The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-01-19
HOLMAN A cUTs WATCHDOG.
NJ. Method of Passin,' Private Bills and
IIIs smooth EIS 10 eerIng.

us method OF Gasstn, FD1vute Btlls anu
III. smooth EiS Ito eering.
'Watchdog" Holman is a shrewd in
dividual at times. At the last session
of Congress he had a semi-prvate bill
asking for a small appropriation 1t
In declared by the New York Adver-
User to have been just exactly the
breed of bill Holman always fought.
So he went guilefully and asked an
other member to introduce IL for him.
"NeXt suspension day." said Holman
10 his agent, after the bill had been re-
ported back to the House, suppose
you call up that little measure | had
you Introduce. / don't much think
anybody will oppose 1t"
When the bill came up and Holman's
friend was briefly explaining the pro-
posed measure, the old watchdog arose
and asked him several questions as to
The purpose and aim of the bill, and
all with the air of a man who had
never heard of it before in his life.
The friend was indignant at this cx-
hibition of craft, and came mighty
near unloading the whole inner his
eOry of the transaction right there.
But before he could conclude to do 1t
Holman sat down with an acquiescent
air, saying as he did so: "Oh, l guess
the bill IL all right. l don't care to
oppose it,"
Everybody else naturally concluded
that II Holman would let 1t go safely
by it must be all right, and the bill
cantered through to victory unchal-
Ienged
Time and again the Republicans have
made desperate rallies against Hol-
man. They would get possession of
the Indiana Legislature and put In a
whole session trying to scheme GER
rymander when would leave that emf
nent gentleman out on limb. They've
nken his district, and pulled II, and
hauled it, and twisted 1t, and turned
IL, until it looked like a misspent life.
They have had Holman with a plain
1000 Republican majority against him.
But the old man would go patiently
home, and then for two or three
months one would hear dimly of Hol-
man here and there among the hoop
poles. When the votes were counted
he would bob serenely up with few
snfe hundreds TO the right side of his
~" and back to Congress he'd
vsVns,
come.
One day fellow-member asked Hol-
man how he managed it, The old gem
neman took a bite off a plug of navy
m n deprecatory way ana -. /,
swell, my district is a peculiar one. |
You want to get right among my peo-
pie. You can't run a campaign by !
telephone out in my district You |
must go among the voters. And that's |
what / dol go among 'em. AS l
travel about l don't stop at the house
of n Democrat, like you would, posi-
bly,. No. 1 always manage so 1t a"fs ts,
dark when I'nii right near some Re
publican who has two or three sons,
and maybe hired man or so. I'm a
common sort of man, and naturally
I sit up and talk with the old man and
speak of politics to EN-. They get
around to that themselves. Even then
I don't say anything about myself; l
tell 'em all about Congress and Wash
ington and the nc. essity of keeping
extravagant and dishonest legislation
from looting the treasury. Frequently
We sit up until midnight In the morn
ing, just before / ride awiy to where
I'm going to speak. the old man will
say something like this: We'll, Jedge,
1 reckon I'll hitch up and come over
to hear you talk some day. I've been
Repr blican all my life and never
-cratched a ticker, but l believe III do
it Just once for you and see what hap
pens That's one way 1 do," con-
cluded Holman, thoughtfully. 'Of
course l have other ways, too"