The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-10
GEN. JOSEPH WHEELER.
One of the Picturesque Characters of
The House--IpterestingF Facts About
the New Major-GeneraI.


civil life, is one of the picturesque char
acters of the House of Representatives.
He is very small man physically, per
haps five feet and an inch or two in hight
and weighs 40 pounds, but ne is a marvel
of activity. He is always on the go, and
at a very rapid gate, lodging into his
committee room, then out into the corri-
doris, talking one moment with a constit
uent and the next over in the Supreme
Court looking after some local interest;
then. before an ordinary man would have
a chance to turn round, he will be back
again at his seat in the Hall of Represen-
tatives, busly writing letters. He does
everything nervously and rapidly, and his
short speeches in the House, when he asks
for a single minute TO say just one word
have become one of the standing jokes
among his colleagues. He talks so fast
during that one minute that no stenog-
rapher can take him down, and then
blandly asks permission to insert in the
Record the rest of his speech, which the
next morning may be found TO cover
twenty pages. It has sometimes been sug-
gested in a jocular way by his associates,
when this permission was asked for, that
a space limit should be placed upon his
volubility, but such things never disturb
the celebrated cavalry leader of the Con-
federacy
He is intensely earnest and tremendously
active, and goes through the world as if e
meant business with whatever he under
takes As illustrative of these pre-emin-
ent characteristics it is related that a
number of congressman were gathered in
the Speakers room one day just after
the death of Judge Holman and Mr. Mill
ken of Maine, when tine conversation
turned to the familiar topic of the drop
ping out, one 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 AL
mighty could never find Wheeler in one
place long enough to put his finger upon
him."
But Speaker Reed, Notwithstanding his
oft-obserVed inclination to crack a joke
at Gen. Wheeler's expense, entertains the
highest regard, as do the members of the
House generally, for the newly appointed
major general He is generally esteemed
as one of the most honorable and kind
hearted of men. 1t is commonly said of
him that more visitors are chasing after
him, due probably to his very wide nc
quaintance throughout the South, than
after any other man in the chamber, and
yet he is always courteous and attentive
to an extreme degree, and no one ever
goes away feeling that he has been slight
or ignored by the Alabama congress-
man.
Mr. H. M. Lord clerk of the committee
ON ways and means of which Gen.
Wheeler is a prominent member, relates
that an elderly lady called at the commit
tee room a few days ago and said she
wanted to see some Representative from
New York. Gen. Wheeler was hard at
work with his correspondence, 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 it, was
darling through the corridors in search
of a New York member, until he trium-
phantly produced Mr.. Sherman. whom he
had found in the Indian committee room.
Mr. Lord asserts that the aged woman
was an utter stranger 10 Gen. Wheeler,
but that this courtesy is only typical of
the way ne treats everybody. 1t is said
that he does more for his constituents in
the way of supplying public documents,
MAPS and perhaps their own Representa-
tive's 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 employ
ed at his own expense in collecting and
addressing these valuable missives. AT
the time Secretary Morton shut off the
free seed supply Gen. Wheeer'S old
friends felt so badly about it, and wrote
so persistently for explanations, that he is
said to have purchased a lot of seeds him
self and sent them out in little packages.
Gen. Wheeler's coming into Congress was
quite characteristic of his career there. He
was elected to the Forty-seventh Congress
from the Eighth Alabama district or at
least received a certificate of election over
| I lie Dof,tg f0a4
nent But the Republicans were then in
control of the. House of Representatives,
| and unseated Wheeler. Hardly had they
done so, when Providence took a hand in
the matter and made the seat again vacant
through the death of Mr.. Lowe. Gen.
Wheeler was promptly renominated and
that. time reelected almost without oppo-
sition he was thus permitted to serve out
in peace the term to which he claimed to
have been twice elected. His service In the
| House has been conspicuous He Is one
of the strongest men of the Democratic
side of the WAYS and means committee and
| is a free-trader of the old school. He was
! probably never more Disguised in his life
| than with the Southern men who came be-
fore the committee last year, asking for
protective duties Of Southern agricultural
products, principally on cotton. He looked
IN TO one of the petitioners and asked if
| for a mess Of pottage. Mr.. Payne, Of New
York undertook to floor the old gentleman
by asking rather bluntly: What birth
right? What il he selling?" But the Gener-
ais reply was prompt and emphatic: Free
trade, an essential a freq Institutions, and
one of the natural rights of free man."
In personal appearance Gen. Wheeler is
unintentionally striking. He always wears
a soft black hat, which IS creased in a
way peculiar to himself. He wears wide
hand of mourning Grape not only about the
hat, but also on his sleeve. His beard is
long and gray, and he Is one of the men,
bers Of the House usually pointed out TO
visitors in the gallery. Since the Cuban
question has come up, he has been an ar
dent sympathizer with the Struggling pa
triots," and when Mr.. Dingley asked him
in committee on Wednesday If he would
not like to go 20 Manila as military COVER
nor. he replied that he wanted to go to
Cuba, where he would more readily help
bring things TO close. He has studied
the military movements on the island as
wen as any one could study them at a dis
lance, and has acquired so much contempt
FOR the methods OF Spanish warfare that
he has declared to his associates that, with
4..r,, .nvalrt. cGrps Of the Kind he led DIR