The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-24

also broad In the beam and when he en-
/ tered Columbia college, in the early sew
entities. few sophs there were who cared
TO tackle him.
| Leaving college the young giant went
/ in for the law and was admitted to the
bar as early as he could be, which Is to
say when he was II. Six years later he
was elected to the legislature, and when
/ 30 he was chosen speaker of the assem-
bly,. Two years after that he came to the
national House of Representatives.
When, in full war paint with feathers
! flying and tomahawk waving the young
Tammany brave entered Congress. that
winter of $50, Speaker Reed, it's said, fed
precipitately to the Maine woods to be-
gin anew the study of parliamentary
practice. at which the former speaker of
New York was said to be ephenom.n
In those halcyon days. when the great
Car himself ruled with might that was
absolute. and when a House committee
ON committees was as undreamed of at
Washington as the bogies of the initiative,
referendum and recall, tradition demand
ed that each freshman of the House go
away back and sit down--be seen little
and heard not at all-pending seasoning
process of at least two years. But not SO
for the Hon. Mr.. Sulzer. So great was
the CONSERVATION of the House when he
| jumped right into the forefront of the
! fray-after he had been in his seat but a
few weeks-th the gavel fell from
Tom Reeds hand, while the pages had
to run with water to dash upon the heads
of "Encle Joe and the rest of the Old
Guard. Democrats looked at republicans
with mouth agape and eyes popping fair
! ly out of their heads, and republicans
stared back at democrats with the same
marks of surprise on their faces. But
the Hon. Bib was unmindful Of the
chop-fallen solons about him. Undaunted,
he kept right on with the fray.
So the republicans decided to haze
him, and Gibson, of Tennessee, whom
Sulzer had just gone for hammer and
tongs, was the first majority-man to
attempt the chastisement.
After hurting that horrible pun that
dubbed the fresh youth, Mr.. Seidlitz
Powder" and also threw the House
into y paroxysms of laughter. Gibson
pulledN from his pocket a newspaper
clipping containing a facetious biog-
raphy Of the young man terrible, in
which that gentleman was not only
featured as the reincarnation OF
Henry Clay, but quoted as having
boosted that when once seated in the
House he would lump Reed in de
ear" and teach him how we ruin
things in the New York legislature"
II was iAinB LOT lHc
Hon. Bill when the wicked Gibson read
this into the Record. His political fu-
ture hinged upon what he was to say
for himself Ignominous retreat amid
such howls of laughter rising now
from all sides of the House. would
mean that the young man could never
bob up again and be taken seriously
II was a moment of sicl<ly suspense.
How did this brave, so bold and brash,
aoquit himself?
Towering above his colleagues on the
minority side, he calmly waited until
the outlaws had died down.
"Mr. Speaker" he then began, with
impressive deliberation, 81 admit that
the writer Just quoted has touched
upon certain weaknesses of mine with
undeniable facility, but l am not re-
sponsible for the writings of others
who choose to compare my charac
teristics with those of other great men,
Nor have 1 circulated this vainglorious
sketch among my constituents after
the method of my adversary the mod
est gentleman from Tennessee"
This allusion 10 a circular in which
Gibson had given a glowing account
of him self to his constituents turned
the laughter and the ridicule of the
House against the Tennesseean
Sulzer had made his splash in the
House and had carried the day. Few
men have dared to cross swords with
him since. and he has been a growing
factor upon the democratic side.