Evening journal., 1915-04-01
New News Of Yesterday
A Senator Who Was AL
ways Ready for Trouble
By Holland.

"Sinoo I have been a member OF
Congress in both the lower and the
upper Houses | have been a close
student Of the personal character
OF members, and have learned many
things about one and another which
have been very interesting and of
which the public has had no knowl-
edge" This statement was made TO
me by the late william p. Frye, Of
Maine, whose service in Congress was
for almost generation OF time, be-
ginning a few years after the close
OF the civil war
Senator Frye was probably one of
the best liked members Of Congress
who ever sat in either the upper OF
lower House. Some Of his colleagues
were sometimes of the opinion that II
he had devoted less time TO the gain
ing and maintaining OF friendship and
more TO the preparation Of speeches
he would have gained a higher nation
al reputation than he did possess
When he first went TO Congress he
early gained a fine reputation as a
speaker. He was of dignified presence
ne possessed a voice wonderfully fit
ted for public speaking, of a musi-
cal, but not mOnotonous quality, and
was able distinctly to enunciate with
out straining his voice. The cordial
ity of his nature and his willingness
to overlook some intellectual or tenn
peramental weaknesses and 10 regard
only those qualities as worthy OF at
tention which revealed the better side
of members intellect or tempera-
ment made IL possible for him to main
tain friendships which other Senators
found difficult TO establish.
Senator Frye spoke to me OF his
relations with the late Isham G. Har-
ris, who was nearly a quarter Of
century a representative OF Tennes-
see In the United States Senate.
Il learned early in life, ard my
knowledge was afterward confirmed BY
my experience in Congress, that the
man TO beware Of was the one who
who had a constant smile, a continu-
GUS display of his teeth. He was the
man to be dreaded and constantly to
guard oneself against" said Senator
Frye.
"On the other hand, the member of
Congress who was peppery, who few
on the handle { the slightest pretext.
who seemed to revel in indignation,
was likely to be a man of kindness
az heart and worthy to establish cor
dial friendship with. This was espe-
cially true Of Senator Harris, of Ten
nessee. There were times when I could
not keep my eyes off his face as he
sat at his desk in the Senate cham
Der, with his sallow complexion, his
bright, small eyes and his fierce mus
tache standing out at an angle with
his cheek, which made me think Of
a Chinese mandarin. He was the most
peppery man in the Senate Some
times those on our side of the cham
Der who we're mischievously disposed
designedly stirred him up so that we
might enjoy his display of irritation.
One time he caught me at this and he
aimed at me a perfect volley of YER
bal fireworks. He did not realize how
many of us We're slyly chucklingl Any
one would have thought that we were
TO be forever enemies, but / knew
that after he finished his remarks he
would become the gentlest of men and
would have no animosity for me. In
fact, an hour or two after this attack
l met him in the cloakroom. He put
his arm around me and said kind
things and you would have thought
that never since our acquaintance be-
gun had there been the slightest cause
for irritation on the part of either
one of us toward the other.
81 think the Senator'S recognized
that Harris display Of pepper was
purely superficial attribute, for / don't
know Of any Senator for whom q more
sincere regard was felt by all the
Senators than for him. There we're
others who never got angry, who
were always placid apparently. who
nevertheless could not count many of
the Senators as their staunch friends"
Copyright, 1915. by =. ]. Edwards. !
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell
How Yale Acquired John Trumbull's
Paintings"
-