The Washington times., 1911-07-24
TOO MUCH LIKE
SHERMAN TO ENJOY
VISIT TO CAPITAL
Iowa Man Says He's Not
Coming Back, and Starts
Home in Automobile.

William P. Chambers, Of Corwith,
Iowa, has just got out Of Washington.
with the VOW that he will never come
back SO long as james s. Sherman Is
Vice President or anything of that sort
MI. Chambers motored east from
Iowa with his wife, and had a fine time
till he got to Washington. The first
thing that happened TO him WAS to be
approached on the street by a man in
frock suit and tall hat. who said:
"Ah. Mr.. Vice President. aren't you
late for the session today?'
Chambers wondered how anybody in
Washington should know he was vice
president of the Farmers and Mer-
chants Bank at Britt, Iowa, but he
didn't protest.
Later he appeared at the Capitol ana
called on his old friends, the two Sen
ators from Iowa He spent a hard half
day trying to answer questions ad-
dressed to him by people who thought
he was the Vice President. and went
away discouraged.
For the Iowan looked so much like
the Vice President that half of Con-
gress couldn't tell the difference. Some
folks, on careful inspection, thought
the corn-fed product was a trife bigger
than the man from Utica: They ex-
planned that by the theory that no pert
up Utica had confined the expanding
energies Of the man from The bounding
West: and the pent-up Utica joke got
frightfully on Mr.. Chambers nerves.
Same With Everybody.
Everybody in Washington seemed to
have that quotation at his tongues
end" declared Chambers when Re
clirnhed into his car after craIking 'er
up, and turned on the Juice" to start
the trip home.
The likeness between the Vice Presi-
dent and the man from Corwitb caused
much excitement at the Capitol. For
two days there was grave concern lest
the Siamese Sunnies should get tangled
up and nobody would ever be sure
which was which.
Chambers got invited to luncheon, ac-
cording to his record, nine times by
members Of the House who had been
colleagues of Sunny Jim" Sherman in
that body. He couldn't make the hotel
PEOPLE believe he was anybody except
the Vice President, and came near get
ting the royal suites both in Washington
and New York. He had just one piece
of good luck; a policeman on Connecti-
cut avenue held him up for running the
and walked away when he saw that he
had the second officer of the nation:
1T was funny at first" explained Mr..
Chambers, but 1t does get on ones
nerves to know that wherever you go
folks are staring at you, under the i'm
preston that you are somebody else,
and somebody worth staring at. Say, II
| looked this much like the Car of Rus
sia, I'd have a bomb-proof suit inside
of a week. and I'd keep myself in cold
storage till II was ready to put on, too.
Did you go and call on the Vice
PRESIDENT" Mr.. Chambers was asked.
Thought of It-But."
No" replied the visitor thoughtfully,
land 1 guess it was a good thing. Some
Of the people over at the Capitol wanted
me to do it, but the plan was stoppe1
Just in time. Senator Kenyon wouldn't
permit it."
why not?"
well. he took the ground that If the
Vice President and ever got thorough
ly mixed up, nobody would be sure
which was which, and we might get un-
certain ourselves So we weren't al
lowed to get into the same room at the
same time"
How does it seem to be regarded as
a really great man. even under mis-
"WeIi, now" tentatively rejoined the
Living Likeness, you know, wouldn't
mind 1t II people didn't make mean re-
marks about the little coachman-lam-
brequin whiskers. I've always worn
'em; think they're beautiful. / guess
Sunny Jim and must be the only peo-
pie who think so, though.
Say. wouldn't II make you mad to
have people accuse you of wearing any
thing like that Just so you'd look like a
Vice PRESIDENT"
Whereupon Mr.. Chambers turned on
the dope and started the machine on
the 1000 mile trail back to Corwith.