The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
MIR. REEDS CAREER.
Lawyer, Politician, Member of Con.
gress and Speaker of the House.

schools and like thousands OF other New
England boys he worked his way through
college by teaching school during his COL
1ege vacations. He was graduated from
Bowdoin College in July 1860. with the de-
gree of A. b. 1t is said that in the last
year of his college course he exhibited won
derful diligence and industry, not only
making up the time expended upon some
what miscellaneous reading during the
first three years, but placing himself in
the front rank among the six honor men of
his class. His reward was the much-courted
prize for excellence In English compost
ton"
The next two years were spent in teach
| ing and in the study of law. In 1863 Mr..
| Reed removed to California, where he ex-
| pected to remain and practice law, but early
/ in the following year he returned to Port
| land. and in April entered the navy as an
assistant paymaster. He was assigned to
| duty under Lieutenant Garringe, who COM
| manded the .tin-clad" Sybil, which did
potent duty on the Tennessee, Cumberland
| and Mississippi rivers. The service was
| valuable and necessary but not exciting or
/ eventful, and Mr.. Reed has been heard to
| refer to this episode as the time when he
| kept grocery on a gunboat" In August,
/ 1865 he received an honorable discharge
/ from the navy, and returned to Portland,
| where he was admitted to the bar and be-
gan the practice of law. His rise both in
| his profession and in the esteem of his
| fellow -townsmen was rapid and steady, and
| he was soon singled out as a man worthy
of political honors.
! ENTRY INTO PUBLIC LIFE.
In 1865, without his knowledge, the Re-
| publicans of Portland unanimously named
Mr.. Reed as one of their candidates for the
| lower branch of the Legislature, and he
was elected. His reputation as a lawyer
| had already become firmly established
| and generally recognized that he was as
| signed to the judiciary committee. He
| was then, as he was later, man OF action,
| and ever ready to do all he could to expedite
| business. Before the end of his first term
| In the Legislature he secured the passage
| of a law which resulted in reducing from
| three years to many months the time
required for bringing contested suits to
| jury trial In his native county.
| Mr.. Reed was reelected in 1869, and in
1870 he was promoted TO the State Senate.
| BY this time his abilities and energy had
| gained for bi a reputation as wide as
| the State. and he was nominated as the
| Republican candidate for attorney general
| over several strong and popular competi-
| tors, among whom was Harris NJ. Plaisted,
| afterward Governor, and was elected.
| During the three years of his incumbency
| of that office Mr. Reed not only added
steadily to his reputation as an able law
yer and brilliant advocate, but exhibited
degree of courage and resolution which
excited universal admiration. These vir-
tues were especially shown In the success
| full prosecution of suits against the bonds
/ state Treasurer turned
out to be a defaulter to large amount n
dozen years before. Through the exercise
cases against the bondsmen had been al
lowed to slumber for years on the docket
of the court, but the young and vigorous
attorney general promptly awoke them
and pushed every case to a final decision,
| cerned.
Mr.. Rec d accepted the appointment of
solicitor of Portland The city was then
involved in important litigation, which he
conducted with results that were success
full and satisfactory.
ELECTED TO CONGRESS.
In the centennial year of American Inde-
pendence the horizon of Mr.. Reeds public
career suddenly and somewhat unexpected
ly widened, and fairly opened before him.
After hot struggle in convention he was
nominated as the Republican candidate for
Representative in the Forty-fifth Congress
from the Portland district, and was elect
ed by plurality of about 100 votes. In
1896. just twenty years afterward, he was
reelected for the tenth time in succession
from the same district, by a plurality of
more than 1880 votes and a majority of
| 1856 over all.
Since the first one all of Mr.. Reeds nom-
nation for Congress were unanimous and
the only hard fight he had to make for re-
election was in 1880. when the Greenback
craze swept over the State and defeated
the Republican State ticket in Septem-
Der. Then, as later. Thomas B. Reed was a
fearless and unflnching champion of sound
money and public honesty. and the fight
against him was fierce, bitter and relent-
less, but he won by the narrow margin of
| III votes over an exceedingly strong and
popular Democratic-Greenback conception
1t may be remembered that two of the
| other Maine Congress district elected Dem
ocratic-Greenback Representatives that
| year.
House of Representatives at the beginning
of the special session of the Forty-fifth
Congress. Oct. Is. 1877. that body was Dem
ocratic by large ma jority, and as mem
Der of the minority and a new one, at that
he was assigned TO a relatively unimpor-
tant committee-that on Territories. But
the young and brilliant representative from
the Pine Tree State was not destined tc
have his light hid under that sort of bushel
On April IL, 1873. he delivered a speech or
the bill for the relief of William and Mary
the House and was largely instrumental IN
defeating that measure, which he regarded
as calculated TO set precedent that, If fol.
lowed, would swamp the national treasury
But the services of Mr.. Reed in that Con
| gress which attracted national attention
and excited the admiration of his party a:
well as of all other law-abiding citizens
throughout the country, were rendered as
member of the famous Potter committee
| created by the Democratic House in the
| hope OF smirching leading statesmen be-
longing to the Republican party and cast
ing a shadow upon President Hayess title
| To this committee were assigned eight
Democrats who were regarded as amone
| the strongest and ablest meh of their party
| in the House of Representatives. Tht
minority OF the committee consisted OF
Jacob D. Cox. Thomas b. Reed and Franz
Hiscock. Republicans, and Benjamin r
Butler. who was pluming his pinions for 8
flight beyond the Republican party
WORK ON POTTER COMMITTEE.
Everybody who Is familiar with the his
tory of those times remembers how the In
vestigation resulted; how sorry anC
ashamed its authors seemed to- be- and II
what a pitable plight good many prom
inent Democrats. including a candidate fo
the presidency, left when IL ended
But for a time the result seemed to be IL
doubt. and Republicans were anxious an,
uneasy. Those feelings were dispelled I'm ;
great degree. however. by the merciles,
c~oss-examination by Mr.. Reed of one O
! ! the star witnesses summoned by tn,
majority. James r. Anderson. When tn
direct examination OF that worthy ended 1