The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-01-06
ANECDOTES OF REED
ish War-Said Dewey Would Win.
wept Bitterly When ocrats
Refused Him a Vote of Thanks.

honaS 3. Reed left public life, ance-
Gotes of his career in Washington are
related almost daily.
Mr.. Reed was a member of a party
tia met Joseph Chamberlain at din
rer several years before the SPANISH
war. At this dinner Mr.. Chamberlain
tried to interest American statesmen
N the eastern question.
Why don't you take a hand N the
east?" he asked.
Mr.. Reed replled that the United
States was too busy taking care Of its
cwn territory ami made a jovia. le-
mark about not having time to Dbl.
John Bulls ches-nuts from the fire.
The morning he house met after HI
Rows of Dewey's rictory had been re-
ccived Mr.. Reed sent for several mem
rrs and said TO them: This is \ Sc
rious matter. Dewey ought to sail
right away from that place. 1t will
make US trouble for all time if he does
not"
This was the FIST time Mr.. Reed had
ever spoken on the Philippine que stion,
hut he had read all about the Malay
race Of the islands and knew about the
ether complications The day it became
clear that this country was goiag I'd
nold the stands Mr.. Reed said TO 4
TREND who had known Of Mr.. Chamber
lnin's efforts years before: II think r
can see a Sardolic smile on JoseDn
Thamberlain'S face this morning"
| Mr.. Reed was The man who received
The credit of putting Theodore Roose-
velt in the office OF Assistant Secretary
OF the Navy. Senator Lodge a I'M
pressed President Mckinley with h
~isdom Of appointing Mr.. Roosevelt.
tut MIR. Roosevelt had been Nj
Sirong's police commissioner, and he
d not gotten along with the republi-
can machine in New York. Senator
Platt objected and the appointment
could not be made without Mr.. Platt'S
consent Mr.. Reed at this juncture
vent to Mr.. Platt and induced him 20
consent to the appointment.
OPPOSED TO SPANISH WAR.
Mr.. Reed was opposed to every step
token by the Mckinley administrator
with regard to the wal with SpaIn,
seys the Washington correspondent of
the New York Sun, and therefore he
always insisted that the Maine was
ticwn up by accident and not by q
Spanish torpedo, and no report OF ex-
perts could convince him to the con-
trary.
He even went 50 far as to declare
that the American officers were pIay-
ing cards and registering and never
knew what caused the explosion. Al
Trough personally a very popular MIN
Will liz lFleIOS dfEu the puDllc at large
Ar. Reed was no 'jollier." To use an
other slang word Of the day, he was
much more of a "knocker," and. juGs,-
ing by the testimony of his old Maine
friends he belonged to that species
from birth.
Fitman Pulsifcr, the present clerk of
tie senate ommitr on naval affairs,
vas a court reporter in Maine when
Reed was winning his spurs as a law
ger, and he says that one day in court
the counsel opposing Reed in the case,
4 suave. genial mar. in passing by Pull
sIfer's chair, gently smoothed his hair.
Reed, a moment lated walked across
the room and rubbed Pulsifer's aaIr
back the wrong way, and, according to
Mr.. PulSifer, he had been rubbing some
/ copies hair the wrong way ever since
During his long service in congress
Mr.. Reed never delivered an eulogy. He
vas opposed - the practice, and
thought the house should proceed wiIh
its regular business and at the usual
hour adjourn out of respect to the
memory Of a decreased member He
thought Sunday al. appropriate day for
funeral services IN congress-, n that
the eulogy should not be printed IN The
hecord, u in beck or pamphlet form.
end he highly commended the last 1e-
quest of an ante-bellum Mississippi
member that no cuiogies should be pro-
nounced over him, but that the house
take up a certam bill he had into
duced and pass it the day Of his fun
eral. out of respect to his men. ory.''
ard the hous did.
Mr.. Reeds satire was so merciless,
his sarcastic wit sc ready and his aoE-
lty to handle himself in debate 50 per
feet that few ~no knew him were
aware that lie was q man of delicate
feeling who would suffer keenly from
L harsh word. che thrusts of tn ose
Il who fought hi" talrlv nnunr SnapnnH Tp
trouble the big, im~perturbable man
from Maine: but ne was often mis-
judged.
WHEN REED WEPT.
The hardest olow to Reeds feeling
came On the closing day Of that me'nor-
able congress when the democrats de-
ciined to join in the usual non-partisar
complimentary resolutions to the retir-
ing speaker. ranunciatory speecEle.
we're made against the "Czar's' course
in counting q quorum and in running
the house under general parliamentary
law" and when Mr.. Reed brought down
the gavel and Gaclared the house as:
5ourned 1t is a 1act that he went i'm
riediately to h speakers room, and
Z putting his head down on his arms
cried like a baby.
A man who was associated with. hi
{ speaker at that time said, in reLatins
this incident: Nj. Reed had the mos
delicate feelings, nut he possessed tn
| ability Of suppress;ng them"
When the resolution was bitterly Cp
posed by the democrats and was passet
/ by a party vote, Reed realized hat h
:; Vas regarded by the democratic mem
, bers in the light of q personal enam,
, end it unnerved HIM.
III speech tha- wounded him mos
: severely was tha- of William L vii
. son, of West Virginia. 1t was EIild
temperate and Fentlemanly, entiTei,
= different in tone from thai of most o
the other democratic speeches. al
+ Reed had high <esard for Mr.. Wilson
and desired his CeIsOnal good will.
I One day, after il became known ina
: Mr.. Rec was goiug to resign from COZ:
fress, he visited Washington in COM
pany with his daughter, and q reDo~te
called at the hotel to ask hint wit
much gravity of demeanor for til
significance OF the visit that tim
Baltimore Sun.