The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-11
20 YEARS AGO FRANK NYE'Sz
ELECTION WAS PROPHESIED
INTIMATE INTERVIEW WITH THE
& coNaREssMAN-ELEcT. \. \;
Early Days In Wisconsin, When Frank
Developed Bill as a Humorist and
Bill Helped Frank to Become an
orator-In Newspaper Work Once,
and in Politics.

| A~SAS'SeA
orator-In Newspaper Work Once,
and in Politics. !:
spring of 49," said Frank NJ. Nye,
congressman.elect last night, "my
brother Bill said to me: Frank,
you IL be congressman from some place
in or about Minneapolis in ten. years.
Bill missed it by Just tenn '=z:..',I5
| This is the way Mr.. sNye. answers the
question whether he IS filling any
prophecy Of childhood in becoming .
=, prospective congressman - -. :, ..->
Congress always had some attrac-
tive charms admitted the. congress
man-elect, but don't remember that
any village aunt or uncle or granfath-
er ever felt any bumps on my head in
my early youth, and turning to the rest
Of the Jgroupin the village store uttered
tufe. Ny brother Bill was humorist.
| SO even my single prophecy from that
source may be regarded as joke by
some,'
An Exceptional Honor.
eyes, I think it is an exceptional
HONOR Mr.. Nye went on, "to repre-
sent such district as the fifth Mime
sofa in congress. I think I would
rather serve in the house Of congress
than In any other legislative body in
the country, and l hope to be able to
represent the district long enough to
make valuable friends and build IN an
influence in that great body. 1 don t
expect to do it all at once. 7 am old
enough to know that it will not come
al at once, and that no one man is
likely to be called on to save the ma
tion.
II remember I felt that way once.
1t was in the newspaper business at
mat. Few people know I was ever an
editor. 1t didn It last long. was merely
a filler. nHod'' Taylor, formerly Of
HUDSON, Wis, who was for a time as
s s1l secretary Of the treasury. under
editor and owner Of the Hudson Star
and Times: In tho summer Of '7Sa he
went Ito Europe and hired me to run
the paper and write the editorials. I
!abofed and sweat over those pearls of
thought land felt was saving the ma
ton with every issue and leading the
masses to their great good To keep
his; hand In, Taylor wrote interesting
letters every week, two or three col
umns at clip, and they were printed
in the Star and Times. There was a
tat, greasy painter in shop next to
the! Star and Times who used to come
in every: day and go thru the exchanges
and incidentally read our great sheet.
! often tried to extract an opinion
from him on my earnest editorials but
he was dense. One day, tho, after he
had gone thru everything, including
the Star and Times, and while I was
busy with.a particularly deep editorial,
he threw~the Star and Times down on
the floor and remarked: why don't
Taylor write longer letterss They Re
marched out and. left me alone to my
better thoughts.'',
MIR. Nye as an Orator. II i 4 !:
The congressman elect came along
with gesture here. He took from be,
tween his lips the cigar whichpis more
than two-thirdsE likely = to : be there
almost any time, and tossed it aside.
Then he put fresh one in its place.,
chewed it moment, until it had taken
on that stepped-on appearance that
marks all his cigars, and made a mo-
ton like gesture. This prompted some
one to ask him if he. was an orator in
those days. 10, ~ .,N
NO, l didn't, develop as an orator
then, or in q college debating society,"
he said. "The reason is simple. I
never went to college. I don't know
that I was a. born orator, even tho I
was born in Maine. r guess it came
naturally. Cooperation with eRin'
helped some. It helped us both. While
we were boys on the farm doing chores
land mems work, I used to make
speeches to Bill He seized the oppor-
tunity to cut in with witty remarks
until he became fairly Smart He got
a reputation as a humorist by prac-
tising on NE and had the honor of
being his brother.
IT went to thel common schools and
had two or three terms in the academy
and little collegiate institute in the
high school class. When I studied law,
I kept alive by teaching school. When
was admitted to the bar in the spring
Of '7S, I was studying and working
in the office Of Moses E. Clapp and his
brother, n. II. Clapp. I don't know
tho, that the fact that worked in his
office or that he came from Hudson
ever made Nose United States senator
from Minnesota.