Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-01-26

words of the great Confederate chieftain.
stndent of Human Nature.
| have tried to be student Of human
nature. 1t is necessary to a lawyer 1t
comes natural to an editor As was
once an editor and once lawyer | had
paid great deal Of attention to char
aeter study Ny experience with Gov
ernor Dingley convinced me that | was
by no means an expert in that difficult
art. | do not set up any claim to being
one Of bis intimates. but think could
at the last honestly count him as a
friend.
In the ordinary c0ars" Of things there
was nothing to bring as together. He
was from New Englsnd; | was from
Missouri He was an intense Repub-
iican; am just as intense Democrat.
He was SO when first came to Wash
ington, while was only az. He was
an old and experienced member, while
| was legislative tyro. He was rad
ical protectionist, while l was an out
and out free trader So in the Fifty
third congress, studying him at long
range, my opinion was that he was an
able, learned. industrious. honest. but
cold and narrow man
Long before he died my opinion of
him was greatly modified through the
accident of having the same throat
doctor.
When | came to the Fifty-fifth con-
gress, after two years of private life,
my vocal apparatus was in bad shape,
and | hunted up specialist. In his
Office I met Governor Dingley daily. He
being the older and more distinguished
man. l always gave him the right Of
way. As we had to remain in the wait
ing room for few minutes after treat
ment to prevent taking cold we gradu-
ally fell into conversation
House Committees.
Rainstorms kept us together for an
hour at a stretch on two occasions.
Once | asked him his opinion of the
value of service on various committees.
With great patience and apparent pleas
ure he explained in detail his views.
He said there were four committees
which overtopped the rest-ways and
means. appropriations, foreign affairs
and Judiciary. He stated the benefits
and drawbacks of each, inclining to-
ward the ways and means as possibly
the most desirable for long service. He
said that service on the appropriations
committee forced one to become man
Of details, while service upon the others
~ 7 i
this remark, which is philosophical
enough to do credit to Lord Bacon
"All members, barring a few accidents
which get into every congress, possess
surface information on all public ques
tions- When a new member begins his
first speech. listen to him long enough
to see if he possesses more than thi'
surface information If he does, | listen
90 him to the end of that speech and
ever after. IF he does not, / never waste
any more time ON him Then he add
ed, 1.-The man who compels the atten-
tion of the house is the specialist who
thoroughly explores a subject and comes
to be an authority thereon.
On another occasion 1 told him was
anxious to give my little boy the most
practical education possible and asked
him which he deemed more valuable,
the old classical course OF some of the
newfangled elective courses His coun-
tenance frightened up and with the
zeal Of an advocate he pronounced un-
qualifedly in favor of the classical
course, illustrating by divers examples.
winding up by saying: Within ten
minutes after new member begins
speech can tell whether he has clas-
sical education. That gives one larger
vocabulary and more precise use of
words than he could obtain in any other
way !"
Dingley's Tariff Views.
He then said .'You are free trader
1 was one myself when left college. 1t
is beautiful theory. was converted
in this wise: When graduated and
went into the world, it was under the
Walker tariff, which was approximate
free trade l knew beautiful valley in
Maine in which the population was thin
and the farmers were not prosperous. In
it was fine water power not utilized
Shortly after the Morrill, tariff went in
to effect capitalists started factories
there and built up populous town,
which furnished home market for the
farmers, who multiplied in numbers
and grew in wealth | reasoned from
that instance to general conclusion
and became protectionist Z He went
into the matter in extenso, which ]
have here stated in brief.
Then I inquired, Governor. suppose
that men of my views upon the tariff
should get hold of congress, which il
your Judgment would be the better and
more philosophical way Of revising the
rates down-by horizontal reduction
or by considering the tariff ON each class
of articles separately Z" With something
as nearly approaching scorn as his gen
tie nature and gentle manner would
permit he replied 'tBy all means con
slider each class of articles separately
No man will ever propose horizontal
increase or a horizontal reduction as
permanency except some one who is too
ignorant or too indolent to make a
scientific revision;' which theory he
argued in most interesting manner.
These conversations and others in the
doctors office the kindness. patience
and courtesy he manifested toward me
much younger and obscurer man, a
Democrat and comparative stranger.
gave me new insight into the charac-
ter of Governor Dingley, caused me to
entertain much tenderer feeling to-
ward him. and persuaded me that he
possessed much more of heart than he
was credited with having. Ever after
while abating neither jot nor little of
antagonism to his political views, ]
watched him with sentiments Of friend
ship
azu1M