| Show William E Chandler BY SAVOYARD This man Is a charter member of at the Republican party varty and was at Pitts Pitt Pittsburg burg when that organization was christened more than fifty years ago and doubtless he heard heird rd the opening prayer offered by b Lovejoy y of ot Illinois petition petitioning ing Almighty God either cither to open ojen the Ui th eyes of ot Franklin Pierce then preil president dent or take him kence hence Born of jour journalism journalism journalism Chandler got into party poll polI polItics tics and pretty particular practical i party politics at that He is a wiry wh little man restless as a coon quick as an asa asa ana a eat cat ca vigilant as a weasel patient as us asa usa a spider persistent as an ant busy bus r as asa asa asa a bee and as full of mischief as a the devil deH himself that is the Democratic estimate of ot Bill Chandler Cha as ho he wax was when a senator in congress Many years ago I J tried to describe him to the tile readers of a newspaper r of which I was waR then correspondent in to inthis inthis this fashion He can talk with more men in a gien given time lime then any other oth r senator Now he is in his seat writing a 11 letter lettler now he ho Is on a sofa talking with Cabot Lod e now he is on his legs making a p speech that will throw somebody into Int confusion now he Is whispering to Ben Tillman Tiliman putting an a extra wrinkle of oi devilment in that devils head now ho re is grappling with ith Lindsay or Hoar or fir Turpie or some other great lawyer in ina ina ina a legal argument and holding his own on too now he is in the chair presiding with great ability much partiality and little dignity now he js is talking Cuba with Morgan lorgan now he is badgering Al Ai Allen Allen len Ten and Allen Alien Alen is oblivious rf rZ f the amusement he Is getting out of at Allen AHen now he is congratulating Bacon on his conversion to technical protective prin principles and you OU could light a candle by the blush that comes over Bacons face now he Is giving the senate some om downright common sense sene touching the th navy and naval expenditure for Chan Chandler Chandler Chandler was too perverse and too honest to be run by rings while he was secre seere secretary seeri tary of the navy na now he is conferring with Cockrell Cockrel about something he be wants the appropriation committee to todo t todo do And so sa he pushes and shoulders himself day by y day da He has as much vitality asa cat the of his hair hall and beard evidence labor not pot ag his step Is as quick as Joe Wheelers and he lie uses the elevator less frequent frequently ly than any other ther senator He enjoys a mug of ot milk and a plate of crackers more than one of Hales Haes elaborate neIs t or one of Gibsons bird suppers He prefers water to wine and he never nev r rhad had the fun of a night of it i nor the misery misey of the following morning of It ItHe t tHe tHe He Is the man who got the presidency for Hayes Haes Born Brn in New Hampshire in 1835 Wil William Wi liam E Chandler began to acquire in information Information information formation of at a political complexion bo be before fore he left his nurses arms He got a tolerable education In the schools and studied law at Harvard Of course cours he practiced law in the state of at Jeremiah Mas in and Daniel Webster but he soon abandoned the bar for journalism though he was reporter of the decisions of the supreme bench of ot the state Later Lt r he was in the legislature of at which he got to be speaker one on term and chairman of at the Republican state I committee At thirty years ears of age he i first became a national figure and was an assistant secretary of at one of the de departments departments departments at the national capital Then he was promoted to a similar i place In a department more Important He attained his zenith as an executive as secretary of at the navy in Arthurs cabinet Later Lter he was elected to the States senate serving In that body bod twelve years He has been missed since he left lef it I That Is the sort of man he is Mr Chandler was the last of at the 16 to leers McKinley was as much of a silver sUver mag mau ma as Teller Teler when he was was nom mated for president In statecraft he was the thc disciple of Pig Iron Kelley who was as rank a greenbacker as James B Weaver But political ext exi exigency gency geney made madl the grim demand of Mc Kinley In October 1896 to be a gold bug Yet when nhen he got to ba bo president president president dent he hE was committed committe to the policy of at sendIng pending a high commission to Eu Europe Europe Europe rope to expound finance to the bank bankers ers erg over oer there and persuade them thep th into an International agreement to revise the arithmetic until It could be demon mathematics that 47 Is equa equal to The proposal went through the sen senate senate senate ate after Chandler had made an ex exhaustive exhaustive exhaustive speech on it I had the for fortune fortune fortune tune and I will wU call cal It good fortune to hear U IL and I tried to describe it to tomy tomy tomy my paper as follows Mr Chandler resents the resets business revival because it i is on the gold basis He calls himself a bimetallist am and when congress is in session he takes his opinion In the senate and when congress is In vacation he writes his views in the newspaper Not a great while ago he made a most exhaustive speech in the senate Old Father Mor Moe lor nh sat st beside him his face like a thun and old Father Stewart sat satIn satIn satin In front of him his face like a rain rah rainbow rail bow It I was a a silver siver si speech from be ho beginning beginning ginning to end nd It I would have hae delight delighted ed young Mr lr Bryan N and did delight young oung Mr lr Bailey He quoted all al those absurd figures of Wharton Barker the only publicist in the world who knows less about the silver siver question queston than Coin Harvey Harey And Coin knows less than nothing about it The senate would have been astonished if I Chan Chandler Chandler Chandler could astonish the senate He Is the mage of American politics anc and nobody magRe knows knovs what he will wU do next though whatever It Is it I is certain t to tobe tobe be some mischief The thing passed and Wolcott Adla Adlai Stevenson and a Mr 11 Payne Paye were sen sent abroad to persuade or convince Eu Europe Europe Europe rope that 16 to 1 was was the only wear Europe tried to be polite pole and listened with seeming attention The Hen Ca Cabot Cabot Cahot bot hot Ledge proposed to stop all trade with Great Britain until parliament enacted 16 to 1 Chandler said the proper rate was as 15 to 1 I IBy By and bye our 01 fellows got back backwith backwith with wih bugs In their ears Then Jhen hen con congress congress congress gress enacted our present Imperfect gold standard It I was wa In 1876 18 6 that Chandler per performed performed formed forme his greatest labor reversing the verdict pf more mor than free freemen freemen freemen men who rendered It at the polls that tha year Before midnight that day da every even Intelligent man mm within hail hal of a a tele telegraph telegraph graph office that Samuel J Til Tilden Ti Tilden den had been beed elected president of at th the United States and end Thomas omas A Hen lien dricks vice Ice president Mr tr Hayes the Republican candidate for president admitted it I and declared in a public speech that U it I was no personal grievance grievance ance anco to him lm but that he was sorry for the poor negro And so it I would have gone gona d but for a bit of superfluous cu curiosity Curiosity on the part of William II IL Bar Barnum Barnum Barnum num chairman of the Democratic na national national tonal committee who wired wred the Now New NewYork Nc York Times to know If it that paper had any news from Louisiana South Caro Caroline nee line Una Una and ad Florida Forda An of o th the Tunes Timea Tie a news editor of at the namo nama o of i r John C Reid Held argued from that in inquiry inquiry inquiry that the Democrats Democrat were not certain ertain or confident and he ho hunted up B m ll Chandler and they concocted the he famous dispatch claiming that Hayes had 18 votes In the tile college and was vas elected But for tor fatal query to the Times Ti es there would hav ha been heen no more mOe contest of or dee elec ele deetion lon tion than there had been of at Grants ton four our years Ears earlier carl r or 0 four years ears later Then Thon the stealing lying and buying began The Democrats kept their bus busness bu mOss iness ness men away from New Orleans and left eft lef the th conduct of the case to their statesmen the Republicans supple supplemented supplemented their statesmen with business non men or of the addition division and si silence silence lence ence school who MIs Mistress Mistress tress ress Eliza Pinkston and they rca rea ra the tho highest high st In the world from the who had offered to tell sell sel It I to its Is real owner the Demo Democratic cratic party The first act of or Mr Hayes was to recognize the Democratic governors of ot otal ill all al three states which history accepts as a plea of at guilty to the charge of at stealing the tho presidency In the senate Chandler was a public benefactor and killed as many jobs as asam asSam asSam Sam am Randall Randal In the house His is a keen acute Incisive mind He cannot see eo very far but he sees ses all within his horizon sees it I sooner than any anyone anyone anyone one else perhaps clearer than tha any anyone anyone anyone one else Aggressive and provocative he 10 was admired as well wel as hated Dan Danel Daniel el let fellow you persistent irrepressible on tenUous splenetic fer fiery ram rm cat was was tho the Bill Bi Chandler of ot the Irish bar barThe barThe barThe The debate In the senate of the Wit Wil Wilson Wi Witson son tariff discovered tho the G 0 O 0 P in its Is great dramatic creation of at on the political stage Chandler had the Center ent r of the boards though some of his lis fellows could beat him playing the lending role of For some forty years the Democratic party has as rarely neglected the opportunity to play the ass and on this occasion it I not only anI accepted it I but embraced it The Republican party is in power to today today today day and has been for ten years not net for its Is own merit meri but for the fatuous folly Tolly foly of the Democratic party In re rejecting rejecting the counsels of Grover Cleve Cleveand Cleveland Cleveland land and and refusing to follow his banner But Bu it was Chandler even more than Aldrich who put the cotton coton schedule in inthe Inthe inthe the Wilson Vison bill bi and he more than Quay Qua made the metal meta schedule of ot that measure both of ot which Mr lr Dingle Dingley with little change put in tho present law aw These compose of ot the tariff and yet the knaves tell tel us the Wilson Wison bill bi was free trade and the fools believe beleve Jt t Chandler was not a great senator but tut he was a valuable senator Yet his ills proper place was the unrestricted editorial head of a great geat Independent political newspaper He would keep the pot boiling and It was a man like Bill Bm Chandler whom had In view when he writ this Whoso has been a newspaper man manwill manwill will wi ever eyer be one that horoscope is il as assure assure assure sure and certain as that of drunkards Whoever has tasted that feverishly busy and relatively lazy l zy and Independent ent life whoever exercises that sever sovereignty sovereigty which criticises Intellect art talent fame virtue and virue even truth whoever has occupied that tri tn tribute trIbute bute created crated by his own hands ful fulfilled fulfilled filled fled the functions of that magistracy to which he is in short whoever has been for however brief briet a space that proxy of public opinion looks loks upon himself when remanded to private life Ufe as an exile exie and the mo me moment moment ment a chance Is offered to him puts out an eager hand to snatch back his crown Charles Chrles II I declared that the priests gave to his brother afterward James II I Catherine Sedley for a mistress by bj byway byway way of penance she was so homely 01 of feature so lean of at person and so old of at years but she was tas as sprightly 01 of wit wi as she was ugly of presence and the lady lay discussing the violence of ot the passion of at her royal ryal lover said she could not understand It I that his ma majesty majesty majesty jesty could not not love lova her for tor her beau beauty beu beauty ty for I have none and It I cannot be for my wit wi for he has not enough to discover I have any And a like wonder must come to him who contemplates the close and Inti Intimate Intimate intimate mate personal friendship that exists between Bill BI Chandler and Ben Till Tillman Tillman Tillman man When the latter first fetched his pitchfork into the senate Chandler was was vas the only member of or that august body that appreciated the audacity o oit of at atI it I and enjoyed the matter of at it I There Theretofore Theretofore Theretofore Chandler and Lodge had bad been Damon and Pythias Pythia now flow Chandler and Tillman Tiliman were Castor and Pollox The Boston Iain Main railroad pu put Chandler out of the senate and he be e go goto got gotto gotto to be chairman of the Spanish claims commission an office he was made mafle m e for When the great octopus chase wa was put on foot Chandler became the intermediary intermediary diary between Chief Huntsman Roose Roosevelt Roosevelt velt volt and Chief Beagle Tillman TUman Later Lter he was made mae a royal roal arch member o othe of the chapter of the Knights of ot Ananias One night while the rate bill bm was pending Chandler and Tillman Tiliman Timan had a conference and after a thorough dis din discussion cussin of the woods that were to be drawn and the woos course the chase was to cover the next day a general con conversation conversation sprang up among the half hal dozen gentlemen present Tillman was leader ead r of It I and at a loss to establish a date Turning to Chandler he ap appealed appealed appealed pealed Chandler It I was just forty years year ago when you were down In Florida stealing the election electon To which Chandler retorted Forty years Tata the way you ou fellows count down there And that suggests One night in this thi town Ben Ber Butler Buter and John S Wise Wis were as to a law suit sul they were to argue in the supreme court the following day da After settling all the points long after midnight Butler remarked Buter Wise VIse I 1 have at homo home a valuable vase a n remarkable work of art that tha some society or other presented to your you our father when he was governor of ot Vir Virglnia VIrginia Virginia ginia How it I came into my possession Is a great geat mystery No mystery at all al replied Wise My 1 fathers mansion was In Accomac county near ear Fortress Monroe lonroe You stole It I white while you ou were in command there Old Ben and laughed heart heartily ily 1 h and answered Perhaps you ou are right but I shall saH make restitution which he promptly did Washington Nov 5 1907 Copyright 1907 1007 by b E B W V Newman X man |
