The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-05
EXPERT BASE BALL PLAYERS.
Statesmen Who Formerly Figured in
the Diamond Field
From the 81. Louis Republican.

From. the 81. Louis Republican.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Ex-senator German
of MARYLAND, whom the whole country
knows owing to his prominence, not only as
member OF tbs upper branch Of the ma
tional Legislature, but on account Of the lead
ing part he played in the last presidential
campaign, probably has as many demands
made upon him as anyone IN Congress. Feo-
ple whom he has never heard of apply by
the hundreds TO him for assistance of every
sort, but more particularly to help them in
getting appointments to aid them in push
ing bills through Congress, The patience
of this highly successful man is some
thing wonderful, and his faculty for re-
membering names, dates and points
in connection with subjects that are brought
TO his attention by the people who make de
mands upon him, has been cultivated to a
degree that well-nigh approaches perfection.
| There is nothing in the manner of the Mary
| land Senator that would ever cause any one
to say that he is pulled up with vanity, or
that he cannot be approached ordinarily by
the people. or course, there are times when
| he cannot possibly see people, and he has TO
| protect himself from the cranks and idlers
| disposed to impose upon a good-natured
| Senator. When not busy Mr.. German
| makes it rule to see everybody who calls
on him, unless he knows to dead certainty
that the caller is a crank. Cards sent
to the Maryland Senator usually
bring him out ana when he has
talk with any one who has sub
stantial views to present regarding legisla-
| ton or political matters, it has been OBJ
| served that as soon as Mr.. German goes
back into the Senate chamber he takes from
his desk large blank book and dots down
the name and residence of his caller, with a
| memorandum Just long enough to indicate
what the man wants He has this daily
journal systematically arranged, and in the
twinkling Of an eye can always turn to the
proper page to refresh his memory in the
event of subsequent calls from the party
Newspapers and politicians unfriendly to
Mr. German denominate him as an UNI
merciful political boss, but this is unjust to
the man. He is a leader, not only in Mary
land, but in the Democratic party of the
nation, but because Inc does not
run campaigns on the Sunday schooln
order he has been maliciously lied
about. In his own State the men favored
| by him for the higher offices have always
| been citizens of character and standing.
! Under his leadership the kickers, sneaks
and sore-heads who have tried TO turn the
control of affairs over to the Republican
party have been whipped so completely
that Democracy has its foot on the necks of
i llltsS IcllpNS, anu Will hStD bltlil pllInttl
down for many years TO come. Mr.. Cor
man is in the truest sense a self-made man.
| He was once a page in the great body of
| which he is now a leading member He
has been prominent as business man, and
| is a director of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company In his earlier days lie
was a crack base ball player, and used to
| belong to the old Nationals, which played
such brilliant ball here about the close of
| the war
! There is another Senator who used to
| figure conspicuously about the same time on
the green diamond. He is about the same
age of Mr. German, and it is doubtful if
more than few people outside of his STATE
| know that the Senator in his more youthful
days had the strongest passion for the ma
! tional game. The statesman in question is
Senator Aldrich, of the midget State of
Rhode Island. A gentleman connected
with one of the departments used to play on
| the crack nine of Providence-not the pro
| fessionals, however, to which MIR. Aldrich
| belonged At that time the future Senator
| played in one of the field positions.
| The correspondent was shown the
other day several reports of the
| game, as they appeared in the Providence
| papers at the time. Base ball was not 50
| much of a science then rs it is now, and the
| batteries did not do most of the playing.
| The willow was welded in such terrific
manner that Aldrich, who attended to Zone
of the farms" as the base ball reporters put
| it, had to hunt leather in those days and
the scores were usually as large as they are
| occasionally in modern times when the
heavy hitters happen to size up pitchers
curve and bat him out of the box.
Base ball playing seems to have agreed
with both of these Senators, as their phys
| ical condition is excellent.