The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-08
THOMAS ID. REED.


ifications and achievements give them a
permanent place in the history of the coun-
try. His rare talents which had the bril-
liancy of genius. his philosophical grasp of
all great questions, his high integrity, his
dauntless moral courage and his American
ism give him a place in that front rank
in American craftsmanship which very few
have reached or will ever attain. In some di-
rections. intellectually, he seemed to have
no limitations. But for infirmity of
temperament which caused him TO oppose
other great men. he was the ideal public
man. Because of that infirmity he failed TO
realize that completeness of career which
was easily within his grasp. For his prom
inence he did not depend upon wealth, pow
erful association, any extraneous in
fuences. Entering Congress at the age OF
thirty-eight an unknown man, he volun-
tarily retired, after twenty-five years of
service, one of the generally recognized
leaders of his party because of his capacity
in great. affairs. All this he achieved for
himself by the force of his sturdy character
and rare Intellectual power. He won all
that man might win except the presi-
dency, which was his great ambition. His
infrmity was that he took offense at trivial
things. For instance, President Harrison
appointed the candidate for the Portland
customs house named by the senator's, a
course which had the precedent of years,
instead of Speaker Reeds man. That in
significant thing made him the enemy of
General Harrison, yet. in their high ideals
of public service, their views on public
questions, in wonderful mentality In ex-
preston, no two men at that time were
nearer alike.
The greatest achievement of Mr.. Reed
was the forcing of the adoption of the rules
which enabled the majority of the House
to legislate. For years that body had been
drifting away from the fundamental theory
of popular government until it had come to
pass that a handful of ilibusters could
prevent the majority from legislating, and,
by breaking a quorum by refusing to an
swer roll calls all legislation of an impor-
tant character could be prevented. To
break up these pernicious evils required not
only the keenest intellect and the highest
parliamentary skill, but dauntless moral
courage. No man was more fiercely de-
nounced at the time. Even men high in
his own party did not sustain him. Yet,
with matchless capacity for leadership, he
won his party in the House, where it had
but eight majority. to his support in adopt
ing code of rules the worth of which
subsequent Democratic houses recognized
by adopting and even strengthening. When
the impartial and intelligent historian shall
| write the political history of the twenty
| five years preceding the retirement of Mr..
Reed from Congress. he will make the two
| greatest achievements of that period the
passage of the resumption act and the car
| rying of it into effect by John Sherman,
and the establishment of the power of the
majority in the House by Thomas B. Reed.
1t should not be forgotten when the coun-
| try is giving to the dead statesman his just
| credit that in 1890, by the failure of
| a few Republicans to stand by the large
majority. a free-coinage bill would have
been passed but for his courageous leader
ship and parliamentary decisions. He
might have permitted the bill to be passed
and thus forced upon President Harrison
the responsibility of vetoing it, thus prob
ably putting him out Of the race for NOM
nation, but Mr.. Reed never shirked a
| duty with the excuse that another could
| more easily perform it. Another act OF
Speaker Reed, which was OF the highest
| service to his country, was when he put
| forth all his influence to defeat the Senate
resolution. adopted just before the war with
Spain. recognizing the republic of Cuba
II he had yielded 10 the clamor of those
whose noise deceives the timid but does
not influence courageous and devoted
statesmen, that resolution, which all must
see was fraught with many evils, would
have been passed. But, when it's passage
was imminent the speaker had the House
adjourned over until Monday, and during
the interval he and other forceful mer
brought back to a sense of duty the half
stampeded forty Republicans and passed
the resolutions President Mckinley wished
and which the speaker knew to be safe ant
effective.
Those who knew Mr.. Reed best, and VIII,
understood his infirmities and admired hi
matchless qualities, knew that he drifteC
into partial opposition to his party relativ,
to the policy adopted with reference to tn,
acquisition of the Philippines because h
was laboring under the delusion that h
should have been nominated for Presiden
in 1896 instead of Mr.. Mckinley, and tina
the latter's friends had not treated hin
fairly. He was really unfriendIy to Mr.
Mckinley when he became President. an,
the unfriendliness grew to hostility to tn
Mckinley leaders, which led him to retir
from Congress because he could not sim
port the measures of the administration
1t is very probable that if he had bee
President he would have pursued much th
same policy as did Mr.. Mckinley. Blu
Mr. Reed had done his great work. braveI
and effectively. and the doing of il as h
did won for him the esteem of his country
men.
SAMUEL Ii. ARNOLD'S STORY.