Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-03-18
DAWSON In OFFICE
FROM CLERK TO CONGRESSMAN
NOT TOO LONG A STEP
FOR MIN. .s
First Week OF His Term In Office Was
Busy One and Gave Him An OPP
portunity to Show His Mettle in tho
Mahln-Dobson AFFAIR.

portunity to Show His Mettle in tho
Mahln-Dobson AFFAIR.
[BY HAROLD J. MAHIN1
Washington Bureau OF the Courier. !.
Washington, D. c., March ~,
Representative A. r. Dawson, the
new congressman from the second
district of Iowa, after one week Id Of
fee now appears and acts as natural
as though he had always been there.
Although he was very busy man at
tending to the needs of his tonstftu-
ents even before he formally took Of
flee his duties have increased enor.
mously since and he will probably be
unable to leave Washington For iowa
for two or three weeks to come.
Representative Dawson has an.
that he had selected his private
is Ray Nyemaster of Muscatine county.
Mr. Nyemaster is one Of the best
known young men In the county. He
has been engaged In the banking bust
ness at Atalissa for some years and
comes from an old and highly honored
family. Mr.. Nyemaster will probably
not take up active duties until he
comes to washington with Represent
alive Dawson next fall.
Representative Dawson will spend
the summer at his home in Jackson
county. He Will probably not leave
the district from the time he arrives
home this spring until he returns to
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congress. He Intends to get about over
the district considerably For the pur.
pose OF getting better acquainted with
his constituents and learning their
wants.
Servant OF the People.
When asked today for some expires.
sion appropos Of his entering his new
office Mr.. Dawson gave the following
brief interview:
| When man assumes the Office Ut
representative he becomes the serv.
ant, not OF any party or class OF peo-
pie, but a servant of all the people in
his district, without regard to political
affiliations or any other considera-
tions"
He refused laughingly to say any
thing more, saying that he thought
that covered the case. Mr.. Dawson
has shown In the short time that he
has been in office as we'll as In his
campaign that he is pre-eminently d
4 man of action rather than man Of
words.
i One OF the notable things about Mr..
Dawson's entrance into office Is the
fact that 1t gives the second district,
for the first time in many years, a rep.
resentative In congress who has no
business other than that OF represent
ing" 1t is nearly always the case
chat a congressman ia man who has
4 other interests sometimes big enough
to Interfere materially with his work
4 OF representing the people. This is
by no means always the case but It
has been invariably the history of con-
gress that the men who came there
with no other interest on their hands
were the men who forged ahead the
most rapidly and made the most pro
nounced marks at the capital.
His First Week.
4 In many ways Mr.. Dawsoti's first
week at congress has been rather ok.
j citing. The announced appointment
q of G.. l.. Dobson, to succeed Frank Ma
hin as consul at Nottingham, England,
was considerable Of surprise. The
inside facts III this case, the writer
can state without reserve and on hts
own authority, are not savory. Most
Of the delegation was exceedingly dis
gusted with the occurrence and It has
been stated several times by various
members that 1t was the first time that
such thing ever occurred in the Iowa
delegation.
The occasion, however, gave an un.
|, expected opportunity for Mr.. Dawson
to show his mettle. Knowing that
Mr.. Mahin did not want to be dis
placed and not wishing to see him dis.
!: placed he went Immediately to Presi-
dent Roosevelt The nomination
would probably have been confirmed
that afternoon by the senate. Mr..
4 Dawson got there early In the morn
4 ing. The result was a prompt order
!. by the President to hold UP the entire
affair. It has not yet been settled but
! there is little doubt that the interest
of Mr.. Mahin, backed by Mr.. Dawson
will be well taken care or without
: going further 1T can be plainly said
that in this matter Mr.. Dawson had to
compete with some Of the Oldest and
supposedly most poWeTIul members OF
the delegation.
A Favorite In Washington.
Mr.. Dawson is an almost daily Wis.
itor at the departments In washington
, and In all of them he is a general fav-
orite. He is regarded as the coming
man among the young men in politics
; just as Cortelyou, Wynne, Dover, and
other young men have been regarded.
All Of these men started in their ca.
reers as private secretaries. In fact
the private secretary in politics has a
: record which Is unsurpassed. Secre-
: tary Hay started out as secretary
: and many other men In politics today
began their careers associated with
some great man just as Mr.. Dawson,
: has been associated with Senator ALI
son.
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