The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-20
PICTURE OF SENATOR DAVIS.
He Is n Southern Gentleman of Old
School.

New York Herald.
A group of reporters had been wait
! rounded him for an interview. The
Senator appeared startled. Clearly
enough the Senator was not accustomed
to being surrounded by. crowd of ca
ger newspaper men down in his quiet
home in Virginia.
He hesitated. stepped this way and
that. looked first at one and then at
another, stroked his beard. looked
pleadingly back at Clerk Tompkins and
then pushed on toward the elevator.
THANK you. gentlemen. thank you;
have nothing to say, don't want to
talk. can't talk, l do not want to say
a word" he repeated again and again,
as his Questioners pressed about him.
Then he stepped spryly into the eleva-
tor and declined to see any one until a
reporter for The Herald was admitted
to his room two hours later.
Mr.. Davis is 81 years old. but he
looks at least twenty years younger.
He is six feet tall, walks with very
slight stoop. but moves with a step as
springy as most men at forty. HS
wears his beard in the style of half
century ago. close cropped. with the
upper lip shaver. and his skin is as
pink and fresh as boys. His hair
eyes are bright and full. his hearing
perfect. and all HIS faculties. both ply
steal and mental. are like those OF a
man of half his years.
n southern GentleInan.
One snort sentence really describes
the man. He's a southern gentleman
of the old school. Meeting him cas-
ually, one would guess a dozen times
before thinking of him as a politician.
1t is difficult to imagine a retiring, al
most diffident man, who speaks very
much after the fashion of Il clergyman,
as being prominent among politicians.
one might pick him out as d country
judge, but never as a politician or even
as a business man. He seems to lack
sufficient aggressiveness for either.
Concerning his visit here. he declined
to say anything more than that he
would visit Judge Parker at Esopus
and attend the conference of Demo
cratic national leaders to be held in
New York today.
Are you personally acquainted with
Judge Parker?" he was asked. No"
ne said Il have never had the honor of
meeting him. but one does not need To
meet him to know what an admirable
have not seen him"
Asked who would he the chairman OF
the National Democratic Committee he
answered by asking. And who. sir. d.
you think will have the placer"
1T is the general beiief here" no
was told that Senator German will
Avoids Prophesy.
..,r inc Senator smiled and replied:
years when Senator German couid mo-
have had it," "iu ii'''
now?" WI aNe -
Il do not want to discuss those
things" he said.
He asked in an interested way what
erect Judge Parkers gold standard
telegram had had in this part Of the
Last and how the work of the Convem.
non was generally regarded. When
toId that there were rumors in some
sections that Bryans followers wel
dlssatlshed because the old Palmer AMI
Buckner men were now coming fo~-
ward end taking control of affairs, he
replied
That cannot be so. do not believe
1t. Ther" is less of the communistic
and soCtalistic feeling in the country
today than has existed in many yeacs
and there will he no quarrels in tho
Democratic party.
Il was on the subcommittee that
made the St. Louis platform and had
an opportunity to know something Of
the feeling. I sat between Mr.. Hin
and Mr.. Bryan. and I can assure YOU
there is no truth in the rumors OF war
in the party"
Mr.. Davis spoke very highly of Will
liam Jennings Bryan and characterized