Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-06-16
ANECDOTES OF SENATOR German

Anecdotes OF :
The late Senator Arthur Pue German
Of Maryland a little while before the
adjournment OF the United States sen
ate one March, says Success. heard Sen
ator Nelson w. Aldrich Of Rhode Is
land scolding a page for carelessness
In delivering cards.
Il will have you dismissed" said
Senator Aldrich to the boy. This card
was given TO you to deliver more than
two hours ago. and l have been here In
my seat all the time. What is your
Manner
Gently, gently. Aldrich," Senator
German interrupted, laying his hand
on the angry Rhode Islanders shoulder.
Give the boy a show. l often made
the same mistake myself. Let il pass
this time
You often made the same mistake.
echoed Senator AIdrich.
Often" Senator German replied.
''Don't you know that 1 first entered
ago: l have never forgotten those
days. You have no idea what hard
time a page has with a half dozen sen
ators calling him at the same time and
all of them In a hurry. He is bound
to make mistakes. If L had been dis
missed for a little delay In delivering
a card should not probably be in the
senate today"
Senate employees speak In the warm
est terms OF Mr.. Germans constant
kindliness toward them, says Wash
ington correspondent OF the New York
Post Having started his career at the
capitol as a senate page and having
served In 1866 as senate postmaster.
he had many feelings in common with
those who In later years have served
In those positions after he had become
a senator.
This incident was recently told by a
senate employee who first knew Mr..
German four decades ago:
1T was forty years ago today that j
began my dutfes at the senate. Cor
man was then the postmaster and
learned that letters which came to me
with unfaillng regularity We're from
my sweetheart. After that he always
brought those letters TO me himself.
with some personal comment. In later
years he often referred TO his share in
making my life happy. He never for |
got the men he had known in his early |
struggles to reach the top OF the lad |
der" |
On one occasion while Senator Cor
man was speechmaking in Maryland
he met a lady, who told him how dis
appointed she had been the week previ-
Gus, when the crowd was so great that
she could not get near enough TO hear
what he said, says the New York
Times
THE truth is complained the fair
admirer. 81 drove fourteen miles to
hear you speak, but 1 was so complete
Iy wedged in by negroes L could not
move a step"
Madam" answered the senator,
with a gallant bow, Il am sorry for
your disappointment, but you must re-
member you are not the first Jewel
which has been set in jet
Senator Germans friends (and foes
knew that his qualities as leader were
at least mastery, but how far they 1,
trusted to his judgment may not be so
well known to the reading public. One
OF the statesman's friends had dream
not so long ago which he told, and it
made clear the whole Maryland polit-
ical situation at that t.me, says the
New York Times.
He was standing before heavens
gate and St Peter was just opening it.
AS it swung back the venerable ward
en- asked the name of the new arrival
and proceeded to look up his record in
a great book. Then he said, Enter"
The Marylander hesitated- He look
ed all around him and scratched his
head. but he did not advance toward
the open gate
why do you hesitate:" asked the
saint Enter
well, hope it's all right" said the
other slowly, but 1 do wish L could
have a word with German before TAX
ing so important a STEP"
Senator German evidently had some
experience in the matter of
corrections. AT any rate.
he had this to say:
when an editor has printed an IN
true story he should be willing to re-
tract 1t. Some editors. though-be-
stupid fellows-will print no
unless the untruths they have
uttered have been libelous. If they
have not been libelous the editors re-
fuse to make denial. They pretend to
believe that their stories have been
true, after all.
They are as pigheaded as the Ar
kansas editor who issued an obituary
OF the leading citizen Of his town.
When the leading citizen called at the
office the next morning and requested
that the report of his death be denied
the editor refused to accommodate him.
I'VE are never wrong here, he said
In lordly way. We never print de-
malls or retractions in our sheet
SRut tho leading citizen protested