The age-herald., 1898-02-06
BRIEF SKETCH OF
 THOMAS B. REED
BY E. ". BARRETT.

ed down the Teller silver resolution. That vote excited my admiration for one
 man. However much we may differ from one politically. courage and fearless ex- ercise of power on the part of man creates admiration.
 I once accompanied lynching party of
 large numbers sworn to string up white
 man for a supposed crime. I went as 2 1 reporter to write the story. Every man was armed to the teeth and masked The supposed guilty party was located in the home of an old farmer where he had asked for nights lodging and had been taken in. The party quietly surrounded the house in order that no one could escape.
 Then the occupants were awakened. Jim Anderson, the old farmer, appeared at the
 door and asked what was wanted. The
 leader of the mob demanded the surrender of the alleged guilty party
 "Wait a minute and stand off," cried
 Anderson.
 A moment thereafter the old man came forth from his house with an axe over his
 shoulder. He stood full six feet tall.
 
 almost of snowy whiteness. He walked straight towards the leader of the mob. Within ten feet of him he stopped.
 Men," he said, you are masked, but I
 think I know some of you. The man you
 seek is in my house. He came and asked that he might spend the night here.
 invited him in. He is under my roof as
 my guest Be he guilty or innocent so long as he remains beneath my roof he shall be protected against all but duly au- thorized officers of the law. I am unarmed
 save this axe, but the man of this mob who enters my house must do so over my dead body Now come on you towards" and with these words the old man swung his axe and assumed an air of defiance. No man in the mob uttered a word They looked from one to another.
 Come on you towards with your guns," cried the old man, "come on." Without a word, one by one of the mob moved off through the woods until none remained to face the old man. The courage of that old man would have excited the admiration of anyone. So does the courage of Thomas B. Reed, speaker of the house of representatives, ex- cite the admiration of both political friend and foe.
 For Reed to have forced a vote on the Teller resolution, declaring the govern ment's right to pay bonds in silver coin, was a courageous act son his part when he could have pigeon-holed 1t in commit tee, thus accomplishing the same ends he desired. He has pigeon-holed the Cuban belligerency resolution without vote.
 The nerve he displayed was in facing his own party in the house. One-third of the, republicans of the house were elected on platforms carrying the sense of this very Teller resolution. They were elected as free coinage republicans. These men begged Reed to sheve the resolution-not to force them to vote upon 1t. They declared to him that they would be forced to vote for It were 1t brought up.
 Yet Reed gave the command that 1t should be brought up and that every repub- lican should vote against 1t.
 "But 1t will mean the political death of half of our representatives" said a west ern congressman to him.
 "That is a matter of the future," re- sponded Reed. Two score more western republicans sought the tyranical Reed and declared
 they would vote with the democrats for it.
 "Then will see that the republican party repudiates you," responded Reed to each. The Maine man applied the party lash with vigor. He condensed debate to the lowest point consistent with the rules of
 the house, and drove his, party men like sheep to vote as he dictated defeating the resolution.
 His own party men cursed him in silence and abused him in the cloak rooms to each other, but when he ordered the roll
 call and swung his party axe over their heads, every man of them voted as he had ordered. =as't It demonstrated Reeds courage as well as the force of the man. Reed is a great, tall, burly fellow, with a moon-shaped face not unlike that of a strapping Chinaman. In walk he bundles along in a swinging, elephantine gait. In speech he is slow and drawling. His satire is masterfu, his wit keen. He is a power in debate, a tyrant in the chair. He believes democrats are entitled to no rights; he accords them none.
 I have observed him closely through five. successive congresses. Neither as speaker of a republican house nor as leader of the minority in democratic house have ever seen him lose either courage or equilibrium.
 In the Fifty-frst congress when he. was first speaker, when the republicans had but one majority in the house, he sought to increase that majority by ,unseating all
 democrats whose seats were contested Then it was the democrats refused to vote and the republicans were without a quorum. Reed counted quorum. The democrats
 were so outraged at his conduct that they ihurled epithets at him in speech, and the excitement became so intense that a burly democratic member from North Carolina one Cowles-declared in his wrath that he
 would forcibly hurl Reed from the chair. With this intention Cowles dashed wildly towards the stand. Reed looked calmly upon the coming man, gripped his heavy gavel tightly and as Cowles was about to mount the steps, smiled upon him. Cowles hesitated, stopped, then turned and quietly retreated.