The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-13
PUBLIC MEN WHO CAN DO THINGS.

PUBLIC MEN WHO CAN DO THINGS.
President Roosevelt's ride in the en-
! CINE cab the other day, which Incl
| dent recalled the fact that he is an
honorary member of the Brotherhood
! of Locomotive Firemen, induced a
Washington correspondent to cast
bout among the public officials at
Washington to see how many actual
railroad workers have become states
men. AS a result he finds that a crew
to operate a first-class train could be
picked from men who have become
quite prominent in the public service;
and not only that, but should the
machinery of the train break down,
there are congressman who could re-
pair it as well as any machinists in
the country.
The engineer of this speculative of
fetal" train would be Third Assistant
Postma ster General Madden, who was
a locomotive driver for number of
years and still retains a love for his
old trade. The fireman would be Com
missioner of immigration f. P. Sar-
geant, who served his time shoveling
coal and fired" the engine on many
a hard run. So good a fireman was he
that he became the chief of the broth
erhood. The conductor would be E. e.
Clark, of the Anthracite Strike Com
mission, who is to be connected with
the new Department of Commerce and
Labor as an assistant secretary. Mr..
Clark welded the punch and bell-cord
for many years. For proposes of safe
ty the Official train might need to
take along an expert telegrapher, and
he could be found in the person of
First Assistant Postmaster General
Wynne, who used to be chief opera
tor in the Western Union Office in
Philadelphia. Should a breakdown
occur, it could be promptly attended
to by Representatives Tawney of Min
nesota, and Huff of Pennsylvania, who
are machinists of long practice, as
sisted by Representatives Butler of
Missouri and Mahon of Pennsylvania,
who are blacksmiths. Should any
thing happen to incapacitate Engineer
Madden, Representative Brownlow of
Tennessee, could take his seat on the
right-hand side of the locomotive and
make the schedule. Brownlow used to
pull trains in his native state.
These are but a few of the men now
prominent in public life who formerly
labored with their hands Many of
Ia 10
| borers, but they still love to recall the
times when they earned their daily
bread in the sweat of their brows. In
the Senate Hansbrough. Gallingher and
Patterson were printers, while in
the House Livernash, Bede, Coch-
ran, Barthold, Smith of Pennsylvania
and Glass are members of the same
honora BILE fraternity. Senator Perkins
was a sailor before the mast. Sena-
tor Alice of Delaware is a practical
matchmaker and ieweler. Represen-
tative Sperry of Connecticut was a
carpenter and builder before he enter
ed politics. Representative Hunt of
Missouri was a stone cutter, while
Wachter of Maryland was a cutter
of mems garments. Brownlow of Ten
messee, besides being a locomotive
engineer, is also a timer and can
make as neat dinner pail or coffee
pot as the next man. Official life in
Washington is literally sprinkled with
men who, if it became necessary, could
don the overalls again and earn a
decent living in the mechanical trades.
1t will be seen, therefore, that learn
ing trade does not limit the career
of the active and brainy young man.
The trade may be merely an aid to
something better.