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JULY 2, 190
The Commoner.
13
Payne, or rather of the ways and
means committee, and made it over
into a changeling of his own, is not
by any means the truculent typo
of boss that you would expect to
see, having been acquainted long
and earnestly with Pat McCarren
and others. No, not at all.
Aldrich is a boss who is a' gentle
man. Not too much of a gentle
man, you understand; but still, when
you consider that from George B.
Cox clear eastward to Izzy Durham,
the boss is a plug that you wouldn't
admit into your house or allow to
talk to your wife, it's something to
find a boss who can pronounoe his
words; who doesn't say "pro
nounciation" for "pronunciation,"
nor say, "I'm pleased to meet you,"
nor "Was your ladylriend with you
at the park today?"
Certainly George B. Cox couldn't
stand that acid test. As for some
bosses further eastward well, I
understand you have a movement
on over there for harmony in the
democratic party, and perhaps I had
better say no more.
But Aldrich, when you come to
consider it seriously, is the most as
tonishing boss of whom history
makes mention. Of course C. J.
Caesar is the crack example in that
line; and yet even C. J. never did
succeed in beating the senate to its
knees, though he thought he did,
and Aldrich has, and has kept it up
for years.
Once, being much moved of cur
iosity, I asked a senator of the Aid
rich clique what it was that moved
him and those like him to this Aid
rich subserviency. He was frank
about it. He did not deny that he
sat at the feet of Aldrich.
"But," he said, "I've tried to
break away from him, and I can't.
He is a hypnotist. He ilnds your
weak spot, v and comes and coaxes
you. He is as lovable a man as ever
you saw, and in the first place, no
body wants to antagonize him. Then,
if they did, there is that hypnotic
piano-playing of his. No, you can't
beat him."
"Piano-playing on what kind of a
weak spot?" 1 asked.
"Oh, I see what you mean," said
the senator. "No, there is not even
the suggestion of crooked influence
on'Aldrich's part, nor even the sus
picion of greasing the wheels in
other ways than money. No,' it is
all his personal magnetism and his
wonderful capacity for hitting on
the weak spot In each man's make
up; the knowing of the exact thing
needed to make him an Aldrich
janizary. I've fallen in line with
him. and so will all the rest."
Now I think thjs senator person
was telling me the exact truth, so
far as he knew it; and I know, too,
that nothing so vulgar as cash over
enters in,j:o the calculations of the
men high up in the senate, It is
true that J. B. Foraker's dealings
with the Standard Oil company, and
Joseph Weldon , Bailey's reputed
dealings likewise and therewith, may
seem to discount this statement of
mine; nevertheless, I insist that vul
gar, sordid spondulicks does not en
ter into the calculations of the aver
age senator in dealing with such a
matter as a tariff bill.
But personal advancement does.
But success in the party does. But
success back at home In your own
little state sometimes a state of
less population than a' Brooklyn
ward does.
And of these things Nelson Wil
marth Aldrich. takes full advantage.
And thus it is that he has a senate
of. slaves at his heels.
Anybody who thinks the senate can
be bossed, in the sense in which the
Third ward republican club can be
boshed, is plumb ignorant of the na
ture of the senate. The senate is
composed, in the main, .of high-class
gentlemen, and it Aldrich, or any
body else, came among them wear
ing the coarse front of the local
Brooklyn boss and telling them how
to vote, he would find an exit by
the window. All that Aldrich over
does is to suggest, and never that
except in the deftest and most deli
cate manner.
It answers th.e purpose, though.
A suggestion is as good as a wink
to a blind horse.
Personally this man whose name
is to go down to history as the au
thor of one of the dozen tariff bills
of the republic's history though in
fact no tariff bill ever has an au
thor, and all are composites is a
tall, handsome man, utterly unlike
the usual type of boss. His eyes
are dark and keen somewhat of the
eagle type more so, in fact, than
the eyes of any other man I have
ever seen. His nose Is firm and
prominent, and handsome, too. Un
der it rises a big white mustache.
His color is ruddy and high. His
figure is clean-cut, straight and high;
his manner active as that of a
panther. Altogether the author so
far as it can have an author of the
next famous tariff bill is, physically
and mentally, a' high-class man.
As to his political morals, I de
cline to be interviewed.
ONLY SURVIVOR OP HOUSTON'S
VICTORY
An Austin, Texas dispatch to the
New York Herald says:
The celebration of the seventy
third anniversary of the battle of
San Jacinto, which took place all
over Texas last month, was an event
of special significance to Alphonse
Steel, of Mexia, this state, who is
the sole survivor of the little army
of Texans who, commanded by Gen
eral Sam Houston, met and crushed
completely the overwhelming force
of Mexican soldiers upon that battle
field. Mr. Steele is ninety-four years old,
but is still full of strength and vigor.
He spent several weeks in Austin
during the past winter and was the
recipient of signal honors at the
hands of the legislature. He accept
ed invitations and delivered an in
teresting address before the house
and senate, which met in joint ses
sion to hear him. He was voted a
handsome gold medal by the state,
and this insignia of his faithful mil
itary service was presented to him
with most impressive ceremony by a
committee of legislators.
A large painting of Mr. Steele was
also purchased by act of the legisla
ture and will be hung in the Texas
"hall of fame" in the state capitol.
One other man, Captain Zuber, of
Austin, who was in General Hous
ton's army, is still alive, but he was
not an actual participant in the bat
tle of San Jacinto. It was this bat
tle that won for Texas her indepen
dence from Mexico and marked the
overthrow of General Santa Ana as a
military despot.
Mr. Steele has in his possession the
original muster roll of General Hous
ton's army. He has used this roll
on several occasions to disprove
claims of persons that they were In
the famous battle.
When only seventeen years old
Steele left Hardin county, Ky.,
where he was born, and went down
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers In a
boat to Lake Providence, La., where
he worked until November, 1835,
when he joined a' company of vol
unteers commanded by Captain Dag
cett and marched to Old Washington,
this state.
It was found on teaching that
place that Texas had not yet declared
her independence, and the company
of soldiers disbanded. Steele re
mained in Washington until the de
claration of independence was signed
whereupon he Immediately started
for San Antonio to join Travis and
aid in defending tlio Alamo. Whilo
on his way ho learned that the Alamo
had fallen.
In company with other patriots ho
then proceedod down tho Colorado
river and joined tho army which
General Houston was gathering
about him. As General Houston
and his gathering force of patriots
and adventurers moved onward to
ward tho Buffalo bayou and tho San
Jacinto river, General Santa Ana
and his army followed closely, hop
ing to get the Texans in a close posi
tion and make an attack.
Tho Texas army found itself in a
cornered position on April 21, 1836,
and in order that it might be a fight
to the death the only bridge leading
across the water course over which
retreat mijht bo made was destroyed
by order of General Houston. Mr.
Steele gives an interesting descrip
tion of tho battle of San Jacinto,
which took place on that day. Ho
says:
"After dinner on April 21 Santa
Ana, who was close upon us, re
ceived about five hundred additional
troops under command of General
Cos. Wo received orders to prepare
for battle. We advanced upon the
Mexicans in the following order:
Houston, with tho artillery, in tho
center; the cavalry on the right and
Colonel Sherman with his troops on
our left. The Mexicans had thrown
up breastworks out of their baggage
about a hundred yards south of a
bolt of timber, where they had sta
tioned their artillery.
"Santa Ana's right was placed in
a thick grovo of timber. When we
got up pretty close General Houston
sent word to Colonel Sherman to at
tack this position. We were ordered
to move forward and hold our firo
until orders were given. When wo
got within sixty or seventy yards wo
were ordered to fire.
"Then all discipline so far as
Sherman's troops were concerned was
at an end. We wore all firing as
rapidly as we could and as soon as
wo fired evpry man reloaded as
quickly as possible and the man who
first got his gun reloaded moved on,
not waiting for orders. I rushed in
to the timber and fired again. When
the second volley was poured into
them in that timber they broke and
ran.
"I was running on a little in front
of our men when I was shot down.
'Dave' Rusk was standing by me
when I was shot. He told some of
tho men to stay with me, but I told
him, 'No, take them on.'
"One of our men in passing asked
me if he could take my pistol, but
by this time I was bleeding at the
nose and mouth so I couldn't speak;
so he just stooped down and got it
and went on. After lying there a
little while I managed to arise to a
sitting posture and drink some wa
ter which I had in a gourd. This
stopped the blood from coming into
my nose and mouth. While I was
sitting there one of our men who had
been lying down behind me came up
and asked me if I was wpunded. I
told him I was, and he offered to stay
with me, which offer I accepted."
Mr. Steele has lived in Mexia for
many years. Ho has 170 descendants.
DOMESTIC SCHEME
Mrs, H. "Why aro you so very
fond of Oriental rugs?.''
Mrs. R. "I'll tell you a secret.
The dirtier they get, the more gen
uine they look. You'e no idea how
much sweeping that saves." Clove
land Plain Dealer.
MUST BE
"Why do tho folks call a good-for-nothing
fellow a bad egg?'
"I suppose it is because every egg
has a yellow streak in it." Baltl
moro American,
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