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Show Old Masters Thomas Brackett Reed Bp c c G. HE would have been but sixty-five years of age had he lived until now, having been born October 18th, 1849. Some of us who knew him in his life time, still, looking back, so impressive does he seem to memory that one Instinctively couples him with the era when "there were giants in those days." He was a most masterful man. Of massive frame surmounted by a head such as the ancient artists gave to Hermes, who was the messenger and first counsellor of Jove himself. And he was as genial and generous in his estimation of men as he was great. So genial was he that he would not clash with a fellow man save when his plain duty made it necessary and then he was as steadfast as the stars. Because of his overmastering abilities he had been made speaker of the House" of Representatives. Representa-tives. There he found himself confronted by a fighting minority that determined to balk every effort at legislation. Then he made some rules of his own and claimed their necessity on the groUnd that the framers of the government never contemplated that a vicious minority could balk legislation. He proceeded to put his rules into working form and then the storm burst over him. He faced it as a promintory of adamant faces the incoming surges of an angered ocean. It was the first time after the war when the Democratic representatives, north and south, found full voice. How the waves of their wrath were hurled i against him. As one after another exhausted " himself, like the tolling of the Judgment bell, his voice with its drawl was heard: "The gentleman gentle-man is out of order." Then another and another would spring up in wrath and rave against him, but he was never moved. "The gentleman is out of order" would be heard again and the business of the house went on. At last the tide against him, baffled, retreated lamenting, and the House of Representatives Representa-tives has never forgotten the triumph that the speaker won. r Moreover, when the opposition came into power they tacitly adopted the rules that the 3r former speaker had enforced. Reed had all the elements of an orator of the first class, only he wo1'''' ever try the embellishments embel-lishments which most itors adopt to accentuate accen-tuate and adorn their l, relies. The subject he was discussing was all that concerned him; to bring out all the facts and from' them to demand justice was his way. To make those facts so clear that there could be no mistaking or disputing them was his study. He was born in Portland, Maine, educated and studied law, then ho spent a year in the west and'learned the methods and needs of the west. In congress he performed about the most eminent emi-nent services of any man of his generation. In point of service he should have been nominated nomi-nated for president when Benjamin Harrison was. Whether ho would have made as great a President Pres-ident as Harrison did no one can tell, for really the Harrison administration was a most brilliant one, though the manner of Harrison was not calculated cal-culated to draw friends to him, while Reed was always as lovable as he was great. No clearer mind than Reed's, no more genial gen-ial and generous instincts than his were ever shown among the men of his generation. It was pitiable that he should have died so young, for the thought in millions of hearts was that he must sometime be the nation's chief magistrate, and the great grief over his death was that this hope could never be realized. He died when at the full meridian of his powers and his death was an unmeasured national loss and sorrow. |