The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-08
THE CAR is GONE.


In congress.
1t was not until the spring of 1878 that
congress fully realized that Ajax WAS
In their midst. and that Ajax was thai
physical and intellectual giant T-om
Maine, who looked like Shakespeare anu
could talk like Junius wrote, and Ben
those days was southern war claims.
1t was o. d. Conger's speciality, which
he employed to fire the northern heart
and make treason odious.
During the war William and Mary
college had suffered a loss of property
to the value of $4,000, and it was at
tributed to the vandalism of federal
troops. A bill was before congress to
reimburse the college, and it was cham
piOned by Gen. LOring, Massachusetts
Republican, in a fiorid, ferVid speech
that was an historical essay and class
ical grafton, overlooking with patnOs,
patriotism and brotherly love. Gen.
LOring was a very learned man, and
took no great pains to conceal the fact.
He knew British politics from Magma
Charta to the disestablishment of the
Irish church. and was familiar with
British letters from the Canterbury
Tales" to the 'Idylls of the King" ana
he put it all in his speech championins
the cause of William and Mary.
Reed answered him in the meanese
speech even he ever delivered. Every
word took the bark off John Randolph
himself would Gave fled from it. Fancy
the following, uttered in tones to pro-
woke congregation of Quakers ana
with sneers that weighed each ton:
Il must say that it seemed to me
strange when Washington and Jefferson
and Sir Christopher Wren were brought
in to decide the question whether We
should pay sos, 600 for a burned building.
but when it came to the introduction OF
Milton, and. for aught l know, Luther
and Locke I confess l was aStoniShed.
Think of all these claimants
translated into that magnificent upper
al in vrf1 iale q % q
and possibly South Carolina alone can
liVel lust think of them in that blue
empyrean, surrounded by Washington
and Jefferson and dead heroes, and Mil
ton and Sir Henry Vane, and Sir Chris
topher Wren, and the whole of our Eng
lish literature, and my friend from Mas
sachusetts here below emblazoning it all
in gorgeous languagei 1 ask you how.
you could meet that2'
The whole speech was full of such
sarcasms as that and it was such
speech that made men like Senator
Carmack want to see Tom Reed hanged.
During the three sessions of the forty
sixth congress Reed was a thorn in the
side of the Democracy. He was as able
as the ablest, and his scorpion tongue
made him as much feared as Thad.
Stevens or John Randolph. He never
defended, never persuaded. He was the
man for attack and for command. Per-
haps the only compliments he ever ut
tered were tributes to two dead men
bled, and the other William L. Wilson,
whose speech on General Parliament
airy Law" he confessed nearly pene-
trated his cuticle. All eyes were fixed
on him in the forty-sixth congress. 1t
was known that he would go far.
The forty-seventh congress was Re
publican by narrow majority, and
Reed was candidate for speaker; but
Horace Page of California, and George
c. Hazleton of Wisconsin, played
game of practical politics, and General
Keifer defeated him. Reed became
chairman of the judiciary committee,
and had for colleagues at that council
board George D. Robinson, Ezra B.
Taylor. ]. Proctor Knott John Ran
dolph Tucker and David B. Culberson,
and he was second to none of even these
giants of the bar.
No legal battle on the floors of the two
houses of the American congress has
ever surpassed in forensic eloquence and
learning the debates on the measurS
providing for the distribution of the
fund arising out of the Geneva award.
In the senate it was discussed by Blaine,
Edmunds, Hoar. Conkling, Sherman,
Thurman, Mcdonald. David Davis. Car.
penter, Lamar Ben Hill and others, and
lawyers scarcely their interiors discuss
ed IL in the house. Mr.. Reed made a
speech upon it in the forty-seventh con-
gress, and it is only justice to him to
say that no argument in either house
surpassed his
nOllhS =. IkttQ met one discontinue,
William NJ. Springer was the man who
hooked leviathan and previously did
Springer answer it in after years. The
Democrats wanted to know something
about Jay Hubbell and his assessments,
and Reed took the floor to talk about
that. He said something like this:
They (the DemOcratS) are utterly IN
able to rise to the dignity of any ques-
ton of Importance. but they are eternal
ly striking attitudes before people who
have been dead and buried for five and
forty years. They are struggling to
catch the ignorant. but the American
people have ceased to be ignorant since
the days of Andrew Jackson, and if
these gentlemen could only see them
selves as others see them they would
find themselves in a cemetery appealing
to graves under which lie what has long
ceased to be even remains. = Gen
tlemen, do not go on. setting mouse
traps for elephants"
Springer yelled out. You are the
Jumbo" The house roared, for Reed
was evidently Disconnected and if was
on the question of his physical proper
tons BE that as may be, Reed was
furious an1 retorted that it was the
fifty-seventh speech that Springer hac
made that day. Above the roar could b.
detected the rasping voice of Springer
shouting Jumbo. Jumbo, Jumbol" Tt
which Reed replied that the house dis
not know that Springer was finite unit
nv XII AcdNt ~ Dllul tie Jay DGIOfG
and then they We're all glad in the happy
thought that there was a point where
that voice could be printed instead Of
being heard. To all of which Springer
continued to shout Jumbo" and tn,
house continued to enjoy the rage int
which the man whose lash both sides
dreaded had worked himself
Springer was ever good-natured. Pun.
ishment agreed with him, and sarcasm
had no more effect on him than a
sprinkle on a duck One of the mos
ridiculous scenes ever enacted in greai
delberative body was when Syringe.
came sailing down the aisle and pro.
claimed, I'D rather be right than presi.
dent." To that Reed instantaneous
answered. But you viii never bt
either" OF course the house roared. bu1
1t was as much amused at the insen
sibility of Springer to the thrust as il
At tie Hnitticisn1 of