The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-11-02
SPEAKS WELL OF McCLEARY.
Herbert M. Lord, Clerk of the Ways
and Means Committee Commends Our
Congressman.

The Pioneer Press yesterday pub
lished an interview with Herbert M.
Lord, for many years clerk of the ways
and means committee of the house at
Washington. Mr.. Lord spoke highly
of each member of the Minnesota
delegation and the work they are do
ing in Washington. and in opening
the interview said:
see that the voters of Minnesota
have learned the lesson that only ex-
perienced congressman are useful, and
that those states that send the same
representatives to congress year after
year are the states that acquire and
hold influence. AS an example of this
would point to my own state of
Maine, which for the past ten years
has enjoyed prestige and position
in congress equaled by no other state,
and far in excess of what the state S
population warrants. Iowa is an
other state that has learned the les
son, and I am glad that Minnesota is
in the same class.
A new member necessarily spends
the most of the first term in getting
acquainted with his fellow members
and in learning to find his way about
the capital His second term, if pro-
perly used, teaches him something of
departmental practice, something of
house methods and committee work
His third term, if he be a man of some
caliber, finds him useful, helpful
member, of value to his district and
credit to his state, and from that time
on his usefulness and influence in
crease with his experience in the
house. | do not think have exag-
gerated. The great empire state with
its members of the house is an excel
lent illustration of the evils of the
shortterm method of house represen-
tation. This great state with its great
wealth and population does not have
the influence in the house of repre-
sentatives possessed today by either
Maine or Iowa, for the reason that
the frequent change in representation
from many of the New York districts
keeps a large proportion OF inexperi-
enced men in congress.
of Mr.. McCleary, Mr.. Lord says
Congressman J. T. McCleary, of the
second district is another case that
can be cited. He is now serving his
fourth term in congress, and as a result
of his long and faithful service we find
him on the important appropriations
committee, which holds the national
purse strings-a position considered
by many congressman to be second only
to seat in the committee on ways and
means. He is also member of the
committee on labor and has rendered
splendid service to the labor cause in
that capacity. AS if this were not
enough, we1fnd him chairman of the
committee on public library, which
has charge of the beautiful library
building in Washington, and the en-
bellishment of all public buildings and
grounds Mr.. McCleary won for him
self national reputation as financier
by his able reply to Congressman
Towne on the floor of the house in
1896. Mr.. Towne's free silver exposi-
ton to which the reply was made is
considered by many the ablest pre-
sentation of the silver issue ever made
while Mr.. McCleary's reply thereto is
certainly as effective and able re-
futation as has ever been attempted.
They are both classics. Mr.. McCleary
added to his reputation as fnancier
by his exceedingly efficient work as a
member of the committee on banking
and currency.