Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1901-12-29


 did my best How V" came out the press dispatches of the 29ih will dis close.
 As Charles Dickens. of blessed and immortal memory, sad of Major Joe Ba@stock. so say of General Charles Henry Grosven0i.: He is sly, sir; diyil
 sh sly Tough, sir; divilish tough"
 A Colossal Figure.
 Sitting on the vcr2pda of the hotel, prior to the debate, my friend Henry l.. West of t!!e Washington Post and president of the famous Gridiron club, General Crosvenor and myself fell into conversation touching the status past, present, future and in history of that WondrouS and colossal figure in Ameri- can politics, Thomas Bracllett Reed, now of New York, erstWhile of Maine.
 It is no news to many people that I am a great adInircr of Mir. Reed. 1 think he is the most brilliant man 1 ever saw except Henry N ard Heecher, and l am not sure that ought to eX- cept Beecher. He is the greatest epi- grammatist since Alexander Pope, and l dote Oh an epiSramnatist.
 I would net aSeribe to Reed the j1l- dieial impartality of Chief Justice Marshail-i.is complexion and temper ament preclude that-bntI wish to re- cord 1t here and now Chat during the two years which l served in the house while he was speaker neyer say Eia make bGt two rulings which l would not have made Gil n.atere reflection.
 Counting a e,;i7ren1.
 West to9ll my breafA away 6y an- nouncin& tAat Reed d5I not originate tae quorum e9U#tiite lEle#i8 the Fifty first congress. tAat h. &2s at tiFst=o posed to fl and that t Hsas forced upon him against lis will
 Then General GraSTenor surprised me still Hl0re bE setting Ui1 q claim b that distinction himself. C1sar divid- ed all Gaul into three parts, but Gen eral Grosyenor puts it altogether and monopolizes 1t himself.
 He made Ee gape by saying: Reeds fame rests 0n counting quorum which all rational beings now recognize as the proper capcr, but he is not entitled ter. l ain the pioneer quorum counter and preceded the man from Maine by at least four years. l was elected to the Ohio legislature in 1S115, which was organized in January, 1876. Of that turbulent body l was elected speaker, and l counted a quorum. was the first who did it. was the Columbus on that unknown parliament tafy sea. Ny successor ill the speaker ship. Hon. James F. Nealc q Demo- crat, adopted my theory and counted a quorum. I preceded Lieutenant Coy ernor David Bennett Hill by six or eight years in this reform.
 Tke Correct Thiag.
 This principle was afteYward estab- lished hy the supreme court of Ohio d Republican supreme court which in SS3-5, ill q contest about the clerkship of the city of Zanesyillc, where six Democratic couaciimen out of 12 caught one Republican councilman within the bar, counted him as pres ent, nolens yolens, thereby securing a quorum, declared tle great principle that quorum counting is the correct thing"
 Now, all tisat gave General Grosve nor a clear priority over Reed and Hill. He seemed to glory in 1t. He is nearly 20 years my senior. 1 cid not like to disturb his equanmity by telling him the truth. which is this: Seventg-fiye yid Bennett IIili or Thomas Brackett Reed was born 9he quorum counting theory was both bToached and enforced ill America The right oE discovery belongs 10 none ot that immortal trio. They are all tame sopyists mere iini- tatots, and none of chem evea came up to the great originaa
 Dragged Into the E9aN.
 In l1S1, when the constitutional con- ycntiou. over which George Washing ton presided, the sreatest body of mers eyer assembled in thts world, concluG- ed it's labors, formulating the constitu- ton of the United States of .kmcfiC;t. they sent q messenger to announce the result of their labors b She legislature of Pennsylvania. The messenger ar rived tie day before adjournment sine die. A majority of shat legislature Was not only opposed to the federal but was opposed to even it to the people. So they undertook to break q quorum by run ning away, but the patriots of Ihi3a delphia lassoed three of the recalei- trants-enough to uade Il quorunl- dragged them into the legislative hall and held them in their seats while the speaker counted them, thereby making ts qH0fllN.
 Whether General Grosvcnor was is- aorant of this Philadelphia incident or whether lie copied i5 Go not know, but it is the truth of history and should he stated fer the general good. t'r6s5-