Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-03-09
CHANF CIARE'S ) LETTER
Republican Rows In Fif-
ty-fifth Congress.
WARS IN THE HAPPY FAMILY

Colonel Hepburn's Clash Witt
Serene Payne.
PARTY LEADER TIoKLEs A BEAR
Frank p. Blair's Part In Keeping
Missouri In the Union-Its Bearing
on the Ultimate Result of the Civil
War-Speechmakfng Under Difficult
ties-Riot and BIoodshed.
Especial Washington Letter.l
The short session of the Fifty fifth con
gress which has just closed will be re
membered for many things, especially
for bad blood between Republican chief
tains. Many of them have cut and slash
ed each other in way it grieved me tc
behold. but perhaps Colonel William
P. Hepburn of Iowa has been the most
conspicuous fighter in these family
wars. He gets off the reservation and
goes on the warpath oftener than any
of them. His pet aversion is the Reed
code of rules. He never loses an oppor-
tunity to inveigh against them. The
other day the colonel became SO OBJ
streperous that evidently the managers
took alarm and concluded that he need.
ed discipline, SO Hon. Serene E. Payne
of New York. the new chairman of the
ways and means committee, one Of
Speaker Reeds most trusted lieuten-
ants, whom Uncle Joe Cannon once
characterized as ''the white haired
mandarin of the house, . essayed tC
put the Iowan through a course OF
sprouts, but ever since he must have
put in his time wondering;
If SO soon I'm done for,
What was I begun for9
Mr.. Payne is one of the mildest man
nered of mortals. which Colonel Hep.
burn is not by several jugs full So,
when Mr. Payne had administered his
gentle castigation, Hepburn arose,
white with rage. and proceeded to wal
lop the venerable New Yorker in the
most hair raising style Shaking his
clinehed fist in uncomfortable juxtapo-
sition to the proboscis Of Mr.. Payne,
and with an angry roar that could have
been heard at Arlington or the navy
yard, he shouted: you stated an un-
truth | contradict your untruthful
statementl' and much more of the same
sort, while the Republican leaders look
ed on aghast and Payne smiled a sickly
sort of smile, no doubt revolving in his
mind some scheme to even up the score
with Colonel Hepburn in future Now,
if Hepburn has the courage of his con
victions, we can knock the Reed rules
into smithereens in the next congress,
for we will need only seven Republican
votes to do it. and the colonel ought to
be able to muster that many
The Fight For Missouri.
As I am anxious for all Americans tt
know what a leonine character that
great Missouri Democrat. Frank P.
Blair, was, l hereby quote some more
fiery remarks in presenting his statue
to congress:
Early impressions are never effaced,
and it may be. who knows, that the
fact that when child he sat upon the
knee of Andrew jackson, received the
kiss of hereditary friendship from his
lips and heard words Of patriotism fall
burning from his tongue determined his
course in the woeful days of 1861, fol
Jackson himself, could he have return
ed to earth in the prime of life. could
not have acted sterner or more heroic
part than did his foster son.
The fact that Andrew jackson, Thorn
as Hart Benton and the elder Francis
Preston Blair were sworn friends most
probably caused young Frank to settle
in ST. Louis. performance which,
though little noted at the time, in ali
human probability kept Missouri in the
Union and thereby defeated the effort:
of the southern people for independence,
for had it not been for Blair cool cour-
age, clear head, unquailing spirit, inde
fatigable industry, commanding inhu-
ence and rare foresight. the Southern
sympathizers in Missouri would have
succeeded in taking her into the Con
federacy.
There never was in this world q
struggle in which time was more the
essence of things than in the fight fol
Missouri The people were divided into
something like three equal parts-one
for the Union, another for secession,
while the minds of the third were moi
made up, but were in a plastic condi
tion. This halting, wavering third be
came decisive of the contest. To contro
it Blair and his opponents waged a bat
tie royal If in the beginning Blail
could have aroused the Federal govern
ment to a realization of the vast strate-
gic Importance of Missouri and to the
necessity for early action, his task
would have been easy. If in the begin
ming his antagonists could have aroused
the Missouri legislature to a compre-
hension of the situation and could have
induced the state authorities to seize
the United States arsenal at St Louis
before General Nathaniel Lyon was
placed in command, their task would
have been easy. but when Lyon appear
ed upon the scene their one golden op-
portunity was gone
Played For High Stakes.
1t was colossal stake for which thi:
master spirit played Nevertheless, I'M
derstanding clearly the gravity of the
game, he played it to the end with su
perb audacity and with nerves of stee
mo hesitation, no equivocation, nc
mental reservation. no repining. nc
doubling, no backward glance on hii
part.
Without leave OF license from any
body he organized and drilled in secret
four regiments, mostly Germans, arm
ing them with guns which he purchased
with money begged by him from Union
lists in the north, so that when Governor
jackson peremptorily declined to fur
nish the four regiments which constitut
ed Missouri's s quota under Presideni
Lincoln first call for IS, 600 volunteer
Blair promptly rendered by telegraph
his four regiments, which he had beer
for months secretly recruiting in st.
Louis and had them mustered into tht
service. Not only that, but he rendered
six more regiments, which We're alsS
accepted.
The Government offered him a briga