Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-05-16

| of representatives,
! Private" John NJ.
| r. - ~ Allen of Tupelo,
M HM M Miss, voluntarily
| n retired to the more
lucrative if less
conspicuous vocation of the law. The
memory Of his stories and humor still
survives in the national capital, where
few men have been more popular.
| The story Of the way Allen got hif
| title Of "Private' is still worth telling,
! though the incident happened over
twenty years ago. 1t was when he
| first ran for congress. His opponent
was a General Tucker, and the two
campaigned together. The general at
one meeting told the crowd how he had
saved their town during the war and
grew particularly eloquent in describ-
ing his sleeping in tent the night be-
fore the battle.
Allen, who was not within hundred
miles of that battle, rejoined in his
inimitable manner:
Friends and Fellow Citizens-Its all
true what General Tucker told you about
his sleeping in his tent that night before
the battle. I know all about 1t, for was
guarding that tent all night long in the
cold and wet on picket. And now just
want to say to all Of you who were gen.
erals in the war and slept at nights in
your guarded tents, like General Tucker,
you vote for him. But all you fellows
thai guarded the generals tents in the
wet and cold, like me, you vote for Pri-
Vate Allen.
That speech gained Allen his sobri-
quet and his election at one and the
same time.
One Of Mr. Aliens most famous
speeches in congress was delivered in
the summer of 1896, when Speaker
! Reed and Major Mckinley were both
candidates for the Republican presi-
Dental nomination and as a cOnse-
quence we're saying little on public
questions.
Allen began by stating that there had
been considerable comment in the
! newspapers respecting the somewhat
| unusual silence which had character
lied him in this session. But, Mr.,
| Speaker" he continued, there has
been little in this session of congress
to inspire a Christian man to be To-
quacious. l am not the only one who
has been silent in these days. There
are many Of us leaders who are not
talking much lately"
Mr.. Allen said the Republicans were
evidently going to select for their can
didate man who had the qualities for
which the colonel of a cavalry regt-
IC lic tTNnnS
''He must turn quick and go fast"
On q later occasion Allen had diff
Guilty in securing recognition. When he
finally got the floor, he said in deeply
injured tone:
"There is an evident disposition on
the part of somebody to suppress my
impassiOned oratory. l wish to assure
the speaker and the house that it is not
my purpose, and [ have no desire by
nv fervid and persuasive elOquence to
overpersuade this house into the adop-
ton of any unconstitutional or hurttul
measure. Sir, I would scorn to take
any such advantage Of the weakness
Of the house"
One of the most amusing speeches
"Private" Allen ever made in the house
was in support of the bill to tax oleo-
margarine Representative Tillman of
South Carolina, brother of Senator Ben
Tiliman, had claimed that oleo Is su-
perior to many brands of butter and
that it was an injustice to the poor
man to prevent his buying it. In re-
ply Allen told a story Of an old negro
who had eaten q box Of axle grease,
thinking it cheese. Upon being asked
how he liked it the old man replied:
$50 God, boss, dat was de ransom
est cheese cher has eat yet"
:tNow. Mr. Chairman" commented
Allen, AZ have no doubt that If a prop
ositton were pending here to prevent
the sale Of axle grease for cheese the
gentleman from South Carolina would
deliver us q scientific lecture and try
to persuade US 1t was much better and
more wholesome than cheese and that
| 1t would be a great outrage on the Ia
boring man to suppress the fraud
At banquet given by a millionaire
senator one evening Allen hesitated as
| he was entering the magnificent din
| ing room and then remarked to his
| partner:
My dear young lady, let US pause
moment or two. I doubt if | can re-
strain my feelings"
| There seemed to be trouble on his
! face, and the lady said:
"Why, Mr.. Allen, what is the matter
with you?"
81 am sad,' was his reply.
"For what reasonT"
"Oh, it makes me sad to look at this
room. 1t reminds me so much Of my
own dining room at Tupelo."
Those who knew poor Aliens fnan-
| cial circumstances could appreciate the
point Of his joke.
! When showing one of his Mississippi
constituents about the house, the de-
| lighted countryman asked:
"Who is the leader of this house"
"Oh," said Allen modestly, you will
! find out when they call the roll. The
| first man on the list is the leader Of
the house. They are just now getting
! ready for a call"
! The MiSSiSSiDDian Dricked M his