Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-08-10

Dockery or Hatch of Missouri or Bal
ley Of Texas. He named Richardson
to preside daring the big tariff de-
bate in the Fifty-third congress. and
Richardson discharged his duties with
such grace. tact and fairness that the
house thanked him unanimously by
resolution offered by Alr Morse Of
Massachusetts a thick AMI thin Repub-
lican. Indeed. Richardson presided so
much that casual observers frequent
ly thought he was actually speaker.
My little son, who was then ) years
old and who attended the sessions Of
the house much more faithfully than
many members, boasted TO q Repub-
lican playmate. we Democrats have
two speakers. Mr.. Crisp and Mr. Rich
ardson, and you Republicans have CT
ly one. Mr.. Reed"
De Almond of Missouri.
There is an old saying that man
proposes, but God disposes.9 1t NAV
also be said that aspiring statesmen
propose and the people dispose. South
west Missouri has always been rich in
able and ambitious men, Until the
last reapportionment Judge CAN'T,
Judge De Almond and Governor Stone
all lived in the same congressional dis
trict They all desired preferment.
The people wanted to promote them
all, and among them they got things
badly mixed Can't wanted to 90 to
congress and made u historic fight for
it, but the future governor also had
hankering after it and with his usual
success gobbled that luscious plum just
as Gantt's lips We're about to close on
it. The same year Judge De Almond
made great fight for the supreme
judgeship and missed it by a hairs
breadth. Stone was happy, while
CAN'T and De Almond concluded that
''this world is all a haeting show for
mans Illusion given and went back
to their law practice wiser, if sadder,
men.
But at the next election the people
landed Can't on the supreme bench,
the place that De Almond wanted, and
sent De Almond to congress, whittier
CAN'T waited to go. Perhaps, after
all, the people knew best, but nobody
who is acquainted with these iIlustri-
Gus Missourians can for one moment
doubt that Can't would have made a
great congressman, as he has made a
great judge, and vice versa Whether
they would swap places if they could
this deponent saith not, but the whole
performance illustrates Shakespeare's
dictum, There's Il divinity that shapes
our ends, rough hew them how we
may" but their successful careers do
not Justify DR.. Samuel w Buckner's
rendering of those famous lines, which
run in this astonishing manner:
''There is divinity that shapes our
ends rough, hew them how we may"
De Almond is one Of the most mod
est and unassuming men in congress,
but he illustrates the adage that still
most luminous minds in the house.
His tongue is as keen as the scimiter
of paladin and his honor bright as
the spear OF Achilles or the plowshare
of Cincinnatus
He is as reliable as Caesars tenth
legion, and. though small of body, he is
leouine of heart AS a soldier he
would be one Of the ideal men to lead
forlorn hope and in a retreat he
would bear himself as brayeIy as did
Marshal Ney.
Recently | have been raking in the
dollar Of the daddies by lecturing sew
eral times in Arkansas, which, ac-
cording to its worth and possibilities,
is the worst underrated and most
abused state in the Union. 1t is de-
hghtful to be in a state whose peo-
pie have patriotism and sense enough
to send a solid delegation to both
house and senate continually. The
voters of Arkansas haven't yet for
gotten the wild saturnalia which the
Republicans held while they ruled the
state. l was in Hugh Dinsmore's dis
trict and in the immediate neighbor-
hood of Senator Berry's home and
early struggles.
Congressional Humorlsts.
Senator Berry. though veteran in
both war and politics, is in the prime
of manly strength His is a face that
to paint His raven curls, his flow
ing beard. his forid face and wide
brimmed hat recall the gay cavaliers
of Prince Rupert. In the senate he
holds up his end of the handspike
with the best of them and is one of
the most companionable men living
He is a capital raconteur and tells
Joke when the point is against him
self with as much glee as any other.
/ once heard him convulse a carful
Of people with "reminiscences of his
first election to the senate. In wind
ing 1t up he said that the next morn
ing some paper contained this rather
equivocal compliment on his victory.
ANY one of his opponents was Gov
ernor gerry's superior as an orator,
statesman. lawyer or scholar, bat as
vote getter all of them combined and
multiplied cannot hold candle TO
James u. Berry" He lost leg al
Corinth and walks on crutches. hut his
friends say that in a political foot
race he can outrun any two legged
man in Arkansas.
Senator Berry tells this yarn ON Pri-
yate John Allen as illustrating how
the point of view affects mans opin-
ion: "Iohn came over to the senate"
said Senator Berry. ito persuade us to
vote pay to the clerks during yaca-
ton. arguing that they were clever
young fellows, deserving and poor.
Yes. john l replied. they ought to be
given the extra allowance but if we
give 1t to them we can't take our mile
age, as there's not enough money for
both. sThe deuce you sayr replied the
great humorist / always did think
those clerks a bad lot, What do they
want to hang around here for, anyway?
Let the lazy raseals go home and 20
to work, and the Mississippian's
charitable efforts suddenly ended"
Judge Terry, whose position on the
judiciary committee sufficiently al
tests his capacity, is really as great a
humorist as John Allen, his favorite
author being Joel Chandler Harris OF
Uncle Renuss fame
Terry is differentiated from Allen in
this wlse-the Mississippian puts his
fun into his speeches. thus securing an
audience from ocean 10 ocean. while
the Arkansan sReeehifies with the ut
most gravity. as becomes a jurist re-
serving his sidesplitting wittieisms