Evening journal., 1913-04-04
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Return Of a Forgotten
Speaker to the National
House
By ugiland.

Either late i'm the year 1882 or early
in the winter of 1883 there appeared
upon the floor of the lower house Of
Congress a man who instantly attrac-
ted attention by reason of something
in his manner which suggested to the
members of the House that unfamiliar
as was his face. stranger as he was
TO almost all. nevertheless the house
itself, its varied activities and the
hum and hustle that are characterize
tic of session were not unfamiliar
10 him.
lie was escorted by one of the Mas
saChusctts members to q vacant seat
lie had been youchcd for TO the door
keeper BY this member. He WAS upon
the floor not by special privilege, but
by reason of immcmorial custom Of
the house. While. he sat beside his
Massachusetts friend chatting in low
tones many were the furtive glances
fed upon him. He was an ominently
distinguished man i'm personal APP
pearancc The atmosphere of high
cultivation, intellectual and temper
amcntal, was nercepihle. Although
he seemed TO be Of venerable years,
yet his mental vigor was apparently
unimpaired.
His hair was white and quite thick
His whiskers were trimmed i'm the
conventional form adopted by Eng
fish statesmen years ago and by the
scholarly gentlemen Of the United
States. The tinge of abundant health
was In his cheeks. Occasionally he
looked around the great hall. OF ali
those who were on the floor none, with
the exception of two or three, had
personal acquaintance with him. This
mans appearance upon the floor was
like that of visitor out OF the re-
mote past
My attention was fixed upon this
stranger from the moment of his APP
pcaFance. ! knew. of course, that he
had formerly served as a meber OF
the House or else at some time had
received the thanks OF Congress, for
otherwise he would not have been adj
mitted to the floor I made inquiries
and learned that he was none other
than Robert c. Winthrop, who full
generations time hirty-three years
before had been elected Speaker OF
the lower house of Congress
IL was Robert c. Winthrop, as can
the profoundly brilliant statesman
| from Georgia as candidate of the
Democrats. who waged the now-his-
toric battle i'm 1850 for the Speaker
/ ship that lasted a month. AT last
Howell Cobb won by two votes.
A day or two later ! met the late
Henry l.. Dawes, who was then United
] States Senator from Massachusetts
] Ia & L.I La
opportunity TO meet and hold CONVEX
sation with the former Speaker whose
name thirty-three years before haC
been upon the lips of every citizen.
YES" said Senator Dawes. Il had
a most interesting conversation will
Robert C. Winthrop. I reminded hin
that I was occupying the seat in The
Senate which, thirty years before, he
had occupied for a brief term.
"Mr Winthrop told me that as he
sat beside a group of friends in the
House of Representatives he foun,
his memory wandering back to The
days when he was serving as Speaker
of the House. The past seemed for I
few moments not like a dream, but
vivid reality. He recalled the grea
tragedy which occurred during his
Speakership and he remembered az
though it were only a day before th'
solemn hush that fell when the ven
erablc John Quincy Adams was seize,
with a mortal stroke and sank uncOn
scious. smitten with death. while in
the midst of his active duties as mem
Der Of the lower house. He recalled
TOO. the faces of many Of those WHIT
were colleagues of his and whit
afterward became distinguished II
the Civil War on both Sides and their
was one face I'm particular that stoOi
ont before him like a personal friend
u was that of Abraham Lincoln.
81 shall never forget the solemnit
with which this great man. this pei
ished orator. profound scholar an
true statesman who was speaker O
the House of Representatives thirty
three years ago narrated to me IN
visions which came TO him as he sa
an unrecognized visitor yesterday Il
the House Of Representatives
Copyright. 1913, by +. j. Edwards
All rirhfc rpsprXad