People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1897 — DRAWING SALARY [ARTICLE]

DRAWING SALARY

BUT THE PEOPLE GET VERY LITTLE FOR THEIR MONEY. One Week of Republicanism In the legislature Results In but Small Amount of Good —Mention of Democratic Leaders Pen Sketches of Members and Amusing Stories. Special Correspondence. Indianapolis, Jan. 18. —Since my last letter we have had nearly a week of salary drawing among the legislators, and little else. Thursday the members worked an hour or two in completing organization according to caucus plans and parceling out minor places. Friday they did little more than listen to the excellent message from Governor Matthews. Saturday and Sunday they rested. Monday they assisted in the Inauguration of Governor Mount, and Tuesday they did log rolling in connection with the night’s caucus on senator. It doesn’t take long to figure out how little the people got for their money during the first few days. That the house majority is afraid of the very able Democratic minority has been demonstrated by its unfair adoption of an ironclad cloture rule, whieh prevents appeal from the decisions of the speaker except upon a two-thirds vote. The plan is to throttle nearly half of the representatives because they come from Democratic constituents. <♦ ♦> ♦> ‘Who will be the Democratic leaders in the assembly?” is a question that is interesting politicians at present. It is conceded that the minority of the assembly is without a single exception composed of as able a body of men as ever sat in the minority. The minority of the house has in its membership such stable men as L. U. Downey of Gosport, chairman of the caucus; the Honoralile John R. East of Bloomington; Attorney Eichhorn of Bluffton and John Feist of Yorkville. The latter is an aged man who advocated the free coinage of silver back in those days v, ben it was almost worth a man’s reputation to do so. He is regarded as a typical silver man of the Holman school. Then there is “Tom” Mann of Graysville, a tall man with a flowing beiml, who has been a figure in politios for a long time; Taylor Record, an influential farmer of New Harmony; Moses Remington of Brownsville, who proved such a good representative before that he was sent back, and Albert Schoonover of Attica, a bright young man whose father, Hon. J. E. Schoonover, has been prominent in politics for a long time. Other shining lights in the house are Bellamy Sutton of Shelby* ville, an ex-railroad man; Allen Swope, the canons nominee for speaker; Peter Walirath, a German editor of Logansport, whom everybody likes and who has the reputation of being one of the biggest-hearted men in the assembly; Adam Wise of Plymouth, and Solomon "Wiener, of Whitley county. The latter is a Jew who went to South Whitley several years ago a poor boy and by economy and fairdealing succeeded in amassing riches.

In the senate are Mr. Sweeney of Jasper, a holdover senator who Is noted for his hail-fellow-well-met qualities; Senator Horner of Brazil, author of the Indiana digest; W. H. Nusbaum of Auburn, who has devoted long years of service to the silver cause; Senator Stroup, the bright young man from Shelbyville, and Senator Bobilya, who was in the house last term and who promises to take rank as the Lord Chesterfield of the senate. And '‘there are others”- many of them. nini The youngest member of the general assembly is Charles E. Henderson, a bright young lawyer of Bloomfield. On account of his youth, probably more thau for any other reason, he was made permanent secretary of the Republican caucus. Mr. Henderson is but 25 and has had an interesting career. Young Henderson was born in 1871 at St. Paul, Ind., and at 1 year of age his residence was changed to Bloomfield. He lived there until 1886, when he went to Oregon and began a six years’ course in the University of Oregon, which he completed, and then went in June, 1893, to Chicago to attend the world’s fair. He had been as poor financially as Job’s turkey was in flesh and it was a puzzle to him to determine how he was to see the fair without money. He finally hit upon the plan of pushing one of the chairs around the grounds. In this way he got to see the entire fair, completing a post graduate course which, while not or the regulation kind and with none of the furbelows of aristocracy accompanying it, was at least full of instruction. He was known during this time as “No. 1029,” and he now laughingly relates that it was a genuine joy to him to get back his name at the close of the fair. He went at once to Bloomfield, where he taught school and made money enough to take him through Ann Arbor law school. He graduated there in 1895 and took up the practice of law at Bloomfield at once. He defeated five candidates for the nomination for representative at the primary and won a triumph in the election with the two other parties fused against him. He made 89 speeches during the campaign. In his personal appearance he is an Adonis, being over six feet tall, straight as an arrow and well proportioned. He was married on Sept. 80 last to Miss Margaret Gavins, the accomplished daughter of Colonel Aden Cavins, a prominent lawyer of Bloomfield. His friends predict muoh for him in the future. ❖ ❖ ❖ One of the amusing occurrences of the past week happened at the Denison. ‘•Big Joe” Keallng of this city (who, by the way, is currently booked for the

office of district attorney) looks enough like Representative Nicholson to be easily mistaken as his brother. Bach towers so much above the common herd of politicians in physical measurement that they have come to be known as the “twin giants of the lobbies.” Not all of the representatives know them apart, and among those who did not (but who do now) is a doughty little representative from one of the out oounties. Nicholson, as a matter of course, bears the reputation of despising liquor in all forms as the ordinary person despises a serpent. On the evening in question the representative blew into the lobby fresh from home. One of the first men he met was Kealing. Reaching his hand ont, he said: “How are you, Mr. Nicholson?” Mr. Kealing, ever appreciative of a joke, gave the outstretched hand a generous shake, and said, in his deep, statesmanlike voice: “How are you?” “It’s been a long time since I saw you," continued the other. “Yes, it has,” returned Kealing, and then, without cracking a smile, he stepped a pace in the direction of the barroom, adding: “Oonie on and let’s have a drink.”

The legislator nearly fainted and Kealing turned the laugh on him in great Btyle. The story leaked ont and since then it has created a great deal of merriment among the members. That there is no mistaking the temper of the men who are at the head of the Indiana bimetallic organization was demonstrated last Friday when such leaders as National Committeeman John G. Shanklin, Chairman Martin of the state committee, Allen W. Clark of Greensburg, president of the Indiana league; John W. Kern, Hugh Dougherty, Samuel M. Ralston, O. J. Lotz and Judge McCabe met in conference at the Grand hotel. It was a meeting the importance of which the people of the state will realize more fully in the future than now. The whole burden of sentiment was to “organize and educate,” and a practical system of club organization was devised. Mr. Clark still wears in the lapel of his coat a button labeled “Indiana, 16 to 1,” and he firmly believes that the year 1900 will witness Indiana in the bimetallic column. He said to me: “While the corporations and trnsts are holding monetary conferences for the avowed purpose of reforming a monetary system which was the best on earth before the election, the wageearners and producers are also holding little monetary conferences of their own in the shops and on the farms, and the result will be known In 1900.” The only colored member of the general assembly is Gabriel Jones of Marion county. He is also entitled to the distinction of being the fourth colored man to serve in the Indiana legislature, the others being Sid Hinton, who was sent from Marion county in 1881; James M. Townsend, eleoted from Wayne iu 1885, and Mr. Bassett, who represented Howard county in 1898. It is not alone the fact that he is a very black man that makes Gabriel one of the most conspicuous figures in the legislature. Ho has a physique that would attract attention anywhere. He is the tallest member of the legislature. He weighs nearly 100 pounds and has an arm reach equal to that of Fitzsimmons. He wears a broad brimmed felt hat that adds to the conspiouousness of his appearanoe. Gabriel Jones has a voice of a deep baritone quality and a volume that recalls memories of the days when “Foghorn” Kelly used to make the legislative halls ring. He sits on the extreme left side of the house, I in the chair occupied last term by ! Adams of Parke. He is 88 years old '_and has been a school teacher, an inter- ; nal revenue collector and is now a dep- | nty county recorder. He was born a ! slave in Tennessee and waited on tables In order to make his way through the j Indianapolis highsohool, where he got I his education. He hks announced that j he intends to look olosely after the in- ! terests of his people. He will father a bill enabling colored children to attend the same schools as white children.

•> ♦> ♦> It is a fact whioh has escaped general attention that when Speaker Pettit was sworn in last week all of the ex-speakers, without exception, who have served since the new statehouse was built, were witnesses of the auspicious event. They were Warren Sayre, who served in the legislature of 1887; Mason J. Niblack, who served in ’B9 and ’9l; James B. Ourtis, speaker in ’9B, and Justus O. Adams, who wielded the gavel in 1895. There seems to be a fascination about the work of the legislature that is continually attracting the attention of ex-offi-cials as well as ex-members. ❖ ❖ ♦> Little Olaudie Ewing, grandson of the ex-governor, a precious and precocious youth, who has been the sunlight of the executive home and office during Governor Matthews’ term, will be succeeded in the new condition of things by Everett Butler, Governor Mount’s grandson, who, with his parents, is now occupying the Mount residence on the Shannondale farm. Little Everett is to join the governor’s family later and will spend a good part of his time with his grandpapa. The governor had a long-distance telephone placed in his home before he left, so that he can talk when he likes from his office in this city to the home at Shannondale. One of his first acts after coming here was to call up the home place in order to have a talk with little Everett. The latter knew his voice, and sent back several endearing messages. The governor tells a good story on little Everett. Just before he left home he called the pet of the family to his knee and said: “Everett, lam going to leave today to be gone four long years. Aren’t you sorry to see me go?” Quick as a flash, the latter said: “Yes, grandpapa, I am sorry; but I know that when a man gets to be governor he has to go.” Up L. L. Ludlow.