The Topeka state journal., 1905-10-23
SIMPSON IS GONE.
{ Continued from Page One.l

who would not even purchase socks
under this protective tariff; but, to my
utter ast0nishment, when I got here, /
looked around over this hail and asked
one Of my colleagues to point out to
me that sturdy farmer. You. Mr.
Chairman, may imagine the astonish-
ment 1 felt when my friend, Mr.. Simp-
son, was pointed out to me wearing
When, later, 1 saw him riding up and
down Pennsylvania avenue on a
bicycle, with d cigar in his mouth you
may imagine the astOnishment 1 felt
at that sad spectacle"
Did he wear silk stockings % in
terpOlated James O'DOnnell, of MIchl-
gan, a newspaper editor.
And silk stockings" continued the
.Tennesseean, "and he is now denom1-
mated the dude of the house
This was considered rare fun and
the house was in an uprOar of laugh
ter. It did not discOncert the Kansas
PoDulist, who bided his time, and
few moments afterWard secured the
floor in his own right Among other
things he charges me with not wear
ing proper apparel said Mr.. simpson
He accuses me Of going without
socks in days gone by. Now every
little red-headed editor out in my part
OF the country has used that sort of
argument against me (laughter), but
/ hardly thought the representative OF
a portion of the great state of Tennes-
tactics as that
Rapid Descent From Jackson.
Quoting a cOuplet from Goldsmith.
Mr.. Simpson, having the attention of
every mem ber in the expansive semi
circle of seats continued with a fine
dramatic outburst:
'Ah. Mr.. Chairman. the descent has
been rapid; it is a long distance from
Andrew Jackson to the gentleman
who now represents the Third district
of Tennessee.
I'm regard to my being the dude of
the house, of which the gentleman ac-
cuses me, I am willing to stand along
side Of him and have gentlemen com
pare our wearing apparel, II they
think il necessary. (Laughter-)
Look at him now. with his Prince
Albert coat and his flaming necktie
and diamond ring. (Laughter.) One
thing I will say. Mr. Chairman.
may have been accused of going with
out socks; I may have been accused
lately of being the dude of the house,
but no gentleman has accused me of
being the fool of the house. wish
could say as much of the gentleman
from Tennessee, for I. overheard an
earnest conversation between two
members and it is vet an undecided
question whether he or some other
gentleman is the fool of the house
After having made such a debut, Mr..
Simpson never lacked an audience
when he engaged in rough and
tumble discussion. Only when he
! dipped into finance or tariff, or some
other abstruse subject, was there a
disinclination to hear him. He dared
to thrust and parry with the shreWd
est ON both sides of the center aisle.
His phrases were not always polished,
but before he took his seat he admin
istered some kind of a drubbing to his
opponent that brought out laughter
or applause, the chief signals by which
the house awards the palm to sue
cessfuI combatant
Senator Long His Old Opponent.
His congressional district was the
old Kansas Seventh, located in the
western and southern part of the state,
and being very large in area. He was
first elected to the Fifty-SecOnd con-
gress during the landslide in the mid
die of HarrisOn's administration. He
was reelected to the Fifty-third, also
a Democratic congress, having as his
Republican opponent Chester l. Long
now senator. The two fought the dis
triet over many times with varying
fortunes. Long defeated Simpson for
the Fifty-fOurth congress, and in the
Fifty-fifth Simpson beat Long, but in
the Fifty-sixth congress Long beat
Simpson. who retired from public life
Republican congress Simpson had
served in, and he had a merrier time
than ever, making trouble for Repub-
Iicans and Democrats in turn. Orig
( inally he had been a Republican, and
he did not hesitate to vote with that
party He emphasized this one day,
during the second session, when he fell
upon bluff old Thad Mahon, of Penn
sylvania, an Irishman. who strikes
sIedgehammer blows when he is an
noyed. Simpson, in that penetrating,
insinuating voice of his. had arisen
to ask Mr.. Mahon some annoying
question. The reply was from the
shoulder.
eve have no Populists we have no
demagogues in Pennsylvania said
Mr.. 1Iahon. ct have been in the
house six years." he added, "and of
/ all the dema gogues the worst dema-
/ gogue has been the gentleman from
/ Medicine Lodge"
Simpsons Biting RetOrt.
| During my experience in this
/ house" responded Mr.. Simpson, quite
/ unruff1ed, Il have made one discovery,
among others, that when a gentleman
/ is cornered in debate and finds he is in
on the wrong side, he generally retOrts
! by calling his opponent a demagOgue.' -
/ Then he recOunted his experience in
voting with Republicans and with
! Democrats, cOnVulsing the house with
/ his description.
Speaker Reed and the Kansan were
/ on friendly terms. The speaker could
not, of course, subscribe to Simpson s
I political creed, but admired his ability
to take care of himself in discussion,
and also his excellent good sense on
many questions of legislation. Mr.
! Simpson enjoyed a very desirable po-
sition in his later years as a member
of the house. He was the recognized
leader of the little handful of Popu-
lists. and accordingly was in control
OF considerable time on every fmpor-
tant discussion. The advantage was
that he could always secure time to
I speak when many other members
i Democrats and Republicans, could
not He usually made fifteen OF
twenty speeches a session on a very
wide variety of topics
Once he and Speaker Reed had serf-
Gus clash. It was Of a parliamentary
a,-F--.