The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-07-30
PASSING OF CUSHMhN
Quaint Sayings Of the Represent
alive From Washington.
WlTTIEsT OF CONGRESSMAN.
Never at Loss For q Reply--His First
Speech on River and Harbor Bill
Filled the House With Roars-Ross
From Water Boy to High Place.

Francis w. Cushman, representative
In congress from Tacoma, Wash, who
recently died I'm New York. attained
two distinctions while In congress.
One he claimed rs his right by nature,
that he was the homcllest man there.
and the second he was accorded unnn-
imously, that he was the wittiest.
There had long been the claim that
Frank Marion Eddy OF Minnesota was
the homelicst man In the hall. Walk
ing down the aisle one day. Cushman
claimed the speakers attention and
after n spread eagle speech that might
have prefaced any subject he turned
toward Eddy and said: Look us over
compare this face with that point
Ing to Eddy and tell me am not the
homelicr?'
Having succeeded to the seat made
vacant by James Hamilton Lewis, the
members were anxious to see what
"Jim HAMS successor was like
They saw six feet of dangling, slim
manhood, sober, gloomy exterior,
with clothing hanging limp and Ill
fitting.
They gazed Mt him for moment
| and then, bursting into laugh, some
one said, Great heavens, do they
| raise anything but freaks In Washing
tonY" To which Cushman replied
drawlingly, "Well, we try to keep
pace with the rest Of this great coun-
| try, sir"
| When the river and harbor bill was
| di,o,,,ad and most IF tho MEM
| bers had hidden themselves In the
cloakrooms Cushman arose to speak.
No one paid much attention Tor
awhile Suddenly some listener awoke
the house with a roar OF laughter.
Five minutes later the seats were filled
with listeners to one OF the wittiest
speeches ever delivered there.
j. Adam Bede. who had reputation
for humor, was once followed In one
Of his wittiest speeches by Cushman,
who said:
after listening to Mr.. Bede's speech
am forced to the conclusion that my
folks subscribed to the same almanac
that his did"
After Secretary Hitchcock resigned
from the interior department Cushman
made speech in which he said,
"When the news of Mr.. IIitchcock's
retirement was sent out there was not
a dry throat west of the Mississippi"
Telling of his going to congress he
said, 81 crept noiselessly into the nall
oppressed by the vast gobs OF states
, manship / knew were to be found on
= every hand-conscious Of my own I'M
:. worthiness except as to the matter OF
:, depulchritude, where l knew l was
q supreme"
Now and then Cushman essayed tor
;, fay the methods Of the house. On
n one occasion he said, "a man who in
4 PRODUCES a bill here puts his manhood
q in his pocket and goes trotting down
;, the aisle to the speakers room-or the
bill dies"
r. Serene Payne, who, then as now.
was chairman Of the committee on
n ways and means, came In for special
!. drubbing at Cushman's hands In that
II speech. as did General Charles III.
Grosvenor of Ohio and John Dalzeli.
the speakers Republican colleagues on
70 the committee on rules. 1t was In
N that speech that Mr. Cushman gave
his famous explanation Of why he was
so thin.
81 have behind me an honest but in
:. furiated constituency" he said, half
a million worthy, honest. patriotic peo-
-, ple who are demanding and rightfully.
-. that secure certain needed legisla'
~, ton for them That Is the pressure on
80 me from the rear. Then, In this house
-. whenever I try to secure consideration
- Of the matters In which my people are
- interested | run up against the stone
wall that surrounds the speaker and
20 the committee on rules. That Is the
-, pressure in front. And l tell yor
frankly that between the two l have
- become thinner than n Cancelled post
e. age stamp That is what is the mat
"a ter with me-"
eu One of Cushman's first speeches
-. made a hit in the house. In lamentini
-, the panic of 1893 he said that his con
.a stituents were so impoverished by tn
80. hard times that they had to live Of
~ clans washed ashore until their stom
- achs rose and fell with the tide.
- Here are q few Of Cushman's ep
grams:
~ "a great many of our citizens seer
to be possessed of the desire to liv
on the installment plan-too many liv
swiftly, too few properly"
"There are too many OF us Anne
'ht' leans who would rather ride in
ro- mortgaged automobile. run with bo
hen rowed gasoline, than walk In the pat
'ne Of honorable obscurity"
~ The career Of Cushman was typical
es'' American and as typically wester
'e He was born in Iowa in 1867, got
village schooling, and, with all h
'ise earthly possessions in small siz'
'ou' handkerchief, he tied the corners loos
'oo " across the top and made for II
boundless west. He landed In Was
81 ington and became n water boy for
railroad. Next he was n section han
-, then laborer, later cowboy In w
. oming, cook in n lumber camp,
.,Nh M Iaf