Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 108, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1911 — TALKED IT TO DEATH. [ARTICLE]

TALKED IT TO DEATH.

How Tom Carter Killed a Bill and Won a Commissionership. Senator Tom Carter of Montana retired at the last session. He retired once before, but came back after six years, and they say he pnay do that again. Last time Senator Carter retired it was In a blaze of glory. He was about as unpopular with congress the day he left public life as a man could well be. It happened thus: The house had passed a $50,000,000 river and harbor bill, and it had been reported to the senate. McKinley didn’t want to veto it and also didn’t want it to pass. He sent for Carter. Tradition says he spoke in substance like this: “Tom, if you will keep still, engineer that river and harbor bill to the right place and then talk it to death with-K out killing anything else you can be a commissioner to the St Louis exposition.” “Done,” said Senator Tom. It was too. Nobody suspected it It was the best kept secret anybody remembers. The decks cleared some dozen hours before the adjournment time, Carter got the floor and made the speech of his life. For twelve hours he was as funny as only he can be. There wasn’t a dry minute in it The bill was killed, and he got the job. Six years later he came back to senate, having meantime made a fortune.—Washington Times.