The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-05
M'KlNLEY AND REED
AMOS CUMMINGS TELLS HOW
THEY ROSE TO PROMINENCE.
PATIENT PL0DDERS IN HOUSE


and That the Speaker Then Had
No Conception of the Ability Sub
sequentIy Displayed.
Washington, Jan. Holiday festivi-
ties are over and the advance guard Of
returning statesmen is already at the
capital. The first political engagement
of the session was won when the re-
cess was taken. The new members
heard and saw it with open ears and
dlating pupils. Bayonets were crossed
over the tariff for the Philippines. 1t
was undoubtedly a lively fight, but
what interested them far more than the
struggle itself was it's practical illus
tration of the workings of the Reed
rules. With an abudance of time and
scores of representatives not only will
ing but eager to talk the discussion
was ruthlessly limited to six hours. No
opportunity for amendment was allow
ed and a heart-rending appeal for a
night Session scornfully refused. The
time was controlled absolutely by Sc |
reno T.. Payne, of New York, and |
James D. Richardson of Tennessee. |
William P. Hepburn. chairman of the
Committee of the Whole on the State |
of the Union as in duty bound, rec0S-
nized only those designated by these |
leaders. Preference was, of course |
given to the old members. Even so
honeyed a lubricator as Charles E. Lit
tlefeld could secure only a minute |
while the Hon. Ezekiel Samuel Cand-
Ter of Mississippi John Aliens sue
cessor, was allowed to revel in oratory
exactly a minute and a half. The as
pirations of many a neophyte We're
chilled. Fond visions of future prefer |
ment and national fame were dissi- |
pated. 1t was the first glimpse of the |
intricacies of the Reed parliamentary |
machine. A second glimpse will be had |
after he s initiated into the mysteries |
of work in committee. Future promi-
nence will then seem farther off than |
ever. As for senatorial. gubernatorial !
and more elusive political baubles, |
they may disappear altogether
1t is well to remember that the
patient plodder usually reaches the |
goal ahead of the showy statesman.
Never was this more thoroughly illus
trated than by an analysis of the con-
gress:onal careers of Thomas B. Reed
and William Mckinley. They both en-
tered the House at the beginning of the
Forty-ffth Congress. They were
sworn in a an extra session called on
October Is, 1877. Samuel J. Randall
was Speaker. He evidently had no
conception of the ability of the two
new members, for he put Mckinley at
the tail of the unimportant committee
on Revision of the Laws and placed
Reed ninth on Territories and sixth on
Expenditures in the War Department.
The men stood side by side Al the foot
OF the ladder leading to political pre-
ferment Both were unsophisticated.
Mckinley was exceedingly retiring and
undemonstrative. In the extra session
he never opened his head. In the sec
ond session he broke the ice by asking
simple question during the consider
alton of a Louisiana contested election
case. He was six months in the House
before he took the floor He was
recognized a. an evening session by
lanes w. Covert of New York chair
man Of the Committee of the Whole. !
Fernando Wood, of the Ways and
Means. had reported a tariff bill and
the young man from Ohio. then "a
years old, promptly opened fire. 1t
was a speech evidently carefully pre-
pared, filled with tabular statements.
and occupying five pages of the Re-
cord. He afterward resumed his con-
temDlative attitude and never again |
claimed the attention of the House
until near the end of the short session.
when he made a few remarks on the
legislative Appropriation bill.
Reed signaled his appearance in the
House he 10 slr ra5
unanimous consent for the considera-
ton of bill to change the name of
the schooner Captain Charles Rob-
bins" TO Minnie" Mr.. Banning of Ohio
objected, but the youngster from Maine
finally coaxed him out of the way, and
the bill passed. His first display of
sarcasm was in an encounter with
Clarkson \. Potter of New York, over
contested seat. After that his vein
OF sarcasm continually cropped to the
surface. He made ten five-minute
speeches on different subjects before
the close of the second session. One
was on the Indian BILL in which he
satirized the Democracy for it's con-
tinual use of the phrase march of CIV
iization.' In the short session he
spoke on the legislative bill and pro-
jeclted himself into discussion ait every
opportunity. His activity evidently at
tracted the attention of Sam Randall,
famous Potter investigation commit
tee. At this time he was nearly forty
years old.
In the Forty-sixth Congress Randall
shifted both Reed and Mckinley to
the Judiciary. of which j. Proctor
Knott was chairman. Neither was as
signed to any other committee. This
was also an extra session. The
Ohio member remained quiet nearly
five months. On April is, 1879, he
ella lined the ear of the House while he
scored the Democracy for its efforts
TO stihe honest elections in the South
IL was what might be termed a set
speech. filling five pages of the Record.
rhis IVES the only speech made by Mai
Mckinley in the Forty-siXth Congress,
beyond "A few incidental remarks in
the third session. Reed, on the con-
frary, was as busy as a yellow Jacket
in a sugar cask. He began by naggns
the Southern Democrats for their
method Of conducting elections. and
bad a spat over the rules with Sam
Randall. who was occupying the chair.
on May 10, 1879. he made a ten-minte
speech on the coinage certificate bili
in the second session he Interrupted
the proceedings nearly seventy times
by sarcastic comments and inquiries
ON Jan. 2S. 1880. while new rules were
under consideration, he made his first
announcement that the constitutional
idea OF a quorum is not the presence
OF a majority of the members. but a
majority of those present and partici-
in In IA Is !,