The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-22
The Retirement
Of Thomas B. Reed.
From the New York Sun.


From the New York Sun.
m mr.. THOMAS Il. REED, lately |
lMNI OF Maine, will not be sixty un-
lIWll til October. The boyish look
UU u has not gone from his big
face, and, what is more, his soul is
really as fresh as April violets, al
though he sometimes takes pleasure
in trying to give contrary impress
sion. The batteries in which nature
stored for him at the start an un-
common stock Of vitality show no
signs of depletion, much less of eX-
haustion. He is physically and in
capable either of round
ing off a career which has already
put him among the elect Of success
full Americans of this century, or of
beginning and achieving a new career,
in new relations and with new as
pirations; as capable of the latter en-
terprise We confidently believe, as he
was when he left BOwdoin college
about forty short years ago with a
well-earned and personally cherished
reputation for hopeless laziness.
q
An individual so interesting as the
statesman who has just now eXiled
himself voluntarily from politics will
continue to be an interesting object
ana subject. even when immured in
one of the vast Office buildings at the
lower end of Manhattan island. Of
flee boys and mahogany railings will
net entirely seclude Counsellor Reed
l,aI
know what he is doing and how he is
prospering, and We shall hear from
time to time what he is saying; yet
it is none the less true that by his
sudden retirement from the conspicu
Gus isolation of high public office in
to the whirl and confusion of the
metropolitan system and the compare
tive ohscurity of crowded professional
life, Alr. Reed, though happily yet
living, invites remarks somewhat in
the obituary spirit.
Mr.. Reed was not the speaker Of
the house of representatives when
he decided to quit. He ceased to be
speaker seven weeks ago, when the
Fifty-tifth congress expired. Tech
nically he was merely a member Of
the Fifty-siXth congress from the
First district of Maine, but was sure
to be chosen as speaker next Decem-
ber, provided he stood for recollection.
The Office which he is about TO relin-
quish. therefore, is that described by
himself very recently as the most i'm
pOrtant and desirable in the nation,
barring the presidency alone his
..:.,. f..
of this magnitude are by no means
so numerous as to render the trans
action commonplace, Death and de-
feat are ordinarily the only agents
powerful enough to compel the sur
render which Ihe Hon. Thomas T..
Reed has made of his own accord.
Three different explanations of his
retirement have been current, and il
may not be impertinent to consider
them all in a friendly way The first
theory regards Mr.. Reed as thor
oughly acidulated man. disappointed
by his failure in 1896 to attain the
goal Of American statcsmanships legi-
innate ambition, unable to perceive in
| the immediate future or within tho
| limit of his natural expectation of life
| any prospect of brighter skies, out oi
| sorts with the controlling element in
his own party, and disgusted with
| public life because he sees nothinc
| further in it for himself What a
| gloomy picture this would be if il
were true What dismal ending t.
a career chock fun of triumphs an
! fun We reject it unhesitatingly. in
| asmuCh as we know that the Hon
Thomas B. Reed is a philosopher, anc
philosopher of his own particula
school never lays himself down il
the dust of the highway and howli
while his rivals 80 struggling chcerill
| on.
The second explanation is more re
| spcctful 10 Mr.. Reed. 1t represent
him as painfully conscious that hi
| views concerning the larger question
now Identified with Republican pol
icy, such as expansion in general an,
the maintenance of the American hai
over remote territory which the fla
now covers, are so hopelessly at var
lance with the prevailing sentimen
Of the party that his presence at
post Of high responsibility and powe
is anomalous. He cannot alter q
modify his attitude, for his opinion
were too conscientiously formed, an
have been too sincerely entertaine
and positively avowed in his maya
zine writings and elsewhere to adm
of subordination now. He canno
remain in the speakers chair in con
gress as mere obstructionist, eithe
with justice to his party or with com
fort for himself, He has, therefor,
decided that If the empire cannC
wait, he. Reed, can and will stan
aside for the present at least. TIL
theory, We must add, is very compl
mentary to the statesman from Main
for ii assumes on his part a mani
adherence to principle and conviction
and AN ability to rise superior
the allurements of high public static
and official power.
The third explanation is that vi
Reed is influenced by no political con
: siderations whatever but simply Ia