Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-24
DWight'S Remarkable knowledge
of House Conditions Makes
His Forecasts Correct
KEEPS CARD INDEX SYSTEM
Holds Unique Record in Predict
ing Exact Vote on the
Tariff Measure

ing one of his recent recrudescences at
the capitol, tell me how you came
to surround the "whips' " office with
all these trappings of dignity. Why"
waving his hands with an expressive
gesture to the newspaper men who
were present, "when l was whip had
hard work to find a quiet corner in a
corridor where | could do my whip
ping, but here tl.ey have given you the
room formerly used by the speakers,
a lot of mahogany furniture, the big
rock crystal chandelier from the White
House east room and a lot of other
paraphernalia which looks mysterious
to me- How did you do it?'
Jim replied Mr.. Dwight benevo-
lently, "all these things came because
the office whip is now an institution
instead Of a side wheel on the Re-
publican machine"
Taking him bv and large Especially
'large) Mr.. Dwight fits in pretty well
with his institutional surroundings. The
agile and athletic Mr.. Watson was per-
fectly in place charging through cor
ridors in pursuit of potential absentees
or running up and down stairs two or
three steps at a leap in an endCavor
to cinch the one vote needed to save
the country from the saucy Democrats.
But you could hardly imagine sMr
Dwight putting on such stunts. He
can move pretty rapidly when he so
wills. but he prefers not to break speed
records.
They have n side title for Mr.. Dwight
that describes him. They call him
"The Whop." "Whop" being a good
natured contraction Of "whopper" and
Is intended as a bouquet to him as a
big man, bodily. intellectually and in
all ways that the term big" is used
In a complimentary sense.
PREDICTS TARIFF MAJORITY
Mr.. Dwight is primarily n business
man, projected into politics against his
own will. He had a long training in
successful business before he came to
washington to serve the district his
father represented years ago. Mr..
Dwight is not an orator. He never
burdens the pages of the Congressional
Record. either with or without leave
to print. His only public utterances
have been in home conventions. where
his businesslike statements have often
proved embarrassing to insurgents in
the southern New York hill regions.
Neither does Mr.. Dwight introduce
great numbers of bills, although he has
always found time to take good care
Of the pensioners of his district. Also
to see to it that when measures like
the tariff and public buildings bills are
up his district does not suffer.
Mr. Dwight came to the post Of whip
at a trying time for his party. Speaker
Reed, with only seven majority only
used one doorkeeper for a whip and
was able to keep his slender margin in
tact. But in Reeds time party loyalty
was ironclad. Mr.. Reed had only to
call an erring Republican into his Of
flee and threaten him with the editorial
wrath of the newspapers of that MEM
bers home district to convince him
that he would better remain in Wash
ington and vote with his party Even
hint that a Republican was flirting
with the Democrats meant defeat. But
in the congress another slant was CIV
en- party opinion. Many members
found that the more they insurged the
better their home people seemed to
like It, The sure way to glory and
CORY headlines was the way of insur-
rection. A fine apparent majority be-
came a real minority at times.
KNOWS CONDITIONS
With a dose of bitters like that brew
ing for an organization ''tOniC," no
wonder the administration leaders
feared for the result when the tariff
bill came to a vote.
How many majority will we have on
the final vote on the tariff in the
house?" a high administration official
asked Mr.. Dwight.
give" said Mr.. Dwight.
"If it's only five, how do you know?"
asked the official.
"Well, I know" replied Mr.. Dwight,
who believes in conserving the parts of
speech.
Five was the final majority. The new
whip had made good! And he has con-
tinued to make good. He knows at all
times Just how the house will "break"
on any proposition. He was able to as
sure President Taft that the Taft pro-
gram would go through the house ex-
cept for the injunction and ship sub
sidy bills. Many house members doubt
ed this, but Mr.. Dwight knew.
1t is not possible, nor would 1t be de-
sirable, from the whips standpoint, to
tell all about the methods used to keep
in touch with house sentiment. To do
that would be to give into the hands of
the opposition information 1t would
value highly. But in a general way the
workings of the whips office may be
explained.
Mr.. Dwight regards the whips of
flee as a business proposition. He has
been asked by the majority to admin
lister the affairs of that office. So he
organized the work on business lines.
First, he relied greatly upon the tact,
energy and ability of twenty-five as
sstant whips, each of whom kept him
in touch daily with a certain number
Of members. Mr.. Dwight had in his
office a tally board, containing the
names of each Republican, every name
on a white or colored slip, according
as the member is present or absent.
If absent, the colored slip bearing his
name gave the name of the Demo-
crat with whom he was paired, II
paired the length of time he would be
away and the missing members ad-
dress while absent. Mr.. Dwight also
kept in his office a digest of all legis-
lation pending before the house. This
digest was at the service Of members
Of the majority, and also has been
used to a. considerable extent by men,
bers of the minority, who were always
treated by Mr.. Dwight with all the
courtesy the exigencies of his posi-
ton will permit.
BY means of this tabulated informa-
tion in regard to members and their
bills, plus his own aptitude for master
ing detail, Mr.. Dwight was in a posi-
ton to know where the house was
at" on all propositions.
But the rules fight" one may say,
"surely he did not know then!"
Mr.. Dwight did know then, and tried
his best to prevent the issue from
shaping itself in the manner it did.
Had his advice been followed the
house leaders would not have gone
into that fight, at least at that time,
his friends say.
Newspaper folk who were in touch
With the situatiOn in the house and