The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1908-04-16
k1rTREDoE Is InDEEAr1oABLs.
rhs silent Senator from South Dakota
Has Commanding influence with
His Senatorial Associates.

Samuel @. Blythe, the well known
author Of the department Of "Who's
Who-and Why in the Saturday
Evening Post (Philadelphia) wrote as
foEovs under date of March 16, 1907:
In senate, where language is the
chespest commodity in the world, the
quality Of silence is SO conspicuous that
the nan who can hold his tongue is
pointed out as prominent bit of seen
cry. "That big, quiet man there is
Senator Kittredge,n says the Capitol
guides to the pop-eyed tourists. "He
iden say anything, but he cuts lots Of
zee.
4 Unitsd States senator has the
gressat opportunity for speech the
wss'd has ever known. All he has to
Dc = % rise in his place get recognition
frcn the vice president and begin. He
ssn Pout and sputter for . month, II
he ns the stamina and language, and
40 power on earth can say him nay.
There g no obligation on him to stop
u1til be has finished what he has 20
vsy There are senator's who demand
this night. There are statesmen in the
nF7sf house who talk until they are
bIse1 IN the face and their hearers
purpie There are those who talk oe-
easiopaily, and those who say nothing
because they have nothing to say, which
u eendition that works around to the
stesdy performers oftentimes, although
thetr sudienees and not themselves are
best sware Of it. These are general di.
vefsiprs. When We come to specialize
there 10 Kittredge, In class by hin.
self silent, inscrutsble, doing Job Of
tnsuting twenty -four hours Q day.
Fordss are sacred instruments with
Khtredge, not to be used lightly, not to
Be uttered without consideration, and
onee uttered, to stand. When Kit
sredge promulgates . statement, that il
alIthere istosit. He has thought it ont.
He has framed IL 40 he wants it. Il 10
completed and there Is no need for ex-
plsnatory footnotes or voluminous ap-
psndiees. He can listen for . week and
cay sothing. One Of his widest fights
into vocal expession ID % Yes" or ssNo"
and the extreme limits Of Ioquscity arc
rsschsd when he says That IL right"
or @That' il wrong.U What, argues
Kittsdgs, is the use Of taking forty
word to express fact when you can
expns it' with one or two, and ~ for
sxtnneous advancing Of opinion, with
ont reason for it save the desire to get
opiuiens in the air that wastes time that
can y used in listening to the opinions
Of skAers and for their mental dissec-
ton
Kttredge is big man on the inter.
oceuic canals committee in the senate.
BE ln gone into the subject with more
lthonughness than any man in the sen
ate, With the possible exception Of
Senator Morgan, who has been study
ing The problem for mere years than
Kithsdge has, but to no greater effect
20 ~ as knowledge goes. When any
senslor wants to know anything about
the ANAL he goes to Kittredgs. He
eeta the information he is after IN
|feu words. There are no fourishes, no
lfriIh no embroiaeries. "Yes," says
IKiSredge, Hthat- is 50" or emo, that
liz Il so.n There are NO 81 am Of the
|opision, - or s.That 10 my supposition"
usii1eations hitcbcd on anything moro
lthsassY Yes'' or aNo'' savors Of tautol-
Iogy u the Nttredge mind.
| Il works all the time. His eoncep-
Itios ofe the duty Of . senator is to take
paIsin pending legislation and to be in
lhis ssat in the senate when measures
AZ inpertance are under discussion. He
| has nothing TO. say on the door except
4 at rare intervals, but he has 30 wide
ia lnowledge Of what is going on that
Ihis. briee counsel is universally sought.
| He rsts up before six o'clock every
lmoning, and 10 in his committee room
lbefSrs seven, rain or shine. He has
lhan days work done when many OF
| The sther senator's are ordering around
] Iths carriages to take them up on the
hin He gets to Washington on the
Ilaa train that arrives before the ses.
s;on opens and he leaves on the frst
TRAIN that goes ont after the session
closes. Between those two trains he Il
consistently, constantly sAd silently on