The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-20

4 OF the most interesting L nave ever uctu
[ with any man in my life. At its con-
elusion, Governor Dingley appeared to
me in an entirely new light / didn't
! know just what to talk TO him about,
and so 1 thought I would learn some
/ thing from his vast experience.
Governor I said to him, suppose
/ you knew a young man who had come
to congress with great ambition to sue
coed in public life, and who had rea-
here for a long time, what advice would
you give him p
The philosophy of his reply was
worthy of Bacon. of course, he said, 1
need not tell you that there are just
four great committees in the house
the ways and means. the appropria-
lions, the Judiciary and foreign affairs.
He then went on to tell me of the ad-
vantages of each, and the information
he gave me showed a wonderful COM
prehension of all the possibilities. Then
he SAID and this is where the philoSo-
T ply comes in: In order to make a
great name for himself in. congress a
man must be a specialist. 1 have been
! in congress for many years, and / have
watched and studied men as they have
come and gone. 1t is safe to say, bar
ring a few accidents. that every man
elected to congress has a superficial
knowledge CT nearly every subject with
in the range OF political affairs. / al
ways listen to the first speech of a new
member. When | have listened to him
for ten minutes I can tell whether he
possesses any special knowledge on the
subject upon which he is talking. If
am satisfied that he has not, 1 never
listen to him again. On the contrary,
if he demonstrates that the knowledge
he has is not the knowledge every
other member has. or could obtain by
| superficial inquiry, but that compre-
henslon which comes from laboriouS
and intelligent research, then l hear
him out, and always listen to him
thereafter. If man be a specialist on
a subject, if he knows more than the
ordinary congressman knows or can
hope TO learn by mere dabbling, then
he can compel congress to listen to
him, and he rises TO be a power. That
is the secret of success here
He then went on to tell me how he
became a DrotectiOnist. I know you
are a free trader he said. Sc was L
when came out of college, This as
tonished me greatly. What made you a
Drotectionist? ! asked him. His story
was that when he came out of college
he returned to his home, some place up
in Maine, and 1t was the tranSforma-
ton he saw worked out there under the
Morrill, tariff which converted him. The
valley in which he lived-I can't think
of the name-was rather poor country
agriculturally, was sDarsely settled,
and seemed to have no future. At that
time We had the Walker tariff in this
country, which was practically free
trade. When the Walker tariff was re-
pealed ana the Morrill, law went into
effect, some manufacturers DESTROYS of
taking advantage of the new order,
came up into Mr.. Dingley's country
Id
pened that in this valley there was an
abundant water supply, and the manu-
facturers concluded they could not do
better than locate there. The factory
was built 1t gave employment to a
large number of men. They built their
homes close by; they became cOnsum-
ers of the products which the farmers
in that section could raise. To use Mr..
Dingley'S words: Where had been a
desolate valley and miserable peo-
pie became a land smiling with peace
and plenty, and a population prosper
Gus and happy This, he said, had led
him TO revise his views. and the =2ore
he studied the subject of protection and
free trade from that time the more
firmly did he become convinced that the
greatest prosperity would come to the
country through the policy of prOtec-
ton.
Governor I said to him, you are
a college man. 1 want to ask your ad-
vice about the education of my boy.
What do you think would be the best
form of education for him to get along
in the world, the old classical education,
or this new-fangled scientific educa-
tion?'
There is no comparison he said.
Give him the Old-time classical educa-
ton. can always tell whether a man
has had a classical education. 1t gives
him a command and a proper use Of
words which he cannot obtain in any
other way. l am convinced also from
my observation of young men that
those young men who have had a clas-
steal education develop a strong men,
tally, have a wider intellectual vision,
than those in whose education the
classics were ignored
I'VE had been talking an hour or
more when the storm broke, and we
bundled UP to go. / always considered
Governor Dingley in a different light
after that conversation. l had learned
that, when once you had broken his
coat of ice. you found a sincere, likable,
kindly man."
Mr. Dingley's deficiency in humor was
admitted by all his friends. He took
all things seriously. One of the best
stories told on him, as showing his lack
of humor, is that which owes its orr
gin to John Allen of Mississippi One
day Mr.. Allen, on his way to the cap
itol, get on the same street car, and
in the next seat to Mr.. Dingley.
Governor" said Mr.. Allen, the lack
of money is making me poor man.
had d splendid chance for an invest
ment this morning. an investment
which would have paid me splendid
percentage, but I had to let il go for
want of ready cash"
Indeed" said MIR. Dingley, what
was that"
why. the conductor of the car on
which I came down offered me six tick
cts for quarter but l had to let the
chance slip for want of capital"
Mr.. Dingley never cracked smile
In fact he looked at me as if he had
serious doubts about my mental condi-
tion," said Mr.. Allen. in telling some
friends OF the incident.
Mr. Dingley was so highly respected
on both sides of the house that it was
a rare exception when any member
showed levity in debate with him, or in
referring to him. A notable exception
was Jerry Simpsons speech at the last
session on Mr.. Dingley's hat. Simpson
had noticed that whenever Mr.. Dingley
brought his silk hat in and kept it on
his desk the house was adjourned on
Mr.. Dingley's motion shortly after it
had convened. This was in the days
when the policy of the speaker and of
Mr.. Dingley was for inaction in the
house, in order to force the senate to
action upon the tariff bill. One day
Mr.. Simpson, in passing Mr.. Dingley's
desk, was seized with an idle fancy to
look on the inside of the ''all potent
hat" Much to his amazement, and
do1btIacs IN his delight he discovered
the hat bore the trademark of a Lon
don maker. Mr.. Simpson saw in this
fact a fine opportunity for some fun at
the expense of the Trainer of the tariff
bill for the protection of American in
dustries At the first chance he availed