The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-11
HON. JAMES A. HEMENWAY
INDIANA FURNISHES ANOTHER
"wATCH DOG OF THE TREASURY,
Has Become Prominent Figure
anecdotes About Him.

| enway,. Of Indiana, who succeeds to Uncle
Joe Cannon's place as guardian of the Off
cial purse strings, chairman Of the House
committee on appropriations. After all,
this Is the great committee of the House;
TO the ways and means there is more eclat
/ and temporary prominence. but year In and
| year out the men who draw the great sup
| ply bills run the government OF the United
/ States And the House stfil exercises an
| influence on these measures. The Senate Is
more liberal by tradition in voting money.
| and If any cheese-paring is to be done 1t
must be I'm the House. under the lead of
this committee. Its great chairmen of the
past have been among the best known of
our lawmakers. Now a new man steps be-
fore the American public and makes his
bow. Fortunately. his record has thus far
| shown him possessed of more than ordinary
| force and strength.
Hemenway's career affords an illustration
of what a young man of grit may accom-
plish. His biography in the Congressional
! Directory. gives little hint OF his early strug-
giles. 1t contains only a lifeless recital of
the fact that he was born in 1860, studied
| law, was admitted to the bar, became prose-
| cutting attorney of his county, and was
| elected to Congress eight years ago last
OF his career before he came to be known
by. the people of Indiana, not because he is
ashamed OF 1T, but because he feels that the
| public Is more interested in what he is
| comprising now than in the story of his
| years of struggle. Not many of his ASSOC
ciares In Congress know that his school
days ended when he was sixteen years old.
He took his books home few days before
his father died, and the Boonville schools
| saw him no more.
For two years he hustled about the
| little town OF Boonville, Ind, when a desire
| 10 go West and get rich took hold of him.
Landed at Ottumwa, Ia-," said he to-day
| 10 the Transcript correspondent in recall
| ing this phase in his career, IAN over
grown boy. After numerous ups and downs
| In that town, and as my money nearly
gone, L secured employment with III. "A.
Case in a drygoods store. For over a year
and a half sold drygoods. Case was in
the habit OF giving prize at the end of
each week to the fellow who sold the most
| goods i was fortunate in securing the
| prize about three-Quarters of the time. Not
s s with the life of a clerk | started
| for Kansas, and put in one winter feeding
cattle in the employ OF Mr.. Atterbury, with
HEADQUARTERS at Wichita. 1t took two years
| altogether in Kansas TO convince me that
| the West was not the proper place for me
| TO stay, and / returned to Boonville.
where l obtained work in tobacco fac
| tory"
1t was here that the young man took up
the study Of law. The judicial circuit i'm
which Boonville figured was hopelessly
/ Democratic and had been for years. The
Republicans always went through the form
/ of making nominations. One day when
| Hemenway was on his way home from the
| tobacco factory one OF the local Republican
| leaders asked him how he would like to go
| on the ticket as the partys candidate for
prosecuting attorney.
HIS FIRST SUCCESS.
You understand there is no chance of
being elected" said this friend. "but we
have got to fill out the ticket, and we might
as well put you on as anybody else.'
"An right, put me on" said the young
| man from the tobacco factory.
"Well, borrowed an old horse and buggy
and went into the campaign" said Hemen-
way, as he started to tell what happened.
1.-THE judicial circuit was composed of the
counties Of Warrick, Spencer and Perry.
I made up my mind that 1 would use the
nomination to advertise myself, and after
the election would open law office.
never thought of winning, but 1 hurried
| the old horse over the hills and came
mighty near shaking hands with every
man, woman and child in the three coun-
ties. To the surprise OF myself, and more
| to my friends, won by a majority of six
| hundred"
Here was young man who had never
tried law case elected prosecuting attor-
ney for three counties. My impulse was to
back OUT said he. but after 1 thought it
| over / decided / would stick it out. There
/ were several good lawyers on the other side
| OF the first case that came up. The judge
| suggested that ought to have help in the
| prosecution. / told him 1 did not want help,
since one OF the arguments used against
competent to fill the place. / desired to
| demonstrate that l was. although. in
| truth, / was scared to death. But / studied
the case so carefully that 1 thought /
| knew X as well as any lawyer could. 1t
/ was an exciting trial, and good deal of
| Ill feeling was displayed, but L managed
| to keep cool and not lose my temper. BY
some streak of good luck won i remem-
| Der very well that after the trial the
Judge came down from the bench and said
to me:
Young man. IL you will always leave
| 1t to the other fellow TO get mad you will
have Il great advantage IN practice over
your opponents. have learned since that
this applies in politics as well as in law
The second case the young man prose-
| cuted was one of murder. II came
making a serious blunder,'' said the con-
/ gresham as his memory ran back to the
| incident. THE defendant did not go on the
| witness stand TO testify in his own behalf.
| Under the Indiana law for a prosecuting
! attorney to refer to that fact i'm his argu-
| ment was cause for new trial. The Court
| had no discretion under the law, but must
| order one L remember L stayed up all
| night preparing my speech, and in about
every tenth line scored the defendant for
| not testifying in his own behalf. In my
| rambling reading of the law had not run
| across the injunction against a prosecuting
attorneys making such reference. 1 re-
| member i went into court next morning
| with my speech on the end of my tongue,
1 and was completely upset, but fortunately
| so, when the Judge, act of kindness
| called me aside to caution me not to make
| any reference to the defendants refusal
| in this particular. 1 had the facts of the
| case in my mind and the judge says 1 made
| the best argument in that case / ever made
| in my life. The defendant was convicted,
but the verdict afterward set aside
| by the Supreme Court on the ground that
| 1t was not warranted by the evidence in
| troduced.
REPUTATION ESTABLISHED.
| These two cases in court established the
| young tobacco workers reputation as a
| lawyer and at the end of his term he was
reelected. II did not want to enter poll
tics" said the congressman in answer to
| request for Information about that part
of his early career. MY ambition was to
become a good lawyer and 1 knew that a
man could not be that and divide his time.
Benjamin Harrison was a candidate for The
presidency and the Harrison Gresham fight
| in southern Indiana became very bitter.
| resulting in fractional differences in many
| counties. The men in charge of the party
| organization thought L could harmonize
| these differences and insisted that | should
take the district Craftsmanship, which
| reluctantly consented to do. This work
| brought me actively into politics and per-
mitted congressional bee TO slip in under
! my hat"
! 1t was in 1891. that Hemenway made his
first fight for congressional nomination.