New-York tribune., 1908-07-12

and without undue ostentation Just what other
reason Mr. Hammond had for wanting to be Vice
President is not clear, unless. indeed he wanted
to be because he wanted to be. Things have been
coming very easily and regularly for him for some
| time and. probably when he heard there was a
Job called the Presidency, he thought he might
as well take it over. It's lucky he didn't think Of
the Presidency first That would have upset all
our plans.
The way he did it interesting. He turned a
double fipfap through Secretary Taft's door one
bright morning. landed the desk and said:
Bill going be nominated for Vice-President
to with you
JOHNNY replied Taft who told you?"
oh" said Hammond, I've been thinking Of IT
for quite spell Got the idea this morning. when
was at breakfast, and have decided it's the thing
10 do"
That seemed TO settle it. whereupon Mr.. Ham
mond's secretary and Mr.. Hammond's close friend
and Mr. Hammond's next closer friend and few
other friends-Just friends-spread the glad udngs
All Of these friends of Mr. Hammond had pict-
ures of Hammond in the New York papers and
long stories about his ad-vent-u-rous not TO say
adventurous, career.
.Fovs" said the closest friend to the reporters
Mr. Hammond is a candidate for vice-President
on the Republican ticket Only in the world.
you know who gets million dollars year
But" put in one of those fellows who always
ask the wrong thing. what does he know about
Notwithstanding?
Why" exclaimed the closest friend didn't 1
just tell you he gets million dollars a year,
So the reporters trooped in to see Mr. Hammond
They found him at his desk calm, alert resource
ful-sure with a million q year-the finest type of
a business
rs it true. Mr. Hammond that you are can
didate for Vice-President?" was asked
Me? Oh certainly. Why. to be sure Hap
pened TO think of IT the other day. and here am.
Come in and see me when you are in Washington
after the inauguration. Anything else 1 can do for
YOU to-day? No; good morning. BY the way. get
that right about the salary, won't you?
Then the gasping country learned who IT is who
so honored the body polite Up 10 that moment
there had been some misapprehenson. People in
Iowa imagined Mr.. Hammond was the man who IN
vented the typewriter and in Indiana they thought
he was the chap who put up homeopathic meol-
cine All this misinformation was promptly DIS
PEELED.
1t was discovered that Mr.. Hammond IS, prop
.bl,, rho greatest mining expert the world has
ever known He is fully cognizant OF mines' min
ing mineralogy naturalization and Minerva, nav
ing been fortunate enough to have classlcal eou-
cation.
The folks IN the back districts began to recall.
dim!y that John Hays Hammond was mixed up
in some wav I'm the Jameson raid business, or was
credited with being SO mixed. by Dom Pau when
he was exporting some mines In Sou'h Africa
OF course that wasn't true for day or Two al'er
the Vice Presidential affair started 1t became
known leaked out accidentally. through one or the
close friends who took the campaign In hand-
clever politician. too. although they hadn ais-
covered IL before-that Mr. Hammond protested
against the raid, had part in 1t, anu said SO
at the time in clarion tones
Well Mr.. Hammond did not join the raid. al
though Dom Paul pinched him, and after a uine
he came back to this country. Since then he mas
been GLggenhein.ing mainly, getting MS NuoVoo
a year. but he did not get the nomination Tor wee
President.
The whole affair is merely another illustration of
the odd truth that has been ground into SO many
other men The fact that man Is the greatest
mining expert in the country puts him nowhere
in politics. Politicians are not miners. lheS AIe
underminers John Hays Hammond diGnf mean
ANYTHING To them The curious part of II is that
john Hays Hammond meant so much TO John Hays
Hammond.
Il looks very much as II that sl.6d0Ooo year had
given him 4 wrong viewpoint. t.-Saturday Evening
Pest.