The age-herald., 1902-04-06
The New Member of President Roosevelts Official Household

Moses H. Dow, leather dealer in the shoe district, is one of them, and is the closest friend that the new secretary has. He Is one of the wits of the town, and has a score of times Automatically suggested solutions of local fights that have saved Moody from deal of criti- cism. Once when a postmastership was at stake and a dozen candidates were sure they had 1t and were disrupting ev- erything in the harmony line in sight, Moses suggested his partner in business as a candidate, and he was named, to the surprise of all, and has made one of the best postmaster the city has ever had.
 As Congressman Moody has never been busy hunting up offices for men with pull, but has rather given his time first to the general needs of his district and then to matters of national legislation, this has soured some people, but it has made Moody.
 He likes out-of-door life, and he does not banker after the ball room wall flowers and a dress suit. He can ride over stone wall and never move in. his saddle He can walk a dozen miles and come back and prepare a case for court and go in and plead 1t. He is a good golf CT. When he is tired of this, he goes to one of the big law libraries and hunts up some law books that carry the dust of fifty years and learns something that no
 
 then takes what he has learned and ap- plies 1t to some case he Is trying and wins that case.
 Not Rich Man.
 He Is man of stupendous energy, and will stand for hours cross-exa mining a witness, finally to bring out something that decides the question of a fortune or that of criminals liberty. He used to be the leading criminal lawyer in the county-now he is one of the best in the dryest and most intricate of cases and the most important-and that is why it is said that he will go to the Supreme Court bench when he has surrendered the navy portfolio.
 Moody Is not rich man. He has given too much time to Congress to be rich; but he is 8 typically honest man and he has never allowed extravaganza to inter- fere with principle. He has one of the coziest homes in this section, and 1t Is ftled with rare books and works of art. If he has been so occupied at Washington that he has had no chance to earn large fees-his largest is said to have been s15,0OO-and he could not afford new coat. he has worn an old one, but 1t was always in the mode, neatly pressed and as spick as when he received 1t from the tailor. He has kept his home in excellent shape and has never stinted 1t that he might keep up with the gay life of the capitol.
 When he comes home he falls into his office work for fifteen hours a day, and then goes to the least dignified of his club and drops into an easy chair and dis cusses with his friends and cracks jokes with those who gather round. Under heath this rest Is all the seriousness of the mana seriousness that has come to him of later years-and he can quickly drop his testing and champion any act of the administration at Washington or any acts of his own when he breaks away from conventional lines, as he did rela- tive to the seating of a Southern Demo- crat during one of his first terms in the House.
 Moody likes to do things and have them done with. Many years ago he attended caucus in his ward It was in a hall where the few kerosene lamps burned dimly and was not the most brilliant place in the world to transact even polit- ical business.
 Interesting Anecdotes. Over in bne corner stood an old-time ward politician. Bill Jefrers, and Bill had list of delegates in his hat lining that he wanted nominated. Laboriously he read the first name, then drew a little nearer a smoky light and started in with the next. Moody stood this as long as he could, and then moved that the conven- tion elect the list of delegates in Jeffers' hat. The old mans wits were quicker than his eyesight, and like a flash he answered back. "I second the notion" and the men whose names were in that hat went to the county convention and carried 1t for their candidate. | Once Moody and Ben Brlckett ran a county fair, and when 1t was over the | new secretary went to his partner and asked him how much was coming to him. Brickett squinted at him a moment and then said, in that provoking drawl of his: Young man. tBrickett was perhaps | four years his senior). what are you thinking of? You have had the experi- ence, you have had the honor and the glory, and every farmer for miles around has heard of you. That's enough for your first years work" And Ben en- tertained his friends on the proceeds. Once Moody was the only available man in town who could take charge of a school when the master was III. He did his work so well that the school com mittee and many citizens wait ed on him and asked him to take the place perma- | nently. He declined, little thinking that | had he not done so he might today have 1 been superintendent of the school sys- tenn of a city of 37,00O instead of secretary of the navy of country of twice as many millions.
 Incidents like these have made the new secretary. His life has been full of them and the future Is In the same hands that 1 have molded a career so emInently suc- | cessful