The Washington herald., 1914-05-31

and Democrats. Asked . question. he
would ask one back He was alwayu
energetic. but never self-assertive.
Il once said to William Caldwell the
chief deputy In the ONCE" Senator Bur-
leigh told me. ''that were possessed Of
sunicispt ability would somstips Ike to
be the treasurer Of the State"
One Of HurleisA's Early Lessons.
You can be-" william Caldwell an
swered- He thought more Of Burieish's
ability than did Burieigh himself. There
are two revealing points in the dialogue
between these men. both clerks ~ the
same ONCE. First. Burieish's seif-efkace-
ment. the repression OF the EGO" and
caIdweirs recognition Of Burleigh's cap
ability and popularity.
Burieigh. finally trea5urer Of Maine.
found records In Caldwelfs handwriting
antedating the year OF his own birth.
Il have never been ambitious for another
mans place." he said during our talk.
That has been his policy. William Cald-
well always wanted to retain his own
bread and butter a: earned in the
treasury. That was his policy. He was .
self-eliminator. too. and found IL profit
able. After his death James G.. Blaine
said to Burleigh: Every one Thought
that the treasurer's ONCE would stop
running when Caldwell died, but II 10 open
as usual. which shows again that no man
is indispensable.
Il have remembered Mr.. Blaine's
words" Senator Burieigh observed. They
were spoken to me while I was still a
young man. The fault with most of us
Ii that We have an exaggerated opinion
OF our own capacities and values. We
fail to realize that when we pass on the
stage We VIII not be seriously missed
oven by our friends"
II have never interfered with the plans
O aspirations Of any one" Senator
Burleigh said at another place. "I was
always on the best Of terms with the
famous Republican leaders of Maine.
They knew that I was neither plotting
nor waiting for the ofices they held"
The moral Of this mans career shows
that the Offices came to him lust the
same. He lived to represent a part, at
least. Of Reeds district in Congress- He
In . Senator. as were Blaine. Frye, and
Hale Furthermore. he was governor
OF his State twice. a distinction none of
the others ever attained. And as gov
ernor he was instrumental in laying q
tax ON collateral inheritances, sleeping
cars, foreign insurance companies, and
the franchises Of public service corpo-
rations.
Blaine. stopping at BurIeigh's house
one day when he was Ill. said: You
will be the next governor Of Maine" II
was not q prophesy. only an interpreta-
ton Of the signs OF the time Blaine
was right. but there was . hard and
exciting encounter over the nomination.
Nothing has been gained by Burleigh
easily. Invariably he has been compelled
to fght, but he has never been drawn
into any ungraciousness or bitterness of
statement which. ranking in the memory
Of others, caused trouble that had to be
set right.
Reeds Wit Made Trouble.
On the contrary Reed, his close friend.
effervescing wit continually, bubbled
over often To his own loss. He said de-.
licfous things and made men roar and
shout with laughter, but other men put
brickbats in their pockets and waited
the day they could heave them at him
to his own great discontinue. When
he travelled to st. Louis in 1896 wearing
white cotton gloves and q cynical smile
at the thought of McKinley's presump-
tious candidacy. the wild jackass Of the
plains" the name he had given q col
league in the House Of Representatives
now G delegate to the convntion, had