The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1906-01-12

tnlS question was given serious con-
sideration.
Quay knew only too well that it
would never do To have the voting
methods of Pennsylvania looked in
to and, with a fine sense of what
would happen to his Republican
majorities in the Keystone State, he
always lined up with the Democrats
on that proposition. Other machine
politicians on the Republican side
of the Senate stood with Quay and
helped the Southern men out in
their fight.
One of the peculiar things about
the national Congress is the man
ner in which issues will go out of
fashion. The reduction of Southern
representation is not the only one
that has passed into the background
in recent years. Up to five or six
years ago it was considered a great
thing To twist the tail of the British
Lion. Orators in Congress and out
of il could always win applause by
barking back a century and telling
what was done To- England by the
American colonies and what would
be done again if John Bull did not
behave himself. Nowadays one new
er hears this subject mentioned on
the floor of The Senate or the House.
The last effort in this direction was
made by Representative Charles
Wheeler of Kentucky, in the spring
Of 1902, when he aroused a great
deal of adverse comment by hot
denunciation of the reception that
was given Prince Louis of Batten-
burg, then a visitor to the United
States. The German Prince was on
his way to Washington at the time
and even those who did not approve
Of pomp and ceremony felt that
Wheeler should have held his tongue
until the distinguished visitor got
away.
Along with the Southern repre-
sentation issue was the waving of
the bloody shirt, but this passed be-
fore the reduction scheme and went
entirely out of fashion ut least ten
years ago. Representative John Al
len, better known a. Private John"
Allen of Tupelo, Miss, was largely
responsible for killing off the vicious
attacks on the Southern Confedera-
cy. His famous answer to Repre-
sentative BOutelle of Maine, was
what did il, and that answer has
gone down To history as one of the
greatest efforts ever made in the
House.
Boutelle took the floor one day
and waved the bloody shirt for an
hour He said meaner things about
the South than had ever been said
before, and, a he Is not particu-
larly a good speaker, there was no
fine oratorical cloak To hide the VEN
ON in his words. At that time even
the Republicans were getting tired
Of the bloody shirt, and Boutelle
got little or no applause from his
own side of the House when he sat
down. Speaker Reed was about to
90 on with other business when Al.
len got up To reply. He was not
greeted cordially by either side, as
the hope was felt that no attention
would Ice paid To Boutelle. Reed,
however, was forced To recognize
him, and Allen began. Contrary to
expectations, he did not start off
with a vigorous defense of the South.
Instead, in his inimitable, drawl-
ing style, he began with an anec-
| dOtc mt AppOmattOX.
MrSpeaker, said Allen, along
in the spring of 20 me and Marse
Robert Lee were down at Appomat-
tox. One day he sent for me.
" John, he said, I'm begin
ming to think we ought to stop fight
ing and go home
" Well, General, | said, /
agree with you. I've been intend
ing to speak to you about it for sew
eral days
80 we agreed to quit, and went
out and told all the boys. They
didn't like it much, because they
had been whipping the Yankees for
four years and had forgot how to do
anything else. But they were will
ing to do anything Marse Robert
wanted done, so they gave up their
guns and started home.
Il walked home myself, and af-
ter got in my own country | had
a hard time finding my way. The
Yankees had got around behind us
and had burned down all the houses
i'll my neighborhood. Finally |
struck the right road, though, and
about a mile from my old place |
saw man sitting on charred
stump in field. | went over To
him and found an old friend.
" How are you, Bill?' | asked.
" Well, John, he said, we are
in a pretty bad shape. All our
houses are burned down and we
haven't got thing TO get started
with
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