Champ Clark of Missouri was per-
haps the meteor in the Fifty-third con-
gress. Like the feline. he has come back
again. He rested during the Fiftyfourth
congress while music teacher who /
didn't know the difference between mo- /
ton to refer and one TO adjourn occupied |
Champs seat. Clark has been sayirg [
few things sarcastic about the inactive
evidently fishing for public I
favor again. but a mill never grinds with I
water that IS past any more than the /
public q second time takes W a con- !
gressional favorite. When Champ arises I
to tall there is a languid interest. but I
not absolute quiet as there is when Lewis I
says 'MiStah Speaker.
The Republican youngsters have been /,
lnluclxy ever since Reed has been promi- /
nent. He so far oVershadows them all. (
either in the chair or on the floor. that I
they have little or no opportunity to at
tract general attention. Young DOliver .
and Cousins of Iowa come as near being
able to occupy the middle of ire stage
when they raise as any other. Rowland
Mahaney Of Buffalo occa-
Sionally tries to play favorite ard so
But popular heroes are not made out of
Young men with squeaky voices. voices
mat are liable to D-eak Just before the
climax OF n fervid oeroration Is rcTohcd
Reed has tried TO make a favorite of
NO. but he has failed. Lemuel Eli Quigg
IF New York was put forward as a can
iidate- Reed gave him unlimited oppor-
unity to talk both in the Fifty-third and /
fffty-fourth congresses Lemuel a that
ime was editor-in-chief of the New York
Press. and he was to write Reed into the
presidency in return for being made the
greatest new congressman. But Lemuel
s not a natural orator. That's one draw
)ack. Lemuel is egotistical TO very
marked degree. That's worse than the
irst. Being a pronounced egotist, he had
of manner and speech that /
marked him rs the victim of the wicked
md me-c:less paragraph. for whom no
me is great or sacred from thrusts. They
oiled his name. 'Lemuel Ell around
lnder their pens and built all kinds of
trusts around It. Lemuel Ell was their
oundation. To build anv kind Of 2 su-
'erstructure was I'll right. But Of Lem
lei Eli they needed 4 daily supply. and
leither Lemuel Ell nor Thomas Bracket
or respectable mediocrity to neutralize
he effect of few we'll directed sneers
Perhaps this all goes to show that
avorites are born rot made. This is
he day Of James Hamilton Lewis As
ct no shadow hangs over his calcium
lighted position.
FISHING IN THE WORLD