The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-04
Henderson Is Conceded to be the Mkt
Speaker.
SHERMAN is MUCH DISAPPOINTED
Friends of the Other Candida ties vii
Probably Get Together and Unite
on Cannon-Incident of Hen
derson Kissing Wheeler.

ments to the Philippines. While the presi-
dent is telling his congressional callers one
after another that he does not intend 10
call out the extra thirty-five thousand men,
the department apparently continues
to make preparations for their enlistment
The president and the heads of the army
differ materially as to the number of men
it will take to subdue the Filipinos, and
the latter assert that the president will be
driven finally to their opinion and be forced
ultimately to enlist the full quota of men
allowed by the law. There is no doubt that
the president wishes to avoid issuing this
call If it be possible, as he has become con-
WINGED that 1t will be used very effectively
against his administration should the is
lands not be conquered by next year.
Lawtou VI ar Right
One of the generals in the department
said to me yesterday that General Lawton
was seeing with the eye of soldier when
he said several months ago that it would
take one hundred thousand men to conquer
the Filipinos. He was ridiculed for this
statement, and the administration gave
him to understand that it did not like such
public utterances. Since then Lawton has
ONSOAAAO
General Otis have made it appear that pos
sibly Lawton was not so far wrong after
all in his estimate of the men needed to
put down the rebellion. Secretary Alger Is
in favor of enlisting the other thirty-five
thousand men, and General Corbin predicts
that the call will be made within the next
month. Here the case stands.
Henderson Conceded peakei ship
1t is generally understood here that Gen.
eral Henderson has the speakership in his
grasp. If something unforeseen-Ioes not
happen now he will be Tom Reeds success
sor The friends of Representative Sher-
man show the bitterest disappointment,
though they have by no means given up
the fight. They blame the administration
in part for the turn things have taken, and
do not hesitate to say that the only rea-
son that Mr.. Sherman did not accept the
appraisership of the port of New York was
the fact the president assured him that
he would be elected speaker In place of
Mr.. Reed. No one here who knows the
president would charge him with inten-
tionally deceiving Mr. Sherman, and there
Is no doubt that he thought Mr.. Sherman
would be elected. But he would not have
offered him the rich plum Of appraisership
had he not had a sincere admiration for
him. The fact of the matter is that the
president could not control the speakership
uiS HOlc llldu 1TONcT cleveland cOuIQ con-
troll 1t in the Fifty-third congress- when 1t
became wel-known fact that he wanted
some one else than Mr.. Crisp elected,
though as it turned out it was the best
thing that could have happened to Mr.
Cleveland, for Mr. Crisp kept the house and
the executive together much longer than
any one else could have possibly done.
If General Henderson is elected it will
be the first time, so 1t is stated by people
who deal in statistics, that a man not born
In America will have been elected to this
post
General Henderson was born in Scotland,
but was brought to this country at the
age of g. There is a Scotch hardihood
about him that has endeared him to the
members on both sides of the house. He
Is by no means as able man as Hopkins
nor as good a parliamentarian as Mr..
Sherman. When he was first spoken of for
the post no one outside the house of repre-
sentatives was inclined to take his candi-
dacy seriously, but from the first he was
strong with the men who had to do the
voting. They liked him, and then, too, his
honesty was not to be impugned. There
was nothing to say against him. Sherman
was thought to be cold and essentially sell
fish. Hopkins was too feared for the aver
age run of public men. He carried HIM
self with some degree of hauteur which has
always detracted from his popularity. Mr..
Hepburn was satirical and at times peavish.
of whom no disagreeable characteristic
could be mentioned He is jolly rolicking
sort of fellow. 1t is difficult to imagine
him in the speakers chair, but he has met
all requirements in life and there is no
precedent for his failing In this place If he
be promoted to it.
AS stated yesterday, there is considerable
talk of the friends of the other candidates
uniting on Mr.. Cannon, Uncle Joe
Cannon" as he is known. If General Hen
derson continues to keep the lead as he is
doing 1t will be difficult for any combina-
ton to head him off.
Loves Those He Fights
General Henderson is picturesque figure.
He is very lame and walks with the as
sistance of stick. He has splendid war
record, and like most fighters, is a good
friend With the democrats and with the
ex-confederates especially he Is the most
popular candidate for the speakership. He
loves the men he fought and his speeches
in behalf of the bills to appropriate money
for the expositions at Atlanta and Nash
Vile might have come from an ex-confed-
crate as well as from federal soldier. He
has always@been a friend to the southern
claiment id~his heart being big he loves
where he has forgiven, or to quote his ex-
act words, 81 love those fight"
kiss $ Wheeler
He rather shocked goodly foreign con-
tingent just after the war at dinner given |
by the vice president General Wheeler |
was a guest, but came late. Henderson |
spoke to him as became man of his posi-
ton, with dignity, when the little ex-con- |
federate came in. But later when he was |
called upon for a speech he devoted his |
entire time to a euogy on Wheeler, and |
turning to the foreign element present said |
that there still fingered in the minds of Eu-
ropeans some doubt as to the friendly atti- |
tude of the north and south. Then point |
ing to Wheeler he exclaimed that the feel |
Ing between the two sections was exem- |
pliHed in the love he felt toward this grizzly |
old fighter. And with that he left his place |
at the table and picking Wheeler up In his |
arras "a LIZ he had heen q woman Kissed |