The Irish standard., 1904-07-09

stump-speaker, debater and lecturer,
am ready to believe the statement
is true. Major Maginnis is a Catho-
lie, and married lady who in recent
years became convert He lives in
Helena, modestly. He is a man of
profound mental culture, of clean and
Mghly-respected life, against whose
probity no word has ever been utter
eel. He was once elected to. the
United States senate with w. A.
Clark, but was not seated, Col Will
bur r.. Sanders, the Eigilante sena-
tor, and Thomas G.. Power, Republi-
cans, being seated on Il contest in the
senate.
| One at the amusing stories told con-
corning Major Aaginnis' public career
is the folloing: He was il member of
Il joint committee of the house and
senate on Indian affairs once, of
which Senator Vest, of Missouri, was
chairman. Senator Vest was well
known to he partial OF the Catholic
Indian schools. The committee in the
course of it's duties visited one of the
Indian reservations in the West. A
Very bigoted Indian agent represented
the government at the agency. The
committee sat, and among other mat
terS, listened to an address from the
agent. who finally launched into a
TRADE against the Catholic Indian
school on the reservation, and then
ulifted into an attack upon Catholics
i'll general. At the end of one of his
periods, directing his attack against
all things Catholic, he turned to Sen
ator Vest as the chairman of the COM
mittce. with the inquiry, us that not
true, Senator Nest?" II am not n
| Catholic" said Senator Vest, "and
cannot say that 1 am familiar with,
the matters you mention; but''-with
Il merry twinkle in his cyclone of
my colleagues here on the committee,
Major A[aginnis, is Catholic: per-
haps he can answer your question"
1t is needless to say that the Indian
agent closed his speech rather abrupt
ly, and had nothing further to say
against Catholics or Catholic Indian
schools to that committee.
Former Senator Thomas II. Carter,
chairman Of the Republican national
committee Of 1892, is member of the
newly-formed Helena Council of the
knights of Columbus, and an enthu-
siastic member. No political career
of the West is so full OF hope and OBJ
Ject lessons to the young and aspir-
ing as Senator Carters. 1 remember
when Senator Carter drifted into
Helena with the advance-guard of the
new generation, single man, but
with the responsibility Of others on
lis hands, and how lie stirred I'D the
"nloss-hacks," as the Old-timers were
called, who had come down from
Sluice-boX days. not by the eloquence
Of the 'robustious, periwig-pated fell
low but by Il quiet, persuasive. mod
est, hcmely, Lincoln-lke logic that
put progressive ideas in the minds of
the old-timers and brushed away the
cob-webs that had collected from the
days of stage-coach transportation
Carter married the daughter of Hugh
Galen. Il wealthy Catholic. whose
mountain home in the early days was
olicS, and Mrs. Carter was the idol
Of all the old-timers She was pretty,
witty and original of mind, with the
sunshine and the ozone of the noun
tains always with her, and could han
die vicious western broncho with
as much ease as she played the harp
or acted the hostess at fashionable
gatherings. Mrs. Carter is a graduate
Of Notre Dame. Carter ran for con-
gress against present United States
senator w. n. Clark in 1888, and was
elected by a majority Of 5000, as
against a Democratic majority of
1920 two years previous. He has
been the Republican party of Mon
tana ever since. AS combination of
the political organizer and the politi-
cal "historian''-as the Irishman
dubbed Sunset" Cox because of his
learning-Carter is hard to match.
Yet, like former Senator Edmunds, Of
Vermont, and host of other success
full ones, he is self-educated, and
started his career by laying railroad
ties in Ohio, and selling books in
Iowa. One secret of Carter's political
success is his delightful, sunny dis
position and wholesale democracy.
Socially, he is one of the most lovable
characters in American political life,
and is popular with all the Washing
ton correspondents. He, is exceeding
ly approachable, never assumes the
airs of great man, and can dig
as much information from the cram
ium of Pullman porter or college
professor as any living man. No man
in the West has been the subject of so
much envy, jealousy and calumny as
Carter, and yet after years of active
political life, during which the iron
must have entered his soul many
times, he is full of the milk of human
Kindness, with never a dart to spare