The Republican., 1899-10-19
S. TEACKLE WALLIS ON RAYNER.
The Pioneer .Reformer's Views As TO the
Latter-Day Saint.

remembered by the people of this
State for his advocacy of scandalous
measures which Mr. Rasin failed to
carry through the Legislature of 1886,
and for his extreme servility to the
old Ring. He has, however, served
one useful purpose. He sat for his
portrait to the late S. Teackle Wallis,
and one of the great artists master
pieces is the picture of our statesman.
All the features of the subject are
there as no other hand could paint
them. The cringing subserviency,
4 the political cowardice, the inflated
and tawdry language, and ridiculous
vanity and bad taste, the frotfy
moral rant, we have them all. We
do not propose to add to the picture.
No one could. What can he do that
cometh after the King p Let us
have lsidor Rayner as he appeared
unto S. Teackle Wallis.
EVERY IMPORTANTsSTEP IN
HIS SENATORIAL CAREER WAS
TOWARD ~THE DEN OF THE
PLUNDERERS, WITH HIS BACK
TURNED TO THE CAUSE OF THE
PEOPLE AND GOOD GOVERN
MENT.n-Civil Service Reformer,
Novembers1S8G.
Again:
He (Mr. Poe knew, as everyone
that heard him knew, that Mr.. Ray
nea : = was chiefly conspicuous
last winter in the Senate of the State
for his unquestioning subserviency
to the Ring in its worst assaults upon
decent and honest government" ="
(Ibid.)
Again:
He knew that Mr.. Rayner had
advocated many and never raised his
voice against one of the infamous
measures by which the members of
the Ring last winter had conspired to
take permanent possession of the
State and all its offices, Legislative,
Executive and judicial Gbid.)
OF the schemes supported by Ray
ner in the Legislature of 1886, the
Convention Bill, the Grand Jury Bill, ,
THE BALTIMORE POLICE BILL,
he said
"a more insolent and infamous
conspiracy against a whole people
was never conceived under the forms
OF free government than that which
the discussion and defeat of these
schemes has developed and dis
closed. Civil Service Reformer,
May, 1856.
In summing up his incredulity as
to the promises of the Crescent Club,
he said:
1T is enough to add that Mr. Isidor
Rayner, the subservient instrument
of Mr. Morrison in the scandalous
tricks and deals of that gentleman at
the last session of the Legislature, is
the bright consummate flower of
the Club, the embodiment of its prac-
tices and principles, and it's ideal of
what Congressman from Baltimore
ought to be-" Ibid, December, 1886. J
But it was in handling the more
| picturesque features of Rayners
character and record that the hand
of the artist was specially shown.
| Space would fail to give the little
colloquial criticism that showed such
keen appreciation of the subject.
Many of them, never printed, are
cherished by our humor-loving citi-
zens. He says of some high-sounding
and empty statement that it sounds
like an extract from copy book, or
from one of Mr.. Rayner's speeches.
and is las incontrovertible as the
multiplication table. Civil Service
Reformer, January, 1887.
He tells us how Mr.. Rayner posed
before his nominating convention as
a watchful patriot, seeking office only
as a sacred trust and rhetorically
scorning the humilia tion of being a
tool in the hands of someone who
might claim to have sent him to Con-
gress." Qbid., November, 1861
He pictures him, at the close of one
of his highest moral flights, planted
immoyably and serenely on his CON
science and incapable of helping
along quiet little legislative job for
a friend.n
He speaks of being compelled |
most reluctantly to forego other
"beauties of Rayner which we had |
selected for the admiration of our
readers" Qbid.)
When Mr.. Poe had paid tribute
to Rayner's abilities Mr.. Wallis says
Although Mr.. Rayner appeared
unwilling to discredit the discernment
of his friend by refusing to own any
of these soft impeachments, it was
not for the rare abilities which had
dazzled Mr.. Poe that he chiefly took
credit to himself. 1t was for his vir-
tues and his sentiments rather, OF
WHICH HE WAS GOOD ENOUGH
TO GIVE A SOME WHAT EXTEND.