Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01
INTERVIEW WITH INGALLS,

| John j. ingalls, wasn't ndfd man TO
interview-indeed, he was singularly ap-
proachable and unusually amiable to news
paper men whom he trusted-but there were
certain periods In his career during which
he didn't want to talk for publication, and
| was assigned to extract an interview
from him during one Of those periods" said
| one of the Chicago correspondents. 1t
was shortly after Ingalls, had been defeated
for the United States senatorship. He
| drifted into Chicago a few weeks after the
| unfortunate event-as unfortunate for Kan
| sas as it was for ingalls,, In my opinion
| and put up, as usual at the old Grand Pa
ciflc Hotel. / was hotel reporter for my
| paper at that time, and my city eoitor
| rounded me up and told me that he wanted
me to drill a long, high-grade interview out
| of ingalls,. 1 rather felt that 1 was up
| against IT when I got the assignment, 1or
Ingalls, had been close-mouthed as a
clam since his defeat. contenting himself
with sardonically telling the newspaper
men in other cities who approached him
| that in his capacity of statesman out OF
| job he didn't have anything to say that
would be of interest to the public l had
often met ingalls, and knew him pretty well,
and was quite familiar with the fact that
when he didn't want to talk he had
| knack of tanning interviewers such as
| few men in public life in his day possessed.
However, 1 set off one dark afternoon.
| the day after ingalls, arrival in Chicago to
| get the talk out of him. When told Paul
| Gore, the Grand Pacific's chief clerk, to
| send my card up to the senator Paul lean
| ed over the hotel desk and whispered to me
| that ingalls, was in a very crusty frame Of
| mind, and that, although he had received
| Representatives from a number OF the
| papers that afternoon, he had passed EN-
| all up, as Gore put 1t, without giving them
| SO much as phrase that could be twisted
| into an interview. 1t was a good tip.
| sent my card up, anyhow, and shortly the
"a
would see me In the parlor in about quar-
| ter of an hour. So went up to the second
floor. where the big. dim-lit parlor Of the
Grand Pacific located.
ut was dull work sitting there and twid-
| ding my thumbs while 1 waited for the
| statesman out Of a job to come down. and
| so. noticing an open piano over at one end
| of the parlor. crossed over to it and sat
down before the instrument In my early
| youth I'd been dubbed into practicing
| three or four hours day on the piano, SO
| that l was able to strum pretty fairly on
| the instrument. I put my foot on the soft
| pedal and began to run over some Of the
| old things that 1 remembered-a snatch Of
| this, fragment of that and a small sec
| ton OF the other-juSt to divert myself
| until the eminent Kansan made his appear
| ance. 1 became SO interested that 1 didn't
notice the passage OF time. but played on
softly, trying to dig up remnants Of my
| repertoire when l heard slight, ha.f-re-
pressed cough behind me. and wheeled
| around on the stool There, in the dark cor
ner opposite me, sitting on a sofa with his
long legs crossed and a peculiar smile on
| his thin features was Mr.. Ingalls,. / jump
| ed up. of course, and started over to him.
Don't stop said he motioning me
| back to the piano. Go right ahead. I'd
rather listen than talk
Il had quite natural feeling that he was
| jollying me. and SO / shook my head in my
| well-known gracious manner, took his ex-
| tended hand and said:
We'll, senator, begin at the beginning
m q thing Omittinf
| a detail You needn't hurry. I've got lots
| of time. You can take the narrative back
twenty years, If you SO desire. All 1 want
| is whole lot that's all. I'll take you
| down in shorthand. 80 that you'll be sure
| you're quoted right. What, for instance, is
| the condition Of politics in the state Of
| KansasT
| MIR ingalls, looked me over with quiz
zicaI smile, uncrossed his legs and recrOss-
ed 'em the other way, cleared his throat and
| said:
| LAS between music Of the italian and
| music OF the German schools 1 ind myself
| in a dilemma. The consciousness, the pas
| sion. the warmth, the melody, the heart in
terest, the humanness, so to put 1t. OF
| Italian music appeal to me strongly, and
| sometimes have inspired me to-
ITO flights Of eloquence such as IT would
| be a delight to listen to, SENATOR, l inter-
rupted, did one not particularly want to
| find out something at first-hand as to the
| condition of politics in the state OF Kansas
| and sometimes have inspired me to
dream that, with the vast annual influx or
Italians to these shores, we Americans shall
at some remote day develop composers
| worthy to class with the most eminent ltal-
| ian masters of the amiable and elevating
art of music. Yet, for all that, fear that
| there is a soporific and Saccharine quality
| in the great bulk of Italian operate music
| 1t is too sugary, most of 1t. 1t appeals to
| the senses, but not to the intellect. There
| in lies the difference between Italian music
and German music. German music-the
music of Wagner, we Will say-appeals d.
rectly and convincingly to the intellect. 1t
is neither tawdry nor maudlin. 1t contain
| eth no canded ballades to my ladys eye
brows. 1t is masculine music, whereas
much of the Italian music. melodious as 1t
| may be and admittedly is. seems to me to
! be effeminate and emasculated. Put Verdi 8
| Aida beside Wagners "Lohengrin;" both
| works are masterpieces. Well, Aida" is
| Nile music; 1t is dreamy; it is the last note
| on the languorous in music; 1t affects one
like heavy, heady old wine; the melody Is
almost too overpowering for endurance.
| Aida affects some women like a too
heavy fragrance of flowers. Then, "Lohen-
| grin" 'LOhengrin" is at times clear and
cool as a mountain lake. Whatever of SEN
| suOusness 1t possesses Is the consciousness
of the open air. of the meadow and forest;
it Is healthy. 1t is vital, it is strong. 1t 10
notes in 1t that sound like white caps of
joy bursting on rock-bound shores. From
Aida to "Lohengrin' is like escaping
from a drawing room wherein all of the
| for the mastery into a cool space wherein
| blow the cool, healthful zephyrs of the
nightwrapped woodland
Thus Ingalls, for half an hour or more.
| 1 knew that 1t would be purely idle for me
to try to switch him to the subject of poll
tics. Moreover, 1 enjoyed studying the won
derful versatility Of the man. 1 had never
| heard him utter word, publicly or pri-
| vately., that would lead any one to infer
that he knew the difference between The
Old Kentucky Home and the Pilgrims
Chorus from Tannhauser,' and here he
was-just for the sake of tanning me, 1
we'll knew, and diverting himself at the
| same time-talking of the demi-gods of
music in manner that clearly showed him
| absolutely familiar with his subject. 1t was
all very delightful, and listened on, as one
| In sort of trance. When he reached his
final pause. however, and turned to me with
| another of those shrewd, quizzical smiles of
his played little card Of my own on an
| instants thought.
That's mighty hot stuff. SENATOR said
l. 1t beats anything you could have said
on politics all hollow. / can dress up this
talk Of yours on music into about two dou-
| ble-leaded columns, and It'll sure make a
hit. I'll just run down to the writing room
| now and
| But Ingalls, had me by the arm and de-