The age-herald., 1898-05-29
FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN
 M'KTNKEY AND OATES
BY JAY P. DURHAM.

I
 President Mckinley on yesterday should be
 regarded as strong compliment not only
 to the man but to the state of Alabama.
 When General Oates was in congress he
 ranked as one of the very strong men in that body. It is rare thing that a mem-
 ber of congress occupies anything like a
 prominent position until after one or two
 terms of service. This was not the case
 with General Oates. He had not been a
 member of the house more than six months
 before he became one of the recognized 1 leaders on the democratic side. General
 Oates entered congress when Colonel Nor
 rison, of Illinois, was at the height of his l fame as the democratic leader. Though | Morrison was made chairman of the ways
 and means committee by Speaker Michael 1 C. Kerr, of Indiana, in 1875, he was never | able to eclipse Samuel J. Randall as the I real leader. MT. Randall succeeded Kerr | as speaker, and he, too, made MT. Morri- | son chairman of the ways and means com l mittee. Speaker Carlisle did the same | thing, therefore Morrison was thoroughly 1 entrenched as leader. and it was difficult l for any other democrat to become even l conspicuous as Colonel Morrison was in- l clined to be jealous of the advancement of 1 any other man that might, as he feared, l encroach upon his prerogatiyes.
 There is nothing to warrant the belief | that General Oates at any time possessed | an ambition to supplant Colonel Morrison. | He was always In harmony with any move made by the nlinoisian, and the two men were the best of friends. General Oates had not been in congress but few years until he was advanced to the chairman ship of the judiciary committee, recog- nized as the third committee in prominence in the house. General Oates distinguished himself as the chairman of that committee. He was in every sense party man when it was to the interests of his party to be aggressive He was bold and fearless. He never championed a cause of legislation that was not wholesome. He was popular with the republicans because they admired him for his fearlessness and his integrity. In the Torty-ninth congress when Speak CT Carlisle was so intensely fair that he leaned toward the republican side of the house. he was severely criticised by demo- crats, and very properly so. That was the first congress since before the war when the democrats were in the ascendency in the house of representatives and at the white house. It was a time to make poli- tics. General Oates saw the necessity of this. He did not regard Speaker Carlisle as leader of his party for party purposes
 but occupied the speakers chair more ill a judicial capacity than in a partisan spirit The democrats had an opportunity at that time to have made party politics to some advantage for the future. The result was, in the following election Colonel Mer- rison was himself defeated and MT Car lisle's reelection was contested. If Speak CT Carlisle had followed the wishes of Gen eral Oates there would have been more democrats in tn Fiftieth congress ulan there were. Colonel Morrison would nave again been the head of the ways and means committee instead of MT. Mills. A number of leaders went down in that cleo tion, in addition to Morrison. There was MT Holman, of Indiana, the ,g.eas oljett6r, who, at that time, had served more years in congress than any other man who had ever sat in that body, with the exception of Pig Iron Kelley, of Pennsylvania.
 It was in the Forty ninth and Fiftieth congresses that close Friendship sprung up between President Mckinley and Gener- al Oates. They were frequantly antagcn- ists upon the floor of the house. They fought each other upon political Guestlo ns like tigers. Their personal friendship cp- peared to grow stronger They had both been soldiers in the civil war a,nd rtey thoroughly understood each other. N len the Mills bill was under debate Mckinley a m- mer and tongs. General Dates had as much to do with managing part of the affairs of the discussion of that bill as did the author of the bill himself, who was the chairman of the ways and means com- mittee. General Oates had the repu ation in the house of representatives of having been most splendid soldier in the con- federate army. H was known as a fighter from the time he entered the army until the historic meeting at Appomattox. His armless sleeve was the best evidence that he had met the enemy in honorable com
 at.
 While little is known of the case, the be- lief prevails that General Oates was not disposed to seek the appointment of brigadier-general. A few days after the declaration of war had been made General Oates called at the white house and had a long interview with the president, but he said at the time that he was not soliciting any appointment. He said upon that oc- casion there were younger men in Alabama upon whom honors could well be bestowed, and he would be glad to see some of them recognized A few days later gentleman who was in position to know said, that President Mckinley had voluntarily said to General Oates that if he would accept an appointment as brigadler-general, nothing would please him more than to honor him.
 The gentleman making this statement said that General Oates at that time declined the appointment. It is probable, however, since the second call for troops that Presi- dent Mckinley renewed his offer to General Oates, and prevailed upon his acceptance
 Presden Mckinley knew that General Oates was a brave and courageous soldier from '61 to '65, and he no doubt felt that in commissioning Oates as brigadier-general he would be appointing man who would