The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-17

that little fellow beat Bill Fleming?" re-
marked of the latter'S supporters.
why If we sent him to Congress he would
get drowned in an ink we'll trying to sign
his name"
Fleming had made a record for himself.
and a fairly good one, as an educator, a
lawyer, a member of the Legislature, and
of Congress. Once he was considered one
of the handsomest men In the State, but he
met with an unfortunate accident. He was
driving a spirited horse, which became
frightened and unmanageable. AS the ami
NAL ran Fleming held on, as they say In
Georgia. like grim death TO a dead mig
ger" The steed reared, kicked, and ran.
Finally the inevitable crash came, and in
the mixup the horse planted one of it's hind
feet squarely in Fleming's face, right be-
tween the eyes, boring a hole in his fore
head and spreading his nose all over his
face. For long time he was unconscious,
and no one thought he would live. He did
recover, however, came 10 congress, ana
he used to console himself by saying that
Representative Frank Eddy, of Minnesota,
who admitted the fact. was the one man in
the House uglier than himself. Fleming
his own which he was able to set forth
with vigor and force. But he made one
sad mistake, which did more than any
thing else TO lose him his seat in Con-
gress He crossed swords in parliament
airy combat with De Almond, the little
giant from Missouri.
FOOLED FLEMING.
Fleming thought he knew a great deal
about parliamentary law and procedure and
he did, but in expressing his knowledge he
was no more a match for DeArmond than a
country pettifogger would be against Joseph
Choate Both were Democrats, but they
differed widely over a point which did not
matter TO either Of them which won it. In
the running debate the Missourian made the
Georgian look like 20 cents worth of counter
felt Chinese currency with square holes in
the center of it. and the House again and
again roared with laughter at the expense
of Fleming.
1t was just before the campaign in Geor-
gia opened and a copy of the Congress-
ional Record containing the dialogue fell
into Hardwick's hands. He cut it out and
had copies printed. circulating them
throughout the district with the comment,
do you want to send to Congress a man
who is laughed at and deTided by his own
party associates?' The effect was Just what
Hardwick wanted it to be, and many voters
began TO think that Bill Fleming had
made fool of himself and had better be
retired. Then, too, Fleming unpoltic
enough TO attack a suffrage-lmitng meas
ure which Hardwick had introduced in the
Legislature and that helped to defeat him
for ii was popular in the district.
Soon after his election Hardwick an
nounced that he intended to have the fif-
teenth amendment to the Constitution and
a part of the fourteenth repealed He
didn't say exactly that. but what he did
say was that the fifteenth amendment and
a part of the fourteenth ought to be re-
pealed, and that he would introduce a reso-
luton proposing 10 repeal them. He has
made good in this respect and introduced
a resolution which has brilliant prospects of
dying a lingering and undisturbed death i'm
committee room. 1t is a difficult task to
get amendments added to the Constitution
and IL will be still more difficult to subtract
any of them from il. Hardwlck has sue
ceeded however. in directing some attention
TO and arousing some discussion upon the
subject.