Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, August 31, 1902, Page 23

Congressman Littlefield, the New Man from Maine IASHINGTON, Aug. 28.—“Straight as the pine, knotty as the spruce, wholesome as the balsam and clean as the birch.” This is a description by one of his admir- ing constituents ‘““way down in Maine' of Congressman Charies E. Littlefield, who has swung Into prominence through the an- nouncement that he is to enter the legis- lature lists as administration champion in the contest with the trusts. This hunter and challenger of the “octo- pus,” as Jerry Simpson and the latter's old associates were wont to term combinations of capital, is a characteristic product of the Pine Tree state. He has helped to keep his native state prominent in the public mind as have others of its celebrated sons like Blaine and Dingley and Frye and Milli- ken and Boutelle and a goodly company of dead and gone statesmen. He has done it in his own way, without the fault of imita- tion and by presenting new phases of the rugged New England character. Those who know him well would hesitate to call him a demagogue, although some of his perform- ances have been almost as bizarre as those of men in congress and other public posi- tions who are usually thought of as be- longing to that class. The Maine man’s -home admirer did not wish by comparing him with the products of the forest to imply that Mr. Littlefield is a wooden man. He merely wished to con- vey in woodman's simile his idea of the physical moral proportions of his favorite congressman. Mr. Littlefield stands six feet and over in his stocking feet. He carries no superfluous flesh, like his friend ex-Speaker Reed, and is as quick and supple as a forest guide or a down east sailor man. He has been in congress only three years, yet his figure is as familiar and he is as much of a public celebrity as many men who have sat in the house for a decade. The fact that he succeeded the late Nelson Dingley, author of the present tariff law, gave.Mr. Littlefleld a prominence from the first day he assumed his congressional duties, Mr. Littlefield does not practicg any ec- centricities or oddities of dress tHat would attract attention to him yet he iz indiffer ent to personal appearance. He dresses to suit his own comfort, his own convenience, but he does not eschew the dress prescribed by custom and good breeding and is seen in immaculate linen and evening dress or with silk hat and frock coat when such garments are expected or required. The picture that dwells in the eye of his asso- c'ates and those who have watched him daily in the house of representatives, how- ever, is that of a carelessly clad man. When delivering his most famous speech of the last session his attire was suggestive more of the lumberman in his Sunday clothes or a farmhand on an outing than a states- man in the greatest forum on earth. He wore a loose-fitting sack coat and trousers that hung about his hips and wrinkled from the knees to his shoe tops. The responsibility of keeping these nether garments in their proper place hung upon a black leather belt that was kept around his waist line by the projection of his hip bones. The duty which this strip of leather performed recalled the wondrous belly band of another great statesman from Maine—as the Tom Reed sash was as fa- mous in the Fifty-first congress as were Tom Reed's rules. A negligee shirt of a color and texture reminiscent of the “hick- ory” shirt of boyhood daye on the farm, a turndown collar and a limp wash tie com- pleted the costume of the orator who led the fight against the leaders of the house and won a victory that shook the prestige of Speaker Henderson and his coterie of counselors. Mr. Littlefleld has his own style of ora- tory, which is a terror to the nimble-fing- ered stenographers who must record the proceedings of the house. He speaks rap- idly and almost without pause. He utters a sentence in a rasping monotone and ends the last word with either a rising or falling inflexion. This seems to give him rest and he dashes into a new sentence almost with- out stop. His volce is rather harsh, but the distinctness with which he utters his words and the beautiful diction he employs makes his delivery interesting, if not pleas- ant. He has few gestures and his face is immobile. His face would be characterized as hard were it not lighted up by a pair of good-humored gray eyes. He has a square set jaw, firm chin, thin lips and tightly closed mouth. His features are as clean- lined as though carved from granite. Congressman Littlefleld is just 51 years of age and bears the impress of one who has fought through his half century of ex- istence. He is a fighter by nature and training. It is this strenuous element in his character that has recommended him to President Roosevelt. It was not until Lit- tlefleld dealt the administration a solar plexus blow in the Cuban reciprocity fight that the president’s attention was thor- oughly riveted on the man from Maine. It was then that Roosevelt remarked to a friend: “That man Littlefleld, why, he is an off ox, but an off ox that must be reck- oned with."” Up in the Second district of Maine they tell you a good deal about Charles E. Lit- tlefleld and the way he has fought against adverse circumstances and men until he has compelled success. He was not born with a silver spoon In his mouth, although the name Littlefield is scattered all along the rock-bound coast of his native state. When a young man, the future congressman developed his muscle and combativeness in the rugged struggle for livelihood, education and place. He did not have time to go through college, but, baving obtained a common school education, he took up the study of law and was ad- mitted to the bar at the age of 25. He had a natural love for politics and entered pub- lic life as a member of the Maine legisla- ture and was chosen speaker of the house while serving his second term in that body. As attorney general of Maine for four years, from 1889 to 1893, Mr. Littlefield achieved his first national reputation by fighting rail- road corporations that are so powerful in his state. It was then that he developed a taste for ‘‘octopus hunting” that is now making him a national figure. He com- pelled payment from the railroads of large sums in the way of taxes that had been refused for years. 2 Mr. Littlefield’s record in congress shows that he is not an indiscriminate fighter of trusts and does not follow the Irish maxim of “when you see a head, hit it,” with re- gard to these combinations. The second set speech he made in the house of representa- tives was on this very subject of the re- straint of combinations and at that time he advocated an amendment to the constitu- tion which would confer greater power on congress to deal with corporations. The pertinacity which has brought a com- fortable measure of success to Mr. Little- field in his ‘public career probably accounts for his continued efforts against what he regards as injurious combinations of capi- tal. He began in his first term of congress and although nothing was accomplished he showed up on the first day of the first ses- sion of the present congress with two bills relating to this subject. One was to amend the present anti-trust law declaring every contract or combination in the form of a trust, or otherwise “in restraint of trade,” to be illegal, and the other requiring all corporations engaged in interstate com- merce to make reports to the secretary of the treasury showing their exact financial condition. This embodied President Roose- velt's idea of “publicity.” Again last March he introduced another bill modifying the one regarding publicity. Owing to his recent admission to the house Mr. Littlefleld has had to acvcept humble places on committees, and, while his legal attainments fitted him pecullarly for membership on the committee on judi- clary, he is seventh in rank on that body. Being away down at the foot of the class, however, did not prevent this aggressive down-easter from worrying the chairman of the committee and his republican associates on the trust question. Day after day and week after week he prodded them. He told them that if they did not take up the ques- tion and make some sort of a report to the house he would go out on the stump In h's own district and state and tel the people of Maine just how matters stood in con- gress. He did not succeed in convincing Chair- man Ray and the controlling powers of the house that trust legislation should be con- sidered, but he did manage to bring himself into the full glare of publicity and this at- tracted the attention of the president. There is a divergence of opinion as to whether Mr. Littlefield actually has been asked by the president to enter the arena against the trust as his special champion, but in any event it is safe to predict that the Maine congressman will be in the fore- front of the fight when congress takes up the subject. Mr. Littlefleld’s advent in congress made the cold shivers run down the backs of some of the old-time managers and the con- trolling powers of the house, The first shock they received was in the Brigham Roberts case, when Littlefield exhibited a tlefield, again independent, espoused the cauge of the beet sugar men At the time and since it was asserted that his speech advocating the abolition of the differential duty on refined sugar carried that amend- ment. It was bitterly fought for by the old leaders of the house and its adoption was admittedly the worst defeat the house leadership had ever sustained Once be- fore Littlefield, by one of his whirlwind speeches, overturned the plans of the lead- ers, and that was in advocating an ameénd- ment to the army bill absolutely aboligh- ing the canteen. His speech on that oc- casion attracted widespread attention and won loud plaudits from the temperance folk. . It was natural for him to oppose the canteen and the selling of liquor. He is a hearty supporter of the Malne liquor law and took occaslon in his canteen specch to eulogize his state statute. He is a teetotaler himself and in his fifty-one years of life has never tasted intoxicants, HON. CHARLES E. LITTLEFIELD OF MAINE. spirit of independence that was nof alto- gether pleasing to the sticklers for party discipline. It has been supposed that such an admirer of Thomas B. Reed as Mr. Lit- tlefield is known to be would be ready to submit to party dictation, since Mr. Reed's great triumph had been achieved by the ex- ercise of that d'scipline., But Mr, Little. field declared when appointed on the com- mittee to investigate the Mormon’s right to a seat that he would pay no attention to politics in his éxamination of the case. Against his republican colleagues on the committee he took the ground that Roberts should first be seated and them expelled, He was defeated in this, but his fight gave him a reputation and his, speech in discus. slon of the constitutionality of the case is still regarded as a model argument. Again in the vernacular of the streets Mr. Littlefield “flew the coop” on the Porto Rican guestion. He took the stand that Porto Rico was domestic territory and that there could be no tariff im- posed on commerce between the island and the United States. Again he made a gtrong speech, and at that time was ac- corded the position of leader of “the in- surgents,”” as the republicans were called who differed with the administration on the muestion of Porto Rican policy. This was another losing fight for Littlefield, but he was not daunted, and has come up smiling on several occasions when a spirit of independence swept over the republican side of the house. His colleagues accord him the uncom- mon credit of influencing votes and the decision of the house by a simple speech. When the Cuban reciprocity bill was be- fore the house a few months ago Mr. Lit- . nor does he know the taste of tobacce. He hae none of the minor vices, unless it be a tendency at times to express himself in emphatic and picturesque language that is not always printable. Mr. Littlefield is fond of outdoor exercise; he is an ardent lover of a handsome, high- bred horse. At his home in Rockland, Me., he keeps a fine stable. Every spare mo- ment he is on the road holding the reins over one of his favorites. In Washington he is one of the set of horseback riders that has developed since President Roosevelt be- came chief executive. Mr. Littlefleld, how- ever, was not inspired by the president’s example, as he always was an enthusiastic horseman. The similarity of taste for horse- flesh has been an additional bond of com- radeship between the two men. Littlefie’d does not care for the more strenuous feats of horsemanship which the president prac- tices, but is usually content with a straight ride over a country road at a good, round pace. When in attendance on his duties in Washington the congressman makes one of a colony of New England statesmen at a family hotel, but in his Maine home he en- joys the typical old-fashioned, New England iife. °* The estimation in which h's neighbors hold the man will probably be evidenced on September 8, vhen the state election is to be held and congressmen chosen for the PFifty-eighth congress. One of his con- stituents, in answer to a criticlsm of Mr. Littlefleld’s Independent course, declared the other day: “Yes, Charles gets offish now and then, but it is from conviction. Our people have about decided to let him do as he pleases in congress and we shall send him back as long as he wants to go. Aine. He Is making a big reputation in national affalrs and we are rather proud of him." Members of the house of both parties are anticipating rare sport {f Littlefield is glven an opportunity to tackle the trusts. When- ever he takes the floor for a set spepch he is sure of a big audience He is nimble- witted and ready to meet all comers. No one would think of describing the tall, gaunt and rather angular down-easter as a “plumed knight,"” or with Lemuel Ely Quigg's celebrated lapsus linguae as “‘a gladiator booted -and spurred;” h: stands mere ke a wiry wrestler refusing no chal- lengé. Personally, he is a great friend of the sclemn-voiced De Armond of Missouri but In debate he does not hesitate to go after the latter’'s hide, and his admirers* believe that more than once he has meta- phorically hung it upon the fence. The favorite wecapon of both of these men is sarcasm, but that of Littlefield's is like a rapler, while De Armond’s resemb’es a meat ax In playing for political position on the trust question it is antic pated these two men will have many an encounter. Smoking Lake in Arizona Squire Redwine, who has been in Phoenix for several days, describes a smoking lake not far from the country where he lives, relates the Arizona Republican. The lake Is about forty miles from the town of Imperial and twenty-ope miles south of Mexico. It lles within the Cocopah coun- try at the base of the mountains, even be- low the foothills, but it has not been there very long. It is on the Mexican side of the It used to be In California and was supplied with water by the Chino Yiver, but the Mexicans dammed that stream and the water was turned into the Cocopah river, which feeds the new lake and does little else. Within the boundaries of the new lake there has been for several years what the Indians believed to be a volcano. Smoke was almost constantly rising from the ground, but there had been no other sign of an eruption. The water of the lake now covers the volcano to a depth of from five to ten feet. Ever since the water has been there there has been trouble and it is get- ting worse every day. The Indians have moved from that neighborhood and the whites in the settlement twenty miles north are thinking of moving. The lake is about fourteen miles lorg, but not ot great width. ) At first the disturbance was confined to that part of the water In the viclnity of the volcano, but now the water e bolling over a considerable part of its' area and explosions are growing more and more fre- quent. People living in the neighborhood of Mexico are often awakened by them in the night time. Bruptions are going on all the time, but they are generaily of suffi- clent force only to throw up the water to the height of a few feet. That makes no noise that can be heard at any great dis- tance. But occasionally the eruption breaks through the water and shoots mud into the air to a height of forty feet. Whenever this happens the noise can be heard and a flame can be seen for miles. It was such demonstrations as these that frightened the Indians away. There are boats on the lake and parties have started out to the volcano, but they have always turned back without completing the in- vestigation. One party which came ‘back reported seelng an area of mud forty feet square thrown fifty feet into the air. The level of this lake is several feet below sea level. The whole Cocopah country has been a volcanic region. The side of the moun. tains and the country for a considerable distance around are covered with sulphur. Within the memory of some of the older residents of Arizona one of the volcanoes in the mountain range was active, Getting Anxious Cleveland Plain Dealer: *“Oh, Miss Per- kins, have you seen that ridiculous idea of Prof. Andrews about forcing all the bachelors to get married and in that way eliminate the entire spinster element?” “Yes, Miss Green, I saw it in yesterday's paper. Isn't it absurd?" “Yes, indeed. Only think of having to marry & man who felt that the law forced him to marry you!" “Te-he-he; isn’t it too funny?” “Isn’t 1t? I'd like to see any man come to me in that way and ask my hand.” “So would I. And oh, Miss Perkins, did —aid the paper you saw it in say any- thing about how soon we might hope—that is, how soon the—the law, te-he-he, would go into effect?”’ A Child’s Gratitude Speaking of hospital children, a New York physician, in an account of his work among them, says: “One little fellow, whom I knew very well, had to have some dead bones removed from his arm. He got well and perhaps thought I had taken a good deal of interest in him, although 1 was not coneclous of showing him extra attention. The morning he was to leave he sent for me. When I reached his bed I bent over him. ‘Well, Willle," I said, ‘we will miss you when you are gone,’ and afterward, ‘Did you want to see me specially? The little fellow reached his hand up and lald it on my shoulder as 1 bent over him and whispered, ‘My mamma will never hear the last about you.' Could anyone express gratitude more beau- titully ?”