The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-06-15

Washington, June Is. 5.-Nlcknames
attached to public men stick closer
than burrs to woolly dog. The four
legged animal may be relieved of his
discommoding alliances by q close
shave, but no matter how a politi-
clan may seek to slde-tstep the nick
nlme clings to him, still. He bears
II through life and on his death bed
he knows that 1t will appear in his
obituary and will be embalmed in
history.
1T doesn't make a particle OF diff
ference whether the name Is appro-
pirate or pot-whether 1t really In
dicates a personal trait OF character
or appearance or habit-once az
tached II stays.
so Charles Warren Fairbanks, long
time Senator from Indiana, more
than three years vice president of the
United States, may expect until the
end OF his days to see himself re-
ferred to in the rlbald press as "But-
termlllk Charley" or "1cewater Char
ley"
Now Fairbanks himself Joins in the
general laugh at these appellations.
But in the interests OF truth It IS nec-
essary to state that neither nick
name is justified.
Fairbanks will fell you himself
that he does ptllke buttermilk and
that he does not like buttermilk and
was a boy on his fathers farm
The name is supposed TO have been
attached to him in connection with
certain dinner in indianapolis 20
the president OF the United States
at which the vice president is alleged
to have served cocktails, thereby In
curing the displeasure Of sundry pro-
ulous uncertainty whether the cog
nomen was bestowed by a comic pa
per, or by some "rool friend" who,
while admitting that cocktails were
served for those who wanted them
found It necessary to assert that
F,irbainks did not partake but con-
tented himself withaa glass of that
product OF the cow from which the
substance has been enurned out.
Whether Fairbanks did or did not
absorb cocktail iOn that historic
occasion, II is quite certain that he
did not partake OF buttermlik. . As
Cor the "icewater'' designation the
refuE,tion Is equally complete ex-
cent that the vice president person.
ally admits that ne has used that
beverage sometimes since he was a
boy But the changes have been
ung on It until one would really
think that to appnoach Fairbanks
was almost equally as perilous as to
run foul OF a giant iceberg at sea.
IL is only outside OF his own State
that he is regarded as "icy" and
then only by people who dom know
him.
There may be little OF the magnetic
about him, but when man has been
able to bind himself the State or
ganlz9tion Of his party three times
in behalf OF his candidacy for the
u. 8. Senate-whlch was successful
by unanimous vote the first time
that his party was In the majority;
when he has been able 10 turn his
fate from being strongly Demo
cratic TO being even more strongly
Republican, when he has had the
courage to resist the demand for free
silver and the capacity to carry his
party with him. and when he can
secure the support OF his entire state
for his presidential ambitions-there
is surely something about the man
that Is attractive and not repellant
and that shows that warm blood
runs In his veins. and not icewster
As a matter oS fact he Is cordial
gentleman, warm-hearted and of gen.
erous impulses. 1t Is the fault OF his
manner rather than OF his heart II
people receive the impression that he
Is cold, for those who know him
best say he is the reverse OF that.
There Is one asDellation frequently
spplied to Fairbanks which he pos
slbly wishes might be true. He If
generally referred to as millionaire
He says II is doubtful whether he Is
really worth 100000. However
much 1t is, he made every cent OF
his fortune himself. Fairbanks Is a
self made man. fs
First seeing the light In a log cab
in on a farm near Unionville Centre
Ohio In course of time he went 70
the Ohio Wesleyan University at Del
aware, o. There he went halves
with a fellow-student, shared his
room. helped TO do the cooking. and
added to their limited resources by
doing little carpentering and roof
ing out OF school hours. He was
rather an ungalnly object In those
days He was six feet tall and very
thin, freckled and with tousled black
hair. Nowadays, with his method
ical mind and frugal incllnationt
their Is a place for every hair and he
carefully brushes II up over the bald
spot and down on the other side.
Tn those bashful days OF early
youth he made good. After grad
uation he became reporter in Pitts
burg and later In Chicago. AT the
game time he studied law assiduous
ly and took one term In a CLEVELAND