Evening star., 1898-02-11
Some Stories of Senators and Repre-
sentatives Past and Present.
ZACH CHANDLER AND his CORKSCREW
How Buchanan Was Once Inter-
rupted by Simon Cameron.
BILL ALIENS CONFIDENCE

In town the fore part of the week. He
called upon his old friend and former
| chum, Speaker Reed, and they together re-
lated many incidents Of their early life in
Maine.
Meeting Mrs. Hannibal Hamlin at the
Shoreham." said Colonel Winship, recalls
the last time that I saw her distinguished
husband. During the Blaine campaign, in
1884, Hamlin made few speeches in Ohio
and, when he came to Cleveland, invited
him out to my home. He was in pleasant
| mood and told a number Of funny ories.
One Of them, which I recall now, 1 tell in
his own words, as nearly as possible.
" In 1852, when I was a democrat said
Hamlin. I was announced to address a
democratic meeting with James Buchanan
at Lancaster, Pa. Simon Cameron presid-
ed. The meeting was held in a large audi
torium, from which all the seats had been
removed. The hall was packed to the door
by men standing up. There was a perfect
"I was the first speaker, and for an hour
or more held the undivided attention of the
big audience. 1t seems that while I was
speaking several persons in the back part
Of the hall had suffered the loss of -.leir
pocket books The sergeant of police, who
| was in the hall, worked his way through. to
the stage and whispered to Cameron to an
nounce that there were pickpockets in the
guard and protect themselves.
Cameron, of course, intended making
the announcement at the close of my
speech. but in the applause that followed
he forgot 1t. When quiet was restored, he
introduced Buchanan to the audience as
their distinguished fellow citizen. Buchan-
an got up. and, surveying the crowd Of his
old neighbors, began:
"''I assure you. my fellow citizens, that
1t is indeed pleasure to return to my old
home and meet you again. l like to look
into the honest faces of the people of Lam
| caster. A more honest people does not ex-
ist than in this dear old county"
cameron just at this point thoug--. of
| what he had forgotten, and, interrupting
Buchanan, said:
"'"I am requested by the sergeant of
police to state that several persons in the
audience have had their pocket books
stolen, and to ask you to be on the alert to
intercept the guilty ones.'
LOT course, there was great laughter.
but Buchanan passed 1t Off casually and
proceeded with his speech
Lew Barker" Colonel Winship contin-
ued, was without question the best polit-
ical orator that ever lived in Maine.
And Speaker Reed nodded assent.
"In the democratic state convention of
1862 a resolution sustaining the war was
shelved on the table. Barker was a fierce
Union man and, although he had always
been an uncompromising democrat, he
picked up his hat and left the convention
hall and never again affiliated with that
party.
"A short time afterward he addressed a
republican meeting up in Androscoggin
county, and among his listeners was an
old close communion Baptist minister by
the name of Burbank. Barker was very
profane man, and his speeches were few
that he did not work in an oath or two
Burbank was an intense Union man, and
he was pleased to hear that the republican
ranks had obtained such valuable acces-
sion as Barker. He called on Barker in
his room at the village hotel the next
morning.
I want to congratulate you,' he said
upon the noble stand that you have taken
in this cause. You have been favored with
an excellent command of language and
you are in a position to do a power of
good. There is only one fault 1 would
find with your speech Of last night, and
that is that once or twice you used ex-
presSionS that bordered upon the profane
Now, you know that the people around
mere pride themselves upon their religious
breeding and the championirg of only
those things that are good If YOU will
only moderate your talk in such instances
what you say will have vast influence.
Barker looked at him a minute and
then replied:
You are right as far as YOU go. Elder
burbank, but 1 want to say to you that
II l were to come up here and tell tba
people that I had been a democrat all
my life and did not use an oath they would
think 1t was a d-n lie.'"
Senator Zach Chandler of Michigan was
found dead in his room at the Grand Pa
cfhc Hotel in Chicago on November Q 1879
That year was the first time that Charles
Fcster ran for governor in Ohio, and Chan
dler made series of speeches throughout
the state during the campaign.
Just month prior to the day he died he
spoke in the little town of Chardon. in the
Northeastern part of the state Judge Ed
munds Of Vermont. then a United States
senator. was announced to speak with
Chandler, but he did not put in an appear
ance, so Chandler and General Garfeid-it
was In Garfield's district-addressed the
meeting. which was a big one
There was no building in the town large
enough to hold the crowd that gathered. so
rough platform was built on the east
side of the court house in the public square.
In the course of his speaking Chandler
brought out his Jack-knife. opened It and
placed it across his notes on the table to
prevent brisk October wind from blow
ing them away.
He was followed by Garfield, and at the
close of the meeting crowd of the coun-
try folk called at the hotel to meet the dis
tinguiShed guests. Garfield knew them all
and introduced them one by one to Chan
dler. The Michigan senator asked numer-
Gus questions about the farmers, their So
cial conditions, etc. He learned. among
other things. that the people of the coun-
ty prided themselves on their unrelentfng
antipathy to intemperance. One man re-
gretted that the Michigan senator could
not be present some time at one Of their
Sunday evening temperance meetings
After the crowd had dispersed Chandler
turned to Garfield and said:
Say, Garfield, why didn't you tell me
something about your constituents?"
Didn't I tell you that they were the
best people you would find in the countryy'
Garfield retorted.
YES but you didn't say anything about
their being such fierce temperance folk"
''Well I may have forgotten that, but
you have found it out for yourself"
"Yes. and your forgetfulness has ruined
my reputation"
How sop
During all the time I was speaking my
jack-knife, with the corkscrew opened, was
in full sight of the audience and you never
said a word. It's too late now. I shall
never dare look your constituents in their
faces again..
Garfield laughed heartily. A few days
after the October election Chandler Wrote