The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-10
AMOS CUMMINGS.
Some Chara cteristics Anecdotes
About the JournaIist-Statesm

About the tesman.
From the North American.
Washington, May 5.-When the late
Amos j. Cummings made a speech in
; Congress, which was not often, he al
ways had a good audience. He talked
with great vehemence on whatever
/ subject he had in hand, and flung his
arms about like fails. He was furious
at interruptions.
] A few weeks ago, when he was talk
ing, John Wesley Gaines of Tennes-
see, who originated the idea of asking
questions of every man who gets up to
talk, in order 10 get his name in the
/ Congressional Record more times than
! that of any man who ever served in
Congress, asked him some irrelevant
questions. Cummings shook his fist at
Gaines and roared, You keep out of
my speech"
Gaines thought Cummings intended
to jump over the desks at him, and
didn't ask another question that day.
At the close of the first session Of
the Fifty-sixth Congress, in June,
1900, Cummings was one of the con-
ferees on the naval appropriation bill.
There had been a tremendous fight be-
tween the House and Senate over the
armor plate provision. Cummings had
held out until the very last moment.
Uncle Joe Cannon was one of the con-
ferees for the House also. The con-
ferees wrestled all night over the prop
osition. and finally about an hour be-
fore the time set for adjournment,
Cannon gave in to the Senate, and so
reported on the floor of the House.
Cummings got up, trembling with
rage. and in a five minutes speech
told of his efforts to keep the House
proposition in the bill. He accused
Cannon of weakening, after saying he
would fight to the death, and then,
turning to Cannon, shook his fist at
him and shouted: You're no cannon.
You're only a toy musket."
Cannon hears of that speech until
this day.
When the Lacey bill to protect the
birds was on passage Cummings made
a speech in favor of it. He introduced
a story about a robin he had found
one morning in the Capitol grounds,
wounded and helpless, lying on the
grass. II took it up" said Cummings.
Carried it to my room. There l gave
it a few drops of brandy" There were
tears in his voice as he continued.
But alas, it was wounded too griev-
ously. 1t died"
II don't wonder" broke in Repre-
sentative Shattuc, "if the brandy you
gave it was the same kind you gave
me when 1 called on you the other
evening"
The House roared with laughter, and
Cummings. after foundering for a few
sat down.
When Cummings was managing
editor of the New York Sun, he out
lined to a fellow member of the New
York Press Club one evening a story he
had written, and regarding which he
was very enthusiastic, and exacted a
promise that the friend should read the
story in the Sun of the morning fol-
lowing. Cummings left the club rooms;
the friend went to the buffet, where he
drank until daylight. Starting for
home he found he had left a. single
nickel. which was needed for car fare,
and that, therefore, he could not buy
a paper to read Cummings story. On
the car he met an acquaintance who
repaid a long-standing loan; AID the
pair went to a cafe, where Cummings
friend resumed drinking until drowsi-
ness overlook him, and he settled, head
down on folded arms, at a table for q
nap. There Amos found him, early in
the afternoon. and, touching him on the
asked:
We'll, old man, did you read that
story in this mornings SUM-
well, Amos, to tell the truth, l did
not. You see, it was this way-when
saw the Sun, didn't have the price:
later, when 1 got the price, 1 couldn"
see the SUM"