The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-28
BIG TOM REEDS PROGRAMME.
CBY G. A. EDWARDS


Washington. April 2S.--(staff Specially
The Associated Press has carried the news
all over the country that the Hon. Thomas
Bracket Reed had voluntarily retired
from congress and would practice law In
New York as partner OF Simpson,
Thatcher &c Barnum, and that he had been
guaranteed the sum OF $4,000 a year as
10 all true. but Mr.. Reed has as yet said
nothing to confirm the statement. nor has
he denied II. | heieve It is true. for the
reason that Mr.. Reed has OF late years.
been attacked by an uncomfortable desire
to get rich. Reed is comparatively poor
man and he feels that his wonderful tall
ents have not brought him an adequate re-
turn. His twenty-three years OF congress
sional career have brought him little else
than fame He has never saved much
money, and there IL no doubt that the
small recompense, which came to him, as
compared with his recognized abilities, has
made him dissatisfied with public life.
He realizes that although 60 years of age,
he was largely dependent on his salary
for his support and his determination to
sacrifice his place In the public eye for
short time in order to accumulate COM
potency is quite in line with the state
ments he has made in private conversation
| in Washington. He is a man who loves
the good things OF life and chafes II he
has them not. Accustomed to mingle with
men TO whom dollars were no object, he
has felt his own comparative poverty or
late years this feeling that he was not
doing justice to himself and his family
has been growing upon him. He has eked
out his salary with some few outside com
missions, but these have not been sufh-
GENTLY large to be satisfactory. In short,
therefore, Mr.. Reed has left public life be-
cause he wants to make money. 1t is I'M
doubtedly to his credit that although he
has been in congress for twenty three years
and speaker for a considerable portion OF
the time, he is not today a wealthy man.
in the common acceptation OF the term
~
But there Is also something else behind
the retirement of Mr.. Reed that does moi
appear on the surface. There is no doubt
in the minds OF the best informed and
thinking men here who hive pipe lines"
that supply inside information running into
the fountain head of that kind OF infor-
nation, that the fine Italian hand of one
Senator Marcus Alonzo Hanna may be
seen in this sudden conclusion OF the
doughty speaker He know that it would
be worse than useless TO attempt to openly
bride Tom Reed. That would never do
But there are several ways OF killing a
! dog without choking him to death on but
J ter l don't know how much money the
firm of Simpson, Thatcher & Barnum make
in year. or any other old time, but the
: sum offered 10 Tom Reed is a powerful
: big lot OF money to pay to lawyer In one
} year for his services to a firm, and espe-
! clally when that lawyer has been out OF
t the active practice of law for many years
admit that they could AFFORD to pay lio-
orally for such an advertisement as Tom
Reed can give them, and | also admit that
the balance of the money could be very
, easily made up to them by parties very
II much interested in seeing big Tom Reed
It out OF the speakers chair | don't say
= THIS was done, mind you; oh, no, but l say
3. 1t could be done.
> ~
r Tom Reed stood like a lion In the path
way OF the Hanna Payne steamship sub
sidy bill to which he Is bitterly opposed
r because 1t is the most gigantic raid ever
. attempted. II the party were a uni
= on that measure and all advocating IT,
c Tom Reed nor any other man could sue
i cessfully block its passage, but they. the
y members of the house. are not unit IN
favor OF II and Tom Reed has sufficient
q influence with a number of them to Of
u fectualy put It to sleep. No man knows
= this better than Mark Hanna He and hi:
colaborcrs in the treasury vineyard have
= set their hearts and souls on that par
ticularly juicy grape and they are going to
" have it IL money and scheming will get
: It, The lion has been killed. so far as
the next congress is concerned, and the
pathway Is clear, provided they can land
their man in the speakers chair. That
=" man is the Hon, Jim Sherman Of New
York. This move on the part of Reed now
explains the action of the Hon. Jim in re.
Gently refusing the position of appraiser
!, of the port OF New York with fat salary
E and practically life time Job
- He is Hanna's man for successor OF Reed
n Just watch the moves on the political chess
board. Mr. sherman is a red hot admin
. istration man. With sherman in the
v speakers chair, Serene Payne chairman OF
o tho committee on ways and means. Ho-
bart as vice president and Hanna and Tom
, Plat to do the steering, there would b.
4 no limit on the combination.
a ~
i They are going to run up against a Bis
o suag, however. when they attempt to elect
Mr.. sherman. The West is going to have
p somsthing to say about the next speaker
o elected and It is going TO erect a big bunch
of bother FOR Mr.. Hanna and his cohorts
TO climb over.
i There is little John Dalzell Of Pennsyl-
vania, also. who will shy his castor into the
ring aud must be reokoned with as a con
2 ell lara III q. L.. 4.