The Washington herald., 1911-02-22
HUMAN NATURE IN SHINGTON
BY FRED c. KELLY.

DV 4 II Z II
Clarence w. Watson, who has succeed
ed the late Stephen B. EIkins as United
States Senator from West Virginia, is a
solemn, thoughtful-looking man, who. in
so far as he can avoid it, neither talks
nor makes signs. He is a silent man
who likes to listen, or to ask questions
at the most Compared with Senator
Watson. John D. Rockefeller seems as
Sarrulous and gabby as a short-haired
suffragette
Silence is hereditary trait with the
new West Virginia Senator. His father,
millionaire coal operator, had the repu-
tation of having the least to say of any
body in the whole State of West Vir-
Ginia. An old acquaintance of the elder
Watson tells of stopping him on the
street one day to ask the privilege of
pasturing some cows on a piece of land
he owned. Watson listened to the talk
and walked away without saying a word
or giving so much as a hand wave in
reply. Several days later he met the
same man again. and as he passed him
remarked quietly: ''Thatn be all right
about those cows"
When Watosn, ST., lay on his death
bed a friend of the family INQUIRED of
him:
MIR. Watson, if you had your life to
live over again. would you do differently
in any respect?''
'HpS - he nII
less talking"
The new Senator. doesn't go in for si-
lence on quite the scale his father did
but unless he is changed by the Iingua-
cious atmosphere of the Senate he will
have no deathbed regrets of needless
palaver. Next to saying nothing at all.
watson likes to ask questions He is
not one of those rapid-fire interrogators,
like Wu Ting-fang or Rudyard Kipling,
but If he can get in a pointed question
that will start somebody else talking and
give him chance to monopolize the
listening feature of the exercises he will
feel as pleased as a college lad who has
just met his first actress. However, Wat
son has none of that half-sullen, owIish
attitude of irritating mystery that one
finds in many silent men. He is an agree
able person and looks like one who
would return borrowed money promptly
on Saturday night.
Watson appears to be about forty-six
years old. and that is his age. He is
slightly stopped, smOOth-faced, with dark
hair, has an inQuisitive-lOoking nose,
and straightforward eyes that, however,
look out suspiciously at strangers in
watchdoggish fashion. His face has a
sort Of half-worried puzzled expression.
like man who's just spent an hour and
thirty minutes trying to get the last line
of rebus. The Watson mouth is easily
his most noticeable feature. It is rather
elaborately drawn, with a droop at each
corner and wrinkles that radiate out
like guy ropes. On form it might have
been intended for Billbryanese oratOry,
but it is seldom used for vocative pur-
poses except to form questions In con-
nection with the little-used mouth one
notes a jaw, wide, substantial. and COM
pact, like a steamer trunk 1t is a jaw
that will shut tightly and stay exactly
where it's put, like a time lock on a
safe deposit vault
Watson dresses neatly and plainly
plainly unless one make exception that
he has slight leaning toward vests
that have mild acoustic properties. He
might be a teller in a First National
Bank, a captain of industry. or the man
that leads the singing at revival meet
ings for all that his appearance would
indicate.
From the time that he was a young
ster Watson was up against the PROPOSE
ton Of not being taken seriously in his
own family, due to the fact that he was
the youngest member of the household.
He not only broke into the coal mining
business without any help from his mil
lionaire father. but almost against his
fathers will One day he expressed a
wish that he be given chance to work
into responsible position in his fathers
vast enterprise. The only job his father
would give him was driving a mule in a
mine. So young Watson put a lantern |
On his cap and drove a low-born mule |
down in the innards of the earth 1t was
a mine boss, and not an indulgent faith |
er, who first took note OF his determina- !
ton to get ahead. While he was still |
driving the mule a huskily built stran-
ger came around one day endeavoring to |
stir up unrest among the miners Young |
Watson, a mere STRIPPING, ordered him /
away. and when he didn't go casually |
knocked him down. That heightened the !
respect of the miners for him. and it
" asn't long until Watson was in charge
IF a mine. To-day he is said to be worth
80, ,0OO.O 900 and to have been the brains
back of the building up of the Consoli-
lation Coal Company, which controls
more than 10000 acres of coal land in
West Virginia, Maryland. Kentucky. and
and which is said to be
he largest soft-coal mining corporation
n the world. But he still likes to drop
n at miners cabin occasionally and
AXE dinner. Many OF the miners call
linn by his first name.
He was not content to work up into a
oosition of responsibility in his fathers
but wanted to own something
himself. Before he was of age he had
bought 132 acres of coal land on credit,
With absolutely no security, and didn't
wen bother to consult with his father
about the deal.
The new Senator is free to say that he
Knows next to nothing at all about leg
station.
This work in the Senate appeals to
me- he told me the other day, "and 1
believe 1 can make myself thoroughly
Useful here. particularly in committee