by various authors

“ He possesses rare gifts in this respect, his writings showing a clear, vigorous, but limpid style, which have brought him a national reputation, while his speeches are eloquent, sparkling, logical, and corruscating with humor, sarcasm, and wit. No man surpasses him in readiness of repartee. No more enjoyable treat can be imagined than that of a debate in the House, where he is beset with all sorts of questions from political opponents. ”

“ In habit Senator Davis is domestic almost to seclusion; that is, with a friend or two to share his solitude and make it human. He is a scholar without pedantry, a lawyer uncramped with technicalities; a statesman, but not a politician; a patriot with no trace of jingoism and an American hemispherically broad. A man of affairs, he joins scope with rare inerrancy of vision. ”

“ In that message, and in the speech which followed in the Senate, the true measure of the man can be intelligently taken. The speech, thrilling in its intensity, has not been surpassed in a generation. No truer or more comprehensive definition of liberty restrained by law was ever written or spoken than was thrown off by Senator Davis in the white heat of that impassioned declamation. ”

“ McKinley is as staunch a protectionist as her husband, and is firmly persuaded that no man quite so good and great has ever been born. When he is expected at home, she is at the window watching for him. ”

“ Few men of the present day are so gifted with eloquence, wit, and the power of giving an instant and happy turn to the most unexpected interruptions or occurrences. In his early manhood, his striking power as a stump speaker, his readiness at repartee, and his never-failing good humor, made him a giant in politics, to which he was literally forced to give attention. ”

“ A man may be a politician without being a statesman, but no man of the present day can be a statesman without being a good politician. There are politics and politicians, but a politician in the nobler sense of the word is one who draws his inspiration from the people and expresses their wants and sentiments in his public acts. ”

“ The President was endorsed everywhere. In the North and South the veterans were as eager as their sons to be led against their old hereditary enemy. President Cleveland was declared to be an American in the highest sense of the word, and an exalted patriot who had sounded the bugle to which hundreds of thousands of loyal spirits would respond.
Evidently England had not reckoned on raising such a storm as this. She found herself confronted by a nation that could not be bullied, a nation that was ready to fight at “the dropping of a handkerchief” for principle. ”

“ Parkhurst, this revolution would not have taken place. He well deserves the triumph he has gained. Every newspaper speaks of him with respect, and no one dares to ignore him. It is a personal victory probably unequaled in this country, and the effect has not been limited to New York. Encouraged by his success, men elsewhere, who were hopeless of accomplishing anything in the direction of reform, have been nerved to greater efforts, and good citizens have been roused to do their part in supporting Municipal Reform by their voice, their influence and their votes. ”

“ In the words of Henry Hall, he is “in many respects the greatest all-around man in the United States to-day, of stainless record and unimpeachable integrity, bold but safe, brilliant but wise, masterful but heeding counsel, and a fighter without fear.” ”

“ Although Speaker Crisp is neither a singer nor dancer, none finds keener enjoyment in the fun than he. He is very fond of young people, and it follows inevitably that they are equally fond of him. He is thoroughly happy, and holding as he does the esteem and respect of all his neighbors and acquaintances, and with the prospect of higher political honors awaiting him, ex-Speaker Crisp has no excuse for envying the fortunes of any man. ”

“ As an after-dinner speaker he is without a peer, and his wit, logic and eloquence never fail him. What could be more apt than his words, when, upon entering a public hall where a number of leading men were straining themselves to prove the Christian religion a delusion and a sham, and there were instant and clamorous calls for him, he said: “Gentlemen, my mother's Bible is good enough for me; have you anything better to offer?” ”

“ His judgment, enriched with the observation and experience gained in forty years' journey along the walks of learning, jurisprudence and statesmanship, from the Waukesha county farm to the United States Senate, joined to the sympathetic, manly and mastering qualities of character which have made that journey a logical progression, marks him a man fitted to fill any higher position to which he may aspire, and to which he may be called by the preference of his countrymen. ”

“ Social advantages, wealth and the aid of friends are not without their effect, but if the element of ability is lacking, the highest success is unattainable. Water finds its level, and the man who is thrown into the bustling arena of the House of Representatives can never attain the place of leader unless nature has furnished him with ability, or in other words, with brains.
No stronger proof can be given of this statement than is found in the career of Thomas Brackett Reed, who was born in Portland, Maine, October 18, 1839. ”

“ Reed was the youngest Attorney-General that Maine ever had. He held the office for three years, and added to his fame, during which he displayed courage, conscientiousness and ability of a high order.
Nominated for Congress He retired from office in 1873, and was appointed City Solicitor of Portland, where his course was marked by the same devotion to duty that had distinguished him when Attorney-General. His name was well known throughout the State, and it was in the natural order of events, that, in 1876, he was nominated for Congress in the district composed of Cumberland and York counties. ”

“ The practice which came to him, which he sought, and in which he made his reputation, was as the attorney of the wronged and poor. He thus gained the sobriquet of the people's lawyer, a coveted title which has clung to him throughout the years of professional prosperity. He has merited it by persistently rejecting yearly retainers, and holding his services open to the demands of all, the poor as well as the rich.
Devotion to the People The same spirit guided him in administering the affairs of the State as Governor. ”

“ The time when President Cleveland “struck fire,” however, was in his message to Congress, on December 17, 1895. England, whose “earth hunger” is insatiable, and who has appropriated land in all parts of the world, often without regard to right and justice, had disputed for years with Venezuela over the boundary between that country and British Guiana, obtained by England from The Netherlands in 1814. Learning that the interior of Venezuela contains valuable gold mines, England set up a claim, which if allowed would have split Venezuela almost in half. ”

“ It did not require any profound knowledge in those days for a youth to fit himself to “keep school”—a little book-learning, an aptitude in imparting instruction, and most important of all, the will and muscular power to restrain and hold in subjection the burly lads, being the requirements. Bland possessed all these, and, determined to advance further along the line upon which he had started, he taught school, lived with the closest economy and saved all he could until he had enough to permit him to attain to a higher education. ”

“ Mr Reed was chosen Speaker again of the Fifty-fourth Congress, in December, 1895.
Home Life Mr. Reed lives in a comfortable home at Portland, with his wife, the daughter of the Rev. Mr. Merrill, formerly pastor of a Congregational Church of that city. He has one daughter who, at this writing, is not yet out of her teens. He is popular with his neighbors, for he is genial, pleasant and charitable, manly and courageous, and, whenever he runs for office, certain to receive a great many Democratic votes, for what American can help feeling proud of him? ”

“ But having entered the Senate, Sherman steadily rose to his present exalted place in the regard of his countrymen. In that august body, he has towered for years, head and shoulders above his distinguished associates, most of whom are of national reputation.
It seems to be the law of this country that the greatest men in a political party fail to receive its highest rewards. ”

“ Important as the tariff issue unquestionably is, there are many who maintain that it should be subordinated to the currency question. While the East is strenuously in favor of “sound money,” or the single gold standard, the West is equally strenuous for two standards—gold and silver—with the aim to keep a parity between the two values. ”

“ Indirectly, President Seelye was the means of bringing the future reformer to New York. As a preacher his style is not specially finished, but his discourses are epigrammatic, independent, practical and full of force. He is far from being what is known as a popular preacher.
Municipal Reform In the course of his parish work, he became much interested in young men, and was led to look into the opportunities which they had in the great city for rational enjoyment and recreation. ”

“ In the Congress It will thus be noted that Mr. Crisp entered Congress at the age of thirty-eight. He speedily took high rank in that body, and often, during his second term was called to occupy the chair in committee of the whole. He is one of the ablest parliamentary authorities, self-possessed debaters and best informed men in the House. He was a leading participant in the turbulent scenes of the Fifty-first Congress, when the only member as cool as he was Speaker Reed. ”

“ He has taught many all the politics they know, but, as Senator Gorman said, he has never taught any one all that he knows. He is charitable to a fault and never is harsh or unkind to any one. He is never seen in anger, in excitement, or discouraged. ”

“ In tracing the events of the life of Senator Davis more in detail, this fact stands out in prominent relief above all others: that his professional and political careers have been signalized by rare devotion to the welfare of the common people, from whose ranks he has arisen to conspicuous and merited fame. This devotion was early shown in the practice of his profession. The average young lawyer seeks the clientage of wealth, individual and corporate. ”

“ His ability as a man and leader grows upon men as they know him better. There is always a hidden reserve, knowledge and power that is apparent, but undisclosed. He has more friends among the Democrats than any Republican in the State, for while he fights hard, he fights fair and in the open field. ”

“ Boies has personally managed his property. The rugged outdoor life, to which he became accustomed in his youth, not only resulted in giving him a splendid physique, but imbued him with a love for a farmer's life which will always remain with him. Although profoundly interested in politics, it is safe to believe that he finds more real enjoyment in looking after his big farm than he does in all that politics can bring him. ”

“ The history of recent years shows that not many, placed in the situation of Major McKinley, were able to come out of it unscathed and without the smell of fire upon their garments.
A man like Major McKinley could not fail to make an ideal husband, when blessed as he is with an ideal wife. ”

“ The whole country felt an interest in the happy event, and Mrs. Cleveland, as the leading lady of the land, has commanded the admiring respect of the nation and of all with whom she has come in contact. No more graceful or accomplished lady has ever presided at the White House.
In the autumn of 1888 President Cleveland found himself pitted against General Benjamin Harrison, with the result that has already been stated. Of the popular vote, Cleveland received 5,540,329 and Harrison 5,439,853, while of the electoral votes, 168 went to Cleveland and 233 to Harrison. ”

“ At the National Republican convention in 1888, New York voted solidly for Mr. Depew as its candidate for the Presidency, but he withdrew his name. At the convention at Minneapolis in 1892, he was selected to present the name of President Harrison, and made one of the best speeches of his life. When Mr. Blaine resigned as Secretary of State, President Harrison urged Mr. Depew to accept the place, but after a week's deliberation, he felt obliged to decline the honor.
Wit, Logic and Eloquence It is impossible in a sketch like this to do justice to the remarkable versatility of Mr. Depew. ”

“ The growth of silver mining in the West, where it has become an industry of stupendous proportions, has strengthened the demand for the unlimited coinage of silver, until the advocates have made themselves felt in both parties. ”

“ He made a point of his acceptance that the society should devote itself mainly, not to the bringing of lawbreakers to justice, but that it should use all the influence and power it had to make those who were bound to see that laws should be enforced, do their duty. ”

“ Crisp has been blessed with one of the best of wives, and they have had seven children, of whom only four are living. The eldest daughter is married, and the eldest boy is clerk to his father. Unhappily the mother, shortly after her marriage, was afflicted with rheumatic gout, from which she has never recovered. Her affliction seems to have drawn her children and husband closer to her, and the love borne by all for one another makes the home an ideal one. ”