Part 2 (1/2)

The House probably contained no member of rarer attainments in scholarshi+p than Julius H Seelye of Massachusetts He stood in the front ranks of the great educators of his day, and was President of A the latter years of his life His political service was li upon the General Aed the profound attention of the House, and at once gave hiressional career of the Hon George W McCrary, of Iowa, ternized as one of the ablest lawyers of the House, and was one of itsthe presidency of Hayes he held the position of Secretary of War, and was later a Judge of the United States Circuit Court

The Hon Joseph G Cannon of Illinois, the present Speaker, was just at the beginning of his long Congressional career For many years he has been an active leader of the House and a prominent participant in its i-suffering courtesy have no doubt at tie the sum total of appropriation bills reported by the Committee of which he was chair of the Treasury,” he was, _nem

con,_ the successor to the laestive incident is recalled One of the guides of the Capitol, when soh the Vice-President's chamber, called attention to a little old-fashi+oned uide explained that this mirror was purchased at a cost of thirty dollars when John Adams was Vice-President, but when the bill for its payment was before the House, Mr Holman objected

A Western member, who had just been defeated upon a proposed amendment to an appropriation bill, by reason of a fatal point of order raised by the chairman, promptly exclaimed, ”I acity and untiring industry of Mr Cannon have elevated hiher honors await hinificant fact in this connection, however, that notwithstanding the brilliant array of ambitious statesmen who have held the Speakershi+p for more than a century, only one, Mr Polk, has ever reached the Presidency

The forty-fourth Congress was the last of which the Hon William A

Wheeler of New York was a member He was elected Vice-president in 1876, and the duties of that office have rarely been discharged by an abler or hly estee service in the House His principle in action seely as kindness”

Messrs Hale and Frye of Maine, Aldrich of Rhode Island, Money of Mississippi, Taylor of Tennessee, and Elkins of West Virginia, were members of this House; all of whom are now Senators of marked ability, and well known to the entire country

A me of the Capitol, achieved yet greater distinction, was the Hon

George F hoar of Massachusetts At the close of this Congress he was transferred to the Senate, where for more than a quarter of a century he was a prohest, and he was the worthy successor of Webster in the great body of which he was so long an honored member

In addition to ifted with a keen sense of humor, as will appear from one or two incidents to be er, in order to prevent the reconsideration of resolutions and debate thereupon under the rules, had frequently cut off the possibility of such debate by the tiht back on a motion to reconsider” Now, it so fell out that upon a certain day Mr

Springer received a telegra him home just as the roll-call was ordered upon an i to the early departure of his train was iularly reached upon the roll --he moved to the front of the Speaker, and after brief explanation, asked unaniranted, his naiven Grateful for the courtesy, he bowed repeatedly to each side of the Cha up the aisle, was about to take his exit, when Mr

hoar, pointing his finger at the retreating figure, soleht back_ upon a motion to reconsider!”

At a ” over the appointentleman whose name had just been sent in for confirentlereat office, but his for party The no confir with apparent reluctance, said:

”As this is in some measure a family affair, Mr President, I hesitate to interfere If our friends upon the opposite side of the Chamber are satisfied with this appointentleh place at the hands of the party which he has but recently deserted, and to which he will no doubt return in due tiland an old-time custom, as sacred as if part of the written law, that if a man is so unfortunate as to lose his coain within one year Now sir, I have always thought this rule, as to ti

Where a man has been repeatedly honored by his party as this appointee has been, but where, proone over to the camp of the enemy, I think a due sense of modestly should impel hi an applicant for high office at the hands of his newly found friends”

Co over to the Democratic side of the Chamber, well to its front sat the Hon William R Morrison of Illinois By virtue of his position as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means he was the traditional leader of the House Possessing little of the brilliancy of the leader of the minority, Colonel Morrison was none the less one of the ablest and most useful members of that body He had for many sessions been a member of the House, and had been a soldier in the Mexican and in the Civil War His record was honorable, both as soldier and legislator He was the author of the Tariff Bill which was fully debated during the first session of that Congress, and was in son that soon followed At a later day, Colonel Morrison was a prominent candidate for nomination as President by the national convention of his party His personal friendshi+ps and antagonis a serious illness, apprehending that the dreadhimself to what appeared to be a last effort, he said in scarcely audible tones to a sorrowing colleague at his bedside: ”I suppose when this is all over they will have so to say about er, and cox, and Knott, and Stevenson want to talk, let theh hi has there been a le sentence, than that in which Colonel Morrison presented to the Democratic caucus of the House members the name of the ”Blind Preacher” for Chaplain Three or four candidates were already in nomination when Morrison arose and said: ”Mr Chairman, I present for the office of Chaplain of the House the name of Doctor Milburn, a man who loves God, pays his debts, and votes the Democratic ticket!” Before the applause that followed had entirely died away the names of his competitors ithdrawn, and the ”Blind Preacher” was noer, of the same State, had just entered upon his twenty years of continuous service in the House He came promptly to the front as a ready debater and skilful parliahly educated, ambitious, and withal an excellent speaker, and was the possessor in full measure of the _suaviter in , agreeable, and pleasing associate it would have been difficult to find He was optiree To hienerally concealing the cloud

It was said of hiues that when the election returns were co defeat to his party,-- even before they were fully su countenance would proures of his oere sure to be victorious four years later

The Hon Carter H Harrison was a proh rank as an orator, and never failed to com that session of Congress were so generally published, or more extensively quoted than were those of Mr Harrison At the end of four years' service in Congress he was elected Mayor of Chicago, an office he filled ic death, upon the concluding day of the great Exposition, was universally deplored throughout the entire country

The Hon John H Reagan, of Texas, was a Representative in Congress before the war At its beginning he resigned his seat in the House, and cast in his fortunes with the South He was early selected a e the duties of Postmaster-General until the fall of the Confederacy He was a citizen of Texas while it was yet a Republic, and took an active part in securing its adentlely courteous and dignified bearing

An old-time statesman, on the same side of the Chaeneration had passed since he first entered Congress He was a Representative in the old hall of the Capitol while Webster, Calhoun, and Clay were in their prime

Erect, stately, faultless in his attire, and of bearing al one of the active and picturesque personages of the House At the tieous to the last, he was in his accustomed seat but a little time before the final summons came, and he died, as was his wish, with the harness on All in all, we shall hardly see his like again

Surrounded by his colleagues near the centre of the hall sat one of the most remarkable men of his day, philosopher, jurist, statesman, orator, Lucius Q C Lamar of Mississippi In his early nized as one of the most brilliant of the many brilliantthe war his services in field and council were given to the South, and so less than a decade after the return of peace, Mr Laain took his seat in the hall where his first laurels had been won

His great speech--one that touched all hearts--was not long delayed; the occasion was the day set apart in the House for tributes to the ies were delivered; that of Laers in the memory of all who heard it ”The theme orthy the orator; the orator, the thereat tribune, as a plea for peace,--abiding, eternal, between all sections of a restored union,--it stands unsurpassed areat masterpieces of ancient or modern eloquence

Later, Mr Lamar was a prominent participant in one of the fiercest debates the Senate has ever known A leading Senator upon the opposite side of the chae of the ”Force bill,” reflected bitterly upon Mississippi and her Senators

In replying to the personal portion of the speech, Lamar said, ”the Senator has uttered upon this floor a falsehood--knowing it to be such The language I have used, Mr President, is severe

It was so intended It is language, sir, that no honest man would deserve, _and that no brave man ear!”_