d as one of the distinguished leaders on the
Republican side of the Senate. He was a natural born orator, having a
wonderful command of the English language; and, while he was somewhat
superficial and not always logical, he never failed to be interesting,
though he was seldom instructive. For severe satire and irony he had few
equals and no superiors. It was on this account that no Senator was
anxious to get into a controversy with him. But for two unfortunate
events in the career of John J. Ingalls he would have filled a much more
important position in the history of his country than it is now possible
for the impartial historian to give him.

Kansas, unfortunately, proved to be a fertile field for the growth and
development of that ephemeral organization known as the Populist
party,--a party that had secured a majority in the Legislature that was
to elect the successor to Mr. Ingalls. The Senator evidently had great
confidence in his own oratorical ability. He appeared to have conceived
the idea that it was possible for him to make a speech on the floor of
the Senate that would insure his reelection even by a Populist
Legislature. In this,--as he soon found out, to his bitter
disappointment,--he was mistaken. He no doubt came to the same
conclusion that many of his friends and admirers had already come to,
that in bidding for the support of the Populists of his State he had
made the mistake of his life. The impression he made upon the public
mind was that he was devoid of principle, and that he was willing to
sacrifice his own party upon the altar of his ambition.

But it was neither known nor suspected that he contemplated making a bid
for the support of the Populist members of the Legislature until he
delivered his speech. When, therefore, it was announced that Senator
Ingalls would address the Senate on a certain day, he was greeted, as on
previous occasions, with a large audience. But this was the first time
that his hearers had been sadly disappointed. This was due more to what
was said than how it was said. Then it was plain to those who heard him
that his heart was not in what he was saying; hence the speech was
devoid of that fiery eloquence which on previous occasions had charmed
and electrified his hearers. But, after that speech, when one of his
auditors would ask another what he thought of it, the reply invariably
was a groan of disappointment. When the immense crowd dispersed at the
conclusion of the spe