The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-02-02

pie library cost him just $50. How he
built it up for next to nothing is "a
Mccarthy secret, bu 81 suspect that
trades, auctions and gifts figure in ii.
After he had laid the foundations OF
u library, force of assistants was
needed. He asked for live men. The
Legislature sent them UP. Mccarthy
looked them over and sent them down
again. Five more were sent up-and
sent down. Then Mccarthy said, You
let me pick my own men and Ill save
you money" And SO Il compact little
body Of expert statisticians and in
vestigators was gradually drawn
around Mccarthy absorbing his ideas,
his radiating energy, and his faith il,
his fellow men.
But more helpers were needed
twenty or thirty more trained men, at
least. "That fellow i'll the attic" had
set for himself tho amazing task Of
gathering the economic, legislative.
judicial and governmental experience
of the modern civilized world into that
attic room, classifying it, popularizing
it, and making it so obviously true ana
convincing, that his friends the Iegis-
lators couldn't help using it il they
wanted to. He was determined not to
ask for money. And SO what did lle
do? An interesting problem, which
brings us close to the essential Nc
Carthy. He had kept that Ph.D. care>
fully hidden in the bureau drawer He
was there for business, not for ac;~
delaic display. He meant to make that
attic library So attractive that the
legislators couldn't resist drifting u1
there in odd hours. There were nc
rules. They could smoke and chat. The
brogue helped. He was plain Mac to
them.
But he neededi those twenty assist
ants-for research work. So he got out
his Ph.D., busted it off. took it over te
the University sof wisconsin, 'and got
himself appointed faculty lecturer OF
| Comparative Legislation" Bright
young graduates from everywhere
soon heard of him, came to Madison
and went to work under Mccarthy
for nothing. He had so managed It,
that the work they did for his was
credited to them at the university.
| So there he is, mpdest, immensely
earnest, but full of healthy outdoor
vitality, and: real Irish hunor and en-
thusiasm. The Wisconsin Legislature
no longer works in the dark. 1t NO
longer meekly bows to the arguments
Of the paid lobbyist When that gen.
tleman appears before a committee, his
statements are sent UP to Mac" and
put through the MILL When he again
appears he is confronted with the real
facts. This is good training for the
paid lobbyist; it makes him careful
When the same soft-spoken gentleman
presents bill drawn up in the Office
Of public service corporation, he
knows, now, that his bill will go "up-
stairs" that McCarthy's trained men
will dissect it in that fact laboratory
1t is no longer case in Wisconsin of
simply compromising between the va
rious special interests affected by the
bill" The legislature knows better
now, because Mccarthy, upstairs, is
shoveling out the Irresistible facts
gathered and collated, with cold
mathematical accuracy. by scientists
Any legislator can now have a bill
drawn for him upstairs" But nc
matter who draws BILL every legisla-
tor, before he is called upon to vote
for or against it, or to amend it, will
find at his elbow the entire history OF
the principle involved first, its treat
ment by legislative bodies in this and
all other civilized countries: second
the court decisions OH the subject;
feet. If he doesn' tcare to bother about
digesting it all himself, Mccarthy will
digest it for him. handing him in
tabloid form precisely what he wants
to know. The scheme works in Wis
consin because everybody, legislator
governor, lobbyist, knows that Nc
Carthy is more than efficient. he is
square. Some Of them may wish he
wouldn't do it quite so thoroughly
some may dislike intensely his quiet
independence or the way he cuts his
moustache, but SO far as 1 know, no.
body ever called Mccarthy liar. And
as the vendors Of legislative infor,na-
ton go, these days, that is a good
deal to say about a man.
have talked with legislators in
other states who said, I'VE can't do
anything in our fight without d more
complete knowledge of the facts. So
we're fighting now to make our legis-