Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-31

who has just been made president Of the
Omaha city council. In that short time
he has made some enemies but many more
friends and has achieved a place of
prominence none would have predicted for
him when he was first launched into the
political arena.
1t is absurd almost to say simply that
merit won in the recent recollection Of
Harry b. Zimman. The majority that re-
turned him to the city council was s,5l5,
according to the official count, there being
a total Of something like 1900 votes cast.
Merit seems to have ~triumphed again when
Mr.. Zimman was made president Of the
council last week by a unanimous vote and
with little prior opposition. 1t was felt
that he had earned the place by three
years of consistent work in the face of dis
couraging difficulties. He was given this
honor and made the presiding officer at the
age Of "a years. He is the youngest man
who ever filled the p~lace-probably the
youngest man in the United States holding
a like position In a city as large as Omaha.
When elected three years ago he was the
youngest councilman In the whole country.
Harry Zimman is what properly can be
called a political prodigy. There is a COM
bination OF so many unusual things In him
that they have produced a rare type. OF
course, II the country were to be searched
possibly several parallels could be found,
but his duplicate does not exist in Omaha,
and II Is to Omahans chiefly that Mr..
Zimman is interesting just now.
Measured up by ordinary standards, Zim-
mans career may not have been brilliant,
but calculated with a relative bearing 1t is
astonishing, to say the least. Plain, un-
vanished courage. inspired and sustained
by fresh and somewhat inexperienced
youth, have been its chief sources for sue
cess. Without these Zimman's honesty
would have been OF hat same old negative
quality which seems to distinguish honesty
everywhere, for as is well known, the real
thing In honesty is often retiring and timid.
The young Mr.. Zimman has not yet been
fully appreciated in Omaha, despite the
many fine things that nave been said about
him In the newspapers and out and the
honors laid at his feet, but II the personal
policy by which he has governed himself
continues there may come a larger day,
Harry b. Zimman is OF Jewish parentage.
His father is a rabbi In a local synagogue.
The younger zimman was born in n land
of oppression-the Polish section of Russia.
He was brought to the United States when
years old and lived In Chicago four years.
In the early sos the family came to Omaha,
settled in the Third ward, and have lived
there ever since. Mr.. Zimman went to tho
public schools some, but when about II
years old he got a job in a grocery store,
and that was what he avs doing when
elected to the city council in 1900. He
worked for the firm of Gladstone Bros. for
years and he learned to know the Third
ward and it's peoples and occupations with
the tenacious thoroughness that comes
through early Impressions. Asked the other
- - -
II have been a politician since 1 was Is.
IT seems to me that l was thrown i'm with
politicians about as early as I understood
what subjects they were discussing. with
out any effort on my part i was drawn
into company with them and as you know
Third ward politics. are always interest
ing. They fascinated me. When / was 16
formed an ambition to be councilman. /
do not remember now that any particular
reason controlled this determination II
then simply was to be a councilman. 1
continued to mix with the political workers
of the ward. read the papers,. discussed
political questions whenever I had the
chance and tried to bring others to believe
In my opinions. 1 believe, even at that age.
i had n considerable influence. especially
with young men of my own race"
A year after this came the famous free
silver national campaign in 1886. zilnnan
was profoundly interested In the money
question. Tie yicited the headquarters Of
the two parties and carried away armfuls
of partisan literature. From these and the
papers he discussed the question with him.
self. Then he began to discuss It with his
friends. a little later he deserved the phrase
'curbstono orator." and before the cam
paiGn had ended he had made three real
stump speeches and participated in a de-
bate with a man many years his senior.
The young 17-year-old politician was a
sound money man to the core. He was in
every club OF the kind In the ward. The
debate occurred in a vacant storeroom at
Thirteenth and Douglas streets and was not
premeditated. 1t was a silver republican
gathering and Judge Levy of South Omaha
was expounding on the necessity for the
innmodInic- free md nnllmlIad cnlnana OF