The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-02-23


entertaining and edifying pen picture
80 Georgia's newest congressman,
ta,o Of the editors of that paper hav-
ing until recently lived several years
IN brownsville with him:
The mutations Of time and the
vbfrligig of politics have united to
Give the Second district new con-
Crossman. The successor to the late
lanes M. Griggs is Samuel Ander-
con Roddenbery of Thomasville, the
man who fought Griggs through a
hitter campaign two years ago, and
Who was defeated by big majority.
Now he goes in triumphant over
1rdge William N. Spence and Hon
1ohn P. Knight.
There is nobody just like Rodden-
herv in congress, or out of it for that
natter, and he will afford the weary
newspaper men in the press gallery
. world of good copy. To begin with,
be is only a little over five feet tall,
and at the end of a hard campaign
weighs about 100 pounds; 120 is fat
and fine for him. He has a keen,
wrinkled face, with mop of care
less hair. His favorite garment is
the black alpaca coat. He has a
habit of twisting the buttons when he
talks. Usually the buttons are all
twisted off, and the vest worn flap
ming loosely. When he wears neck
tie it is of the black string variety,
sometimes knotted, but more often
flowing free to the breeze.
The new congressman is an orator
of the perfervid type. He talks al
most as fast as that beskirted whirl-
wind, Mrs. Mary Harris Armor. His
voice is high pitched and cracks at
the climaxes of his argument. He
has a habit of racing up and down
while he talks. 1t is recalled that
when he was ready for the first joint
debate with Griggs, at Triton in
1907, he viewed with scOrn the plat
form twenty feet square and declared
that he could not speak in any such
circumscribed space. In his stump
speeches he violates every known
rule of grammar He calls himself
we" never using the word a." and
took the name THE Piney Woods
Rooter"
But anybody who thinks Rodden-
berry is ignorant makes a sad mis-
take. He affects that peculiar style
for purposes of his own. He is a
college-bred man, having worked his
way through Mercer, teaching school
in the interims, and afterwards. He
is one of the most adaptable men in
the world, and is equally at home,
hobnobbing with senators and gov
ernors, or eating green's with the
farmers.
He was born about 40 years ago in
Decatur county, and reared near
Cairo, where the Roddenbery family
are solid south Georgia folks. He
made his own way in the world, and
not for many years has the wolf
howled at his door, He is a lawyer
by profession, and a very effective
jury advocate, whose services are in
demand in murder trials and big
cases. Fat fees have enabled him
to buy land throughout Thomas
county, and he has a handsome home
in the city of brownsville. His pre-
yious race cost him more than S.
600, and his last one about half as
much, but he had it to spend.
When he gets into politics he is
no bedraggled kitten in strange
garnet, but he takes charge of the
garrett and runs it to suit himself.
He has been representative in the
legislature, twice mayor of Thomas
vile, and judge of the county court.
He was also at one time regarded
as the boss" of county politics. He
was Joe Terrell's chief lieutenant
during the old days, but followed off
after the mighty Hoke, sailed high
through the heavens for two years,
and has since been in moderate
eclipse
Prohibition is his long suit, and he
has helped to spread the drouth
throughout much Of south Georgia
and Florida. He is just as strong
on other ideas as on prohibition,
though, No immigration for him,
and he has a sharp butcher knife
for all the trusts. Likewise he would
take a hand at regulating the rail-
roads, pruning the tariff, running the
government economically, and all