Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-08

procedure has been noticed in the transac-
ton of a greater volume Of public business
at each session of Congress, and In de-
cided shortening Of the sessions or Con-
gress. Formerly 1t was not uncommon Tor
Congress to sit until October, wrangling
along wasting time with filibustering and
accomplishing little. Now the sessions sell
dom last beyond July, in the long term, and
it is matter Of record that 90 per cent
more actual legislation is passed by the
House.
Reed Denounced Bitterly.
Mr. Reed was denounced bitterly in the
democratic press, which at that time was
more virile than it is now. He was termed
a GEAR" a "tyrant' and "revolutionist.
A great many men in Congress who had
been advocating a departure from the old
filibustering ways turned upon Mr.. Reed
and reviled him.
In an article In the Forum in 1895 Theo-
dore Roosevelt paid this tribute to Mr..
Reeds course:
Speaker Reed rendered a great service
to his party by his action as Speaker OF the
Fifty-first Congress; and by the fact OF
having rendered this service placed himself
at one leap among the foremost of the party
leaders; but he rendered an even greater
service to the American republic In order
that a republic may exist there must De
some form of representative government,
and this representative government must
include a legislature. If the practices to
which Mr.. Reed put stop were allowed to
become chronic representative government
would itself be an impossibility. Not for
many years has there been man in our
public life to whom the American people
owe as great a debt as they do to Speaker
Thomas B. Reed.
Softer Side of His Nature.
The public at large knew Mr.. Reed only
in his militant character, as the partisan,
the aggressive debater, the man of iron,
and at times Of vitriol. But he had softer
side to his nature, his friends well knew,
a side that he turned only to people who
had gained his esteem and confidence.
Representative Amos l.. Allen or Maine,
the friend of his youth and later his con-
fidant and private secretary, tells Of that
phase Of Mr.. Reeds character.
I'VE were classmates together at col,
lege" said Mr.. Allen $50 that we had
known each other from boyhood. I was
not particularly intimate with him at col
lege, but I was sufficiently intimate to no
tice that while at college he had strong
friendships, and, 1 might add, equally
strong antagonisms, just as he is known to
have had in his career in Congress. He
was particularly antagonistic to people
who were not straightforward In their
characteristics, politically, socially or in
business He was a great lover of truth,
not only in big things but In the smallest
details. If anybody lied to him. that was
the end Of any trust or confidence between
that person and Mr.. Reed.
e. II never had an unkind word from him
during all our association together, and
being his private secretary and bearing
confidential relations to him. many things
came up where If he had been unkindly dis
posed he could easily have shown 1t. But
he never showed even the slightest impulse
to unkindness, nor did he ever show any to
others with whom he was equally intimate.
I cite this to indicate that the man pos
sessed kindly nature which was not man.
ifested to the world at large.
His Home Life.
"He idolized his wife and daughter, and
his home life was beautiful. never OBJ
served In any family an affection closer
than that which existed between himself
and his wife and daughter He placed great
confidence in the literary judgment of his
wife, and invariably consulted her about
his magazine writings. She always revised
his articles before publication.
II recall one instance when he had pre-
pared a very witty and interesting article
which I begged him to publish.
"I will first have to consult Susan about
this he said, and took the article into his
wife's room. Presently he returned, and
with lugubrious shake Of the head. said,
Susan has put her veto on this, SO I guess
we will not send It,
while he was not man to seek friend
snips Unfortunately, yet when natural
friendships were formed and brought about
in an ordinary way he persisted in them
with answering loyalty. If he never was
betrayed or disappointed in friendship he
chung to his friends and bound them to him
with hooks OF steel Indeed, he had a
large coterie Of close, tried friends To that
class he manifested continually a natural
gentleness which the public generally did
not know that he possessed
His Friendship Esteemed.
Ills circle of intimate friends was per-
haps not as large as that possessed by
many other public men, but his friendship
was for that reason all the more esteemed
by those who enjoyed 1t. He did not have
the politicians habit of processing and
paIavering friendship indiscriminately, or OF
patting men on the shoulder in the SEM
blance Of friendship, for in his judgment
friendship was thing too sweet and valua-
Bile to be lightly extended or demanded. It
was matter OF temperament with him.
among his political followers and ac-
ouaintances he was careful not to make
specific promises. He would tell a man he
would do what he could, and then would
surprise him in the fulfllment. Sometimes
people thought that he was brusQue and
reniss In the more polished amenities. but
at such times the man was only absorbed
in thinking OF something else: his mind at
the moment was engaged in some other