Show LETTER FROM TRE for years senator german leader on democratic side place difficult to fill practical joke of dave culberson washington A wide gap was made in the democratic ranks in the senate when arthur pu gorman ot maryland died a few days ago there have been few more forceful orce ful characters WK W S I 1 among the democrats in that body he grew up with the senate knew all its traditions and re carded it as the greatest legislative body in the world for many years mr german was the real aa well as titular leader on the democratic side of the senate it was his genius that thought out political schemes and it was his management that seared tor be democrats the most there was in anc s his place will be difficult to fill as there are few men of his temperament an 1 sagacity now on the minority side of the boate mr gorman was almost born to the senate as he first took service there at the age of 13 his rise from the humblest i alon in the senate that of page to the highest that of leader of his party on the floor Is another illustration of the possibilities ahead of young america he always had an ambition to be a senator even when he scurried around the chamber as a little page running errands tor the senators he was a of stephen A douglass and learned his first political lessons from that distinguished man by attention to his duties mr gorman in 14 years that he was employed by the senate became in turn a messenger and assistant bookkeeper assistant postmaster and then postmaster of the senate mr gorm n was a baseball crank and in his young days belonged to the famous nationals of this city the nationals were often called the old pioneers because they were one of the first ball clubs in the country mr gorman was right fielder for the nationals an account of a game played be tween the of baltimore and the nationals of washington in 1863 gave great praise to young german for his brilliant fielding and catching THE ESONS FATHER AND SON senator culberson inherits his phlegmatic temperament from hia father the late judge or as he was better known dave culberson who for more than a score of years was a member of the house from texas old man culberson was one of the rich and rare characters in the house a man of great ability but averse to it unless absolutely pushed into a contest in djs later years of service he was regarded as the nestor of young democrats in the u and they all went to uncle dave for advice which he freely gave the old man however was an inveterate practical joker and some of the young tel lows had cause to repent following advice at times A tw years ago a young man came to the house from alabama named jesse he was very anxious to make a name tor himself by some fine oratorical effort on the floor he asked mr culberson to give him some suggestions and let him know when it was advisable for him to butt in as were in debate one day gen bingham of philadelphia was in charge of a big appropriation bill in which there were some strong provisions in the interest of the old soldiers culberson called stallings to his seat and said there s your chance jesse you hear bingham talking about the old soldier you ji st ask him what right he has to do so why he kept a grocery store in philadelphia during the war and never smelled powdery this was opportunity and as soon as he got recognition he startled the house by addressing gen bingham thus what right have you to champion the old soldier 7 you who never smelled powder except as you sold it over a store counter let some man who has been to the front take up their cause here the house burst into a roar of laughter and gen bingham who was laughing louder than anyone else walked over to with the congles dional directory in his hand and pointed to his splendid war record as he said somebody has been putting up a job on you S illings FLOODING WITH PETITIONS when john quincy adams retired from the presidency and took up in the house of representatives one of his greatest achievements aas to preserve to the people the right of petition there was a on the part of some members of congress to shut off this right but through the efforts of mr adams the privilege was retained and has been enjoyed ever since mr adams little thought at the time he was fighting for this right it would in the future be lightly regarded and used really as a franchise for a business enterprise there has been established right here in washington agencies that undertake to flood congress with petitions on almost any subject they send out letters to parties interested in public measures and offer to circularize the country by letter or wire for so much money the effects of these petitions factories has resulted in millions of memorials pouring in on both houses 90 per cent of which are never signed by the men whose names appear on them the labor organizations of the country are worl ed completely in the matter of petitions A representative of boirie who Is desirous of having a labor bill put through will send blank betl alons to every lodge throughout the united states and the secretaries of those lodges simply write the names of the members upon the petitions without con suiting them the same game Is worked in church and religious societies and through patriotic orders of various kinds speaker cannon probably receives more petitions than any other man not excepting the president appeals are made to him as the one potent factor in legislation when these machine made petitions come pouring in uncle joe scarcely gives them a thought but when a letter or a telegram bearing the stamp of individuality reaches him he Is sure to give it his consideration the telegram form of petition is overworked also and when or couched in exactly the same language reach the speaker from different portions of the country he knows at once that they have been inspired from the same source and are probably paid for by one man this destroys their efficacy THE SUICIDE OF ADAMS P jf the recent suicide of representative adams of pennsylvania la the first instance so far as 1 known of a member of the house taking his own life A few years ago representative chickering of abw lorl was found lifeless on the sidewalk outside a hotel in new york city having fallen from his bedroom window it was alway a doubt whether he tell by accident or threw in self out with suicidal intent there was no d bt however about bertie adams act and it stands jnue in the history of congress anav bacan war times senator lane of kansas committed suicide during a recess of congress but aside from his case and that of mr adams there is no authentic record of any other member of either house having taken his own life the deliberation with which mr adams went about his suicide is still the wonder of his associates in washington he was the last man on earth who would have been suspected of contemplating such an act he was the last man also who anybody would have thought had the nerve to decide upon this act before hand his whole life here in washington had been of such a butter fly character and so at odds with fhe russom ru esom idea of shooting his brains out that the first report of his suicide could scarcely be credited it was not be cleved he had the courage to fire a bullet into his head in the opinion of speaker cannon and many who knew mr adams his 1 cide was an extraordinary courageous thing to do he had exhausted all nere was in life was a bankrupt and was slated tor defeat in seeking a and was threatened with cancer he had nobody dependent upon him and nothing evidently to live for so that he was not shirking any responsibilities in shuffling off this mortal coll looking at it in this way his friends consider tuat their old associate displayed real courage in taking himself out of the way |