The National tribune., 1902-12-11
THOMAS B. REED.

| he was associated all the time with sucl
names as Lincoln, Grant the Shermans
| and the other lustrOus figures who led tn,
Nation through the terrible war. through
the dangers of reconstruction. and finally
landed her safe in Il quiet haven. Th,
principal part of Reeds work came aftel
the others had finished theirs. but it was
scarcely less Important. for it rounded int,
perfect symmetry what they had begun
and carried forward.
While Mr.. Reed was among the firS
pafliamentari:ins that the world has evcl
seen, while he WAS a natural leader, he
WAS also a great constructive statesman
who SAW clearly what the country needed
and brought the greatest courage and
abilities to lear 10 secure that for her
He never attained the reputation for elo
qrcnvc and craftsmanship that Daniel
Webster gained. hut whatever he had to
say upon great National questions had a
Il force and cogency certainly equal to
that Of Webster, and as powerful in in
fiuencing mems actions. No man ever eX-
cellcd him in the clear. incisive way in
which he went to the heart of every ques-
tion. and made its material factors so
clear there could he no mistaking them.
He had qualities of leadership and prac-
teal politics that Webster never pos
seSsed. His leadership was even more
evident when his party in the House was
in minority. Then he held his party
well in hand, not by caucls or other ma
chirery. but by sheer force of intellectual
supremacy. and handled it in such Il way
as to compel the Democratic majority to
do the things he wanted done.
After he became Speaker he introduced
Il new era in legislation by IL rule of the
mast obvious common sense. Since the
creation of Congress, in fact ever since
men began to meet in deliberate and legis-
lative bodies. obstruction, usually known
in American legislation as ''filibustering.
has been the potent weapon of the rlinorl-
ty to frustrate the operations of the ma
jority. We have seen how for many
years smal! contingent of Irish members
can terribly embarrass and sometimes;
completely block business in the British
House of Commons. There seemed no
help for this consistent with the name and
spirit of free institutions. English par
liamentarians certainly found none. Mr..
Reed. however. with cold common sense,
reasoned that the House of Representa-
tives met to do business; that the ma
jority was rightly held responsible for the
discharge of this duty; that the duty of
the minority consisted in calling attention
TO the consequences of any contemplated
action: should have the fullest OppOrtuni-
ty to do this, and after it had done so of
registering its dissent from the course of
the majority. There its duty and respOn-
sibility ended. The House had undoubted
power to compel the attendance Of all
members at its sessions, and this power
implied that they must be present at the
The doctrine that had been
so long upheld in Congress that man
could be brought into the House by the
Sergeant-At-Arms, but when there lie
could refuse to vote, be cOnstructively alb
sent. and thus break quorum, was mani
festly absurd. The storm of denunciati0n
that broke upon Mr.. Reed for these rul-
ings has not been equalled in the past
quarter of century, and there were
times when it seemed that the House
would break out in open rebellion. He
was denominated Gear" Reed, and there
was even talk of assassination, but he
enforced his rulings, the House of Rep
resentatives did what it was elected to
do, and the common sense of the country
highly approved. The Democrats who
succeeded him as Speaker paid him the
high compliment of imitation by follow
ing lis rules absolutely. In consequence
the American House of Representatives
is iiie model legislative body of the world,
and everywhere legislative assemblies of
all kind will have to follow its example as
they develop in usefulness.
While exercising enormous power, sec
ond only to that of the President, Mr..
Reed was remarkably clean man. There
never was breath of a charge as to his
connection with any job, intrigue, or self
seeking of any kind. In this, as in many
other respects, he was model politician
and public man. Next to the rigid perform
ance Of high patriotic duty, he had but
one aspiration-he wanted to be President
"a very proper ambition in him-but
while he had in so high degree many
talents Of leadership, he was singularly
lacking in One-that of making friends
and followers. Everybody admired him,
but comparatively few were ardently de-
voted to him. Men, his interiors in intel
lect, will. and courage. had incomparably
more talent in gaining adherents. His
location was also unfavor-
able to his Presidential aspirations. He
saw this at st. Louis, and it was the bit
terness of gall to him. He had wanted
to resign before, in order to make a COM
petent provision for his family, which he
had not been able to do while in Congress.
Still, he saw things yet to be done, and he
remained two years longer to finish them
He felt then that the work of the Repub-
lican party, with which he had been iden-
tilted so long. had been concluded, that il
was about to start out upon a new career
with other aims and purposes, and the
time was fitting for his retirement. He
entered into the law business In New
York, and was attaining great success,
when his untimely death INTERVIEWED. He
kept up his strong interest in public af-
fairs, however, and made uttcranccs from
time TO time which were listened to with
eager interest by the country, and pro-
duced profound effect.
A great man has fallen in Israel.
--e-----
THE vIcKsBURG NATIONAL MILITARY
PARK
Can't. W, T, Ripby. Chairman of the