The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-09
Washington Bureau st. Paul Globe, |
CorcoTGn Building. I
Special to The St. Paul Globe.

Special to The St. Paul Globe.
WASHINGTON, May S.-Jos5 pm
Wheeler of Alabama, who has been
nominated as one of the four major
generals chosen from civil life, is ore of
the picturesque characters Of the house
of representatives. He is a very small
man physically, perhaps five feet two
inches in height and weighs ITO p-TndS,
but he is a marvel OF activity. He is
always on the go, and at very rapid
rate, lodging into his committee room,
then out into the corridors, talking
one moment with a constituent and
the next over in the supreme coGrt look
ing after some local interest; then be-
fore an ordinary man would have
chance to turn around he will be back
again at his seat in the hall of repre-
SentatlVes, busily writing letters. He
does everything nervously and rapid y,
and his short speeches in the house,
when he asks for single minute to
say just one word" have become one
of the standing jokes among his col
leagues. He talks so fast during that
one minute that no stenographer can
take him down, and then blandly asks
permission to insert the rest of his
speech in the Record. which the next
morning may be found to cover twenty
pages 1t has sometimes been suggest
ed in jocular way by his associates,
when this permission was asked for,
that a space limit should be placed
upon his vOluhility, but such things
never disturb the celebrated cavalry
leader of the Confederacy. He is in
tensely earnest and tremendously ac-
tive. and goes through the world as If
he meant business with whatever he
undertakes. AS illustrative of thsse
pre-eminent characteristics, it is re-
lated that a number of congressman
were gathered in the speakers room
one day just after the death of Judge
Holman and Mr.. Milliken, of Maine,
when the conversation turned to the
familiar topic of the dropping out, ore
after another. of the elderly men of
the house. Some one. noticing that
Wheeler was sitting there. ventured to
remark: We'll, Gen. Wheeler is still
left with u.s. Yes" drawled out Mr..
Reed in his characteristic way, "the
Almighty could never find Wheeler in
one place long enough to put his fin
ger upon him.
Regarded Highly by Reed.
But Speaker Reed, Notwithstanding
his oft-observed inclination to crack
a joke at Gen. Wheeler's expense, en-
tertains the highest regard, as do the
members of the house generally, for
the newly appointed major general.
He is generally regarded as of absolute
Integrity. and one Of the kindest-
hearted of men. 1t is commonly said
of him that more visitors are chasing
after him, due probably to his very
wide acquaintance throughout the
South, than after any other man in
the chamber, and yet he is always
courteous and attentive to an extreme
degree, ard no one ever goes away
feeling that he has been sighted or
ignored by the Alabama congressman.
Mr.. H. M. Lord, clerk of the commit
tee on ways and means, of which Gen
Wheeler is a prominent member, re-
lates that an elderly lady called at the
committee room a few days ago and
said she wanted to see some represen-
tative from New York. Gen. Wheeler
was busily at work with his CORE
spondence, which he dropped before
Mr.. Lord had a chance to offer his
assistance to the visitor, and, in less
time than it takes to tell 1t, was dart
ing through the corridors in search of
a New York member, until he tri-
umphantly produced Mr.. Sherman,
whom he had found in the Indian COM
mittee room. Mr.. Lord asserts that
the aged woman was an utter stranger
TO Gen. Wheeler, but that this courtesy
IS only typical of the way he treats
everybody. 1t is said that he does
more for his constituents in the way
of supplying public documents, maps
and perhaps their own representatives
speeches, than almost any member of
the house. He maintains an office on
b street, a few doors from the capitol.
where from four to six clerks are en-
ployed at his private expense in col
lecting and addressing these valuable
missives. At the time Secretary Nor
ton shut off the free seed supply, Gen.
Wheeler's old friends seemed to feel
so badly about it, and wrote so per-
sistently for explanations, that he is
said to have purchased q lot Of seeds
himself and sent them out in little
packages
Once Unsented.
Gen. Wheelers coming into congress
was quite characteristic Of his career