Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-01-04
RETIREMENT OF REED.
How 1t Has Affected House of
Representatives.
MORE FREEDOM AMONG LEADERS.

AbsoIute Control No Longer In the
Hands of One Man-Rced's Power of
Sarcasm - BIunders In Party Mat
ters Reused His IRE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30. 49, Special l.
Has the absence of Tom Reed from
the house Of representatives made any
appreciable difference in that body? is
a question asked. In this connection it
is asserted that the Reed rules still OBJ
tain and are executed by such men as
Henderson, Cannon, Payne, Dalzell,
Grosvenor, Dolliver Sherman, Hop
kins, Tawney, Moody-men that Reed
picked out as heutenants in the many
years that he was the leader of the Re-
publican party in the house. This
much may be granted, but the short
time the house was in session before
the holiday adjournment has made
Reed conspicuous by his absence. There
is no longer a one man power in the
house dominating 1t with an iron will.
Each of the men above named is a
leader on his own account; each has
come out stronger and perhaps better
because he acts upon his own RESPONSE
bility, deferred by no influence and
fearing no superior criticism. Every
Republican of prominence in the house
feels an independence that was not
possible under the sway of Reed whose
| control of the party was one of the
marvels of congressional history.
Some of His Methods.
Members feared Reeds sarcastic ap-
proval as much as they did his frown-
! ing disapprobation of certain acts. |
once heard a western member of the
house deliver short speech upon the
battlesHlp Maine and her crew. It
was beautiful word picture and 4
touching bit of oratory and won the
applause of the house and the galleries
Soon after the member was walking
through thelobby and was overtaken by
the big speaker, who patted him on the
back, looked him over quizzically and
passed on. The man was an ardent
admirer of Reed. and, although the
speaker had said nothing, the action
was sufficient to make the member
turn crimson to the roots of his hair,
with the feeling that he had been sub
jected to the sarcasm of the speaker,
whose own opinion, if verbally express
ed, would have been ''tommyrot." The
Republican who in debate laid himself
open to the vigorous and telling thruSts
Of the opposition was sure to be eX-
tolled by Reed in sarcastic words that
would make him vince. The man who
made speeches of the grandiloquent
and spread eagle variety would often
hear some of his fancy flights quoted
in manner to make him to feel I'M
comfortable. In fact, Reed was not
sentimental, and the members with
ideals and romance who gave rein TO
them were sure to feel the pointed ar
rows of Reeds rdicule.
Mistakes Not Tolerated.
Reed objected to blunders of party
, management. If the men to whom he
/ intrusted the management Of affairs
on the floor handled them in such n
|, way as to give the other side an adj
: vantage he was made aware Of Reed ;
; displeasure; hence the man on the floor
was not carrying out his own ideas
|, always, but endeavoring to act in ac'
, cordance with the wishes of the speak
: er. Anything was a blunder or mistake
in the opinion of the speaker which
, was not done either as he planned OF
: desired to be done. No man docs SO
5 we'll at anything as when acting on hi;
| own responsibility. Few men can bt
!, simply parrots and make a success in
e public life. What might be mistake
1 in the mind of the speaker might be
= the reverse in the minds of the ma
= jority. and the man personally respon
2 sihle for his acts does not make the
best appearance when trying TO carry
- out the wishes Of another. When vii
liam Mckinley WAS the floor leader Of
the house he displeased Reed 1t wa'
at the time Reed first counted quo
!, rum. Breckenridge of Kentucky ap
= pealed from the decision of the chair
t Payson of Illinois promptly moved It
lay the appeal on the table, whicl
" would cut off debate. Reed was rush
L ing the motion to vote when Nick in
p ley spraug up and insisted that sucl
. an important question should be de
h bated. Reed frowned. 1t was not il
w IN LlH WISH, bul al u
Il McKinley's action it was impossible,
to do anything else. Payson was fore
J. ed to withdraw his motion. and an ar
I rangemeut for debate was made.
Have More Freedom.
a The few weeks congress has been il
d session have developed the fact tina
there is more freedom among the lead
# ers, more elasticity on the Republican
r side, and general free and easy, unre
strained swing among the member
e that has been absent heretofore. Ey
: cry man vino has taken the floor seem
J. DESTROYS of pleasing himself first an
l. foremost, and when the average brain
V, man does this he is pretty apt to pleas
his audience and satisfy his constitr
n ents. 1t is not in the least I'll
N complimentary to the leading men i
~ the house TO say that they have bee
= curbed in the past, for it is we'll know
t. that party policy and expediency dc
o. manded that harmony should exist he
10 tween the speaker and his lieutcnant'
but under the present method of grea
CT personal responsibility and wit
freer rein these men make bette
> showing and give more life to the pre-
caaHinDa Not only do fhOap who's