Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-26

most engaging qualities. At a dinner In
Washington some years ago one OF the
speakers remarked on the tact shown by
some public men in remembering names
and faces. James C. Blaine was cited as
shining example.
This brought Henderson to his feet.
"All politicians are fakirs in that re-
gard" exclaimed Henderson, ana MI
Blaine is the biggest fakir of them all
He then proceeded to relate an expert
ence he had with Mr. Blaine while he was
secretary of the republican national con-
gressional committee IN 1892
Both men were stopping at Wormley
Hotel. in Washington. where the committee
had headquarters. One day Blaine passed
Henderson and eyed him sharply
The next day when the two met Mr..
Blaine greeted Henderson, effusively, call
ing him by name. and showed remark
ably familiar knowledge with the Iowa
ScOtchman and his political work Hender-
son suspected that Mr. Blaine had been
making inquiries to learn about him for
political reasons. At dinner that evening
he summoned the head waiter and ques-
toned him that point.
The waiter replied that Mr.. Blaine had
asked him Heuderson's name, where he
lived and what he was doing ~ the hotel,
and had remarked that Henderson was a
fine young man.
Henderson insisted that this incident ex-
planned Mr.. Blaines remarkable tact In
the matter of remembering names and
faces and that if the doings of most poll
ticians We're analysed it would be found
that they came by the same quality In the
same manner that Mr.. Blaine did.
Prevented a Riot.
In the stormy days of the House of Rep
resentauves, just before the adoption of
the resolutions precipitating the war with
Spain, Colonel Henderson prevented gen.
eral riot on the floor. Partisan feeling
| was running very high and Representatives.
| Brumm of Pennsylvania and Bartlett OF
| Georgia became involved in dispute and
| the lie exchanged.
Members began throwing copies of the
| Congressional Record at one anothers
heads and to strike out right and left with
their fists, and one excited Southerner drew
a knife. There was great rush of MEM
bers into the space directly in front of the
Speakers stand, which for the time being
seemed transformed into a fighting pit.
Suddenly Henderson came hopping down
the aisle on his crutch, and leaning himself
against the desk, he waived his crutch in
the air and his voice rang out in clarion
cali for order. For the first time he seemed
TO override even the power OF Speaker
Reed.
Members of the House of Representa-
tives." he shouted. you forget where you
are Back to your seats"
The command was effective. Members
halted and dropped into convenient seats;
ana IN a rev minutes henderson cFulCn
had completely restored order where the
gavel of Speaker Reed had apparently
failed.
His Farewell Address.
At the conclusion of his twenty years
service, when he laid down the gavel as
Speaker of the Fifty-seventh Congress. he
made a brief farewell address, in which he
said:
Constituted as 1 have been from child
hood, friendship is an essential element of
my lffe's food. And whether on the floor
or in the chair. l have found a bountiful
supply in this house.
Go where 1 may from this hall, I shall
carry with me In my heart an affectionate
recollection of the friends that L have met
here. and 1 do not know one enemy.
Wherever l meet any member of this body
in the future L shall feel that l meet 4
legislative Comrade, and / know that he
Will meet a friend"
The predominating quality Of Col. Hen
derson was his ability to form warm
friendships
eral announced candidates. largely because
of his reputation for being a good fellow
Members fiocked to his support and before
the day OF election the opposition was all
Withdrawn.
His exit from public life was the most
dramatic incident OF his career In his
twenty years of service In Congress he had
like most men in political life, built up an
army or enemies at home. They were never
sufficiently numerous or powerful to dis
lodge him. The opposition was led prfnci-
pally by former Cows. Boies and Larrabee
Henderson defeated Boies for the repub-
lican nomination for Congress and later
BoieS became a democrat and nominee for
Congress at the time Henderson Withdrew
from the race and from politics. The de-
movement came in September, 1902
Henderson learned that his political enc
cies had collected a lot of material of
personal nature to be used against him In
the fall contest. and rather than meet a
campaign of SANDER he decided to quit pol
tiles forever. He assigned political reasons
for his retirement.