The age-herald., 1898-03-13

fought it with energy almost superhuman. | He inaugurated a system of filibustering under the Reed rules. The democrats were astonished. They came to his aid l in a solid body. They had experienced | many Q defeat in filibustering when the
 seat of a southern member was at stake. Under the leadership of Billy Mason, | however the fllibustering feeling was re
 newed, and became intensified. Joseph G. | Cannon fought against it like left-handed 1 demon. He accused a score or more of members Of leaving the house without a quorum at critical moments to prevent
 the passage of the bill. Among them were both democrats and republicans. Cam non read list of the names to the house, and the members named were practically
 censured. Nor were they allowed to ut
 ter word in their own defense. Among
 them were several who were innocent.
 This unjust action of the house ranked in
 their hearts for weeks. They seized every
 occasion to vindicate themselves, and were
 especially bitter toward Uncle Joe, who
 eternally annoyed them with points of or
 der. It was spiteful skirmishing, quarter
 being neither given nor asked. The result
 was disastrous to one of the most useful
 members of the house. Cannon was de-
 feated in the following fall election, and
 nobody regretted his defeat more than the
 very men who suffered from the injustice
 of the house. Billy Mason, however, trf-
 umphed. He defeated the bill. It had
 u special order, giving three days for it's con-
 sidration. The time was wasted by the filibusters, so as to prevent vote on the last day. No who witnessed the ex- citing scenes at the midnight contest on the last day can ever forget 1t.
 Some of the members of the present
 house since Mason's characterization greet
 the speaker as "It.'' A broad smile illum-
 ines his face in response, but he invaria-
 ply alludes to Mason charita ably. New
 senators, like new representatives, occas-
 ionally use terms that in after years grate
 upon their sense of propriety. The speak
 CT apparently recognizes this fact, and
 seems to be awaiting with Christian resig-
 nation the awakening of Mason's con- science.
 Witty and sarcastic, Ut" wanders around the house when the committee of the whole is in session, swapping stories, drop ping sentiment remarks, and voting, when occasion offers, to sustain the decisions of the chair. His "reminiscences of his career | in congress are always delightful. The | other day conversation turned upon the | appointment of new members to commit | tees A representative remarked that more l than half of them were placed on commit | tees incongruously. For instance, banker l would be pretty apt to reach the commit 1 tee on merchant marine and fisheries, | while a sailor would possibly land on the l committee on banking and currency "Ya- | as" drawled the speaker "when I first l came to the house was put on the conn., mittee on territories. I knew nothing l about territories, and would not have rec ognized one If had met it on the avenue" This brought out the assertion that the speaker frequently knew the qualifica- tions of a member for work in committee far better than the member himself. In 1877 Samuel J. Randall. then speaker, plac- ed Washington c. Whitthorne, of Tennes-
 see. on the committee on naval affairs | Whitthorne, who had never seen war vessel was greatly surprised.
 "Why do you put me on that commit tee?' he asked a day or two afterward "I know nothing at all about naval mat ters."
 "And that Is the very reason I put you
 there" Speaker Randall replied.
 He correctly estimated Whitthorne's
 ability Randall knew that he would study
 the subject thoroughly, and become pro
 fcient Nor was his confidence misplaced
 No one ever made a better record on that
 committee than Whitthorne. He became
 It's chairman, and conducted the celebrated
 Robeson Investigation. He worked night and day on that investigation, and was
 the only man who ever broke down An drew Devine a stenographer, whose fame | is known throughout the country. He also | broke himself down by the overwork, and | committee-room is still redofent with the 1 memory of Washington c. Whittmorne. Mason's nomenclature was evidently based l on the effort to aid Cuba in her struggle
 for liberty. The power of "It' was never