The Washington times., 1904-01-05
Small in Stature, But BIG
in Energy.
COUSIN OF KING ALFONSO
How the Georgia Member Beat "Bil"
Fleming Campaigning in
Tenth District.


cratic side Of the chamber 20 be page
waiting 10 perform some service for
the gray-haircd member who sits be-
side him The doorkeeper or any guide
Wiu tell you, however. that this youth
ful person is a member OF the House.
entitled TO all it's rights and privileges
as much as any one of the other 3S5
Representative. He is The Hon.
Thomas W. Hardwick. the smallest man
in Congress.
In his high-heeled shoes Hardwick
stands five feet and one inch. and his
weight is well proportioned 70 his
height for he tips the beam at 1O7
pounds. His toes barely touch the floor
as he sits straight up in the comfort
able revolving chair at his desk. and
when he leans back TO assume a com
Portable position of idleness to listen 70
debate, his feet dangle and swing mid
way between the floor and the bottom
Of the chair like a chnd's His head
comes just above the desk and he is
hidden from the Speakers eye by the
big member who sits in front of him.
Hardwick is not only small. but he
is extremely youthful i'm appearance.
and in fact is one of the five Youngest
members Of the House. His only jun
iors are French Of Idaho, Lever of South
Carolina, Sheppard Of Texas. and Fred
erick lands OF Indiana. He is not yet
thirty-one years old, and might easily
pass for four or five years younger
Hardwick is just about big enough for
Uncle 'Cy Sulloway. the giant OF the
House, TO stumble over if he happened
to get in the way of the Goliath from
New Hampshire.
Hardwick lis little but. oh my" He
is bundle Of determination and energy.
He is serving his first term in the
House. and il is probable that he has
a long public career before him he
comes from SandersviHe. Ca. and rep
resents the Tenth district of that State.
His parental grandfather was the IA
nous Lord Chancellor Hardwick. of
England. His father possessing some
what of an adventurous nature. came
10 America. and settled in Georgia. but
before doing so. he married a Spanish
princess of royal blood. and through
the tiny veins of the Cracker State Rep
Tesentative there courses the real Cas-
titan blood Young 1Iardwick might
even so to Madrid and salute the boy
king as Cousin Alphonso." for he $
distantly related-severaI cousins re-
moved-to the youthful occupant of the
throne Of the Dons.
The story of the life Of HsrdwicI's
father would make interesting reading
mighty interesting reading-but it is not
purpoSed here to narrate it even an
part. II is not necessary. for the Rep
resentative from the Tenth Georgia dis
trict needs no ancestral chart to com
mend himself 70 public attention. He
STANDS upon his own dignity and his
own record
Despite his distinguished parentage.
honas William Hardwick. the or
spring Of union of peerage and royal
~. Is a thorough Democrat. not only a
partisan Democrat. but democrat i'm
the broader sense Of the term. He ia
intensely American. intensely South
ern, and intensely Georgian He IS a
lawyer Of no mean, ability. has been
prosecuting attorney Of his county. and
LOT several terms a member of the
Georgia Legislature. Notwfthstaudine
his diminutive stature. he has a bear
Ing not unmilitary. and IL is not sur
prising to learn that he is a CAPTAIN OF
a military organization. the Washing
ton hifes. Of Washington county. Ca.
Harowick was elected 10 Congress
without opposition. but he had a hard
Ii6nt Tor his nomination in the Demo
cratic Primaries. lie is the only new
member Of the present delegation. he
succeeded IN retiring to private life a
veteran in Georgia politics. the Hon
N'siiiam Henry Fleming. and conse-
quently wears his laurels proudly. al
though with becoming modesty.
W hen Hardwtck announced that he
would be a candidate against Fleming
Tor the nomination many laughed and
were inclined to regard the matter as a
JOKE. What that little fellow beat
BIZ Fleming? remarked one of the
lore
MIN 10 Congress he would get drowned
IN an ink well trying 20 sign his name"
Fleming had made a record for him
self. and fairly good one. as an edu-
Gator lawyer, member OF the Leg
isiature, and Of Congress. Once he was
considered one Of the handsOmest men
ir the State. but he met with an un-
fortunate accident He was driving a
spirited horse. which became frightened
and unmanageable. AS the animal ran
Fleming held On, as they say IN Geor-
gin, like grim death 20 dead mig
ger The steed reared. kicked. and
ran. Finally the inevitable crash came.
and in the mix-up the horse planted one
OF its hind feet squarely I'm Fleming's
face. right between the eyes, boring a
hole I'm his forehead and spreading his
nose all over his face For a long time
he was unconscious. and no one thought
he would live. He did recover. how
ever, came 10 Congress. and he used TO
console himself by saying that Repre-
sentative Frank Eddy of Minnesota. who
admitted the fact. was the one man in
the House ugller than himself Fleming
was brainy fellow. and had ideas Of
his own which he was able 20 set forth
with yigor and force. But he made one
sad mistake which did more than any
thing else 10 lose him his seat in Con-
gress. Ho crossed swords in parlia-
mentary combat with De Almond. the
little giant" from Missouri
Fleming thought ne knew a great deal
about parliamentary law and procedure,
and he did, but In expressing his knowl-
edge he was no more a match for De
Armond than a country pettifogger
would be against Joseph Choate. Both
were Democrats. but they differed widely
over a point which did not matter 10
either Of them which won IT, In the
running debate the Missourian made the
Georgian look like = cents worth of
Chinese currency with square
holes IN the center of il. and the House
again and again roared with laughter at
TIE expense Of Fleming.
IL was just before the campaign in
C-aorgfa oueued and "A emmy ~ the sC~gn-