The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-05-23
SENATOR MARTIN
As Viewed By The Saturday Evening
Post.

The AANNAAHo
Philadelphia. IN its issue OF May
goth, publishes large cut OF sen
ator Thos. S. Martin, OF virginia
and under the caption, Who's VINO
and Why says:
One might say the Honorable
Thomas Staples Martin is poddy
indeed. pursy leader Also
one might say he is a reactlOhary--
or. mayhaps, a backdctionary--leau-
er. One could never say, however.
he is not an agreeable, a polite ana
a suave leader; nor could one deny
he is a solid. substantial. sane
and a sapient leader; for, during his
sixteen years in the Senate. he has
established just those qualities ana
made for himself secure position
among the effective members of his
party in that body.
Broadly speaking. there are two
kinds Of Senators: languageiferous
Senators and laborious Senators
Senators who let talk do for work
and Senators who let work stand
for talk There are Senators who
wander unfortunately in the ever
glades oil their own VerbOslty ana
Senators who merely speak when
they have something to say. There
are Senators who count that day
lost when they do not increase the
size Of the Congressional Record
and Senators who are as tcOnOmlcdl
with their comment as DR.. Calm
ger is with his hair. 1t is quite
true that this latter class can lie
divided into two species. the Sen
ators who do not talk because they
have nothing to say and the Sena-
tors who. when they have some
thing to say. SAY ii and subside.
Martin comes under TINS ma
head lie is no budding. full-blO"n
or whiting DemOsthenes H. does
not charge around on the 5ena.e )
nice. green carp I and eNude opin-
ion oratOry and Omniscience at
every pore Whenever Martin gets
up and SAYS MIR PrcSident,' he has
few well-ma,ured thoughts 10 b
expressed concise ly. and when he
has put forth all those thoughts he
sits down Moreover. when he does
get 40 there is not an immediate
exodus for the cioakroom. but close
attention; for in the many years |
have been watching him. ! never
heard him speak when he did not
speak directly to the point nor has
anybody else.
lie is a short. round man. who
moves about silently. When he
cam, into the Senate The late Sen
ator John W Daniel was there from
Virginia Until Senator Daniel died.
not long ago. Daniel took the ora
torical end of Virginia representa-
ton and Martin the political. Mar
tin is essentially politician. lie
was powerful in Virginia affairs for
years long before he came TO the
Senate. in fact ana h still main
tains his supremacy which. although
often contested, has not yet been
taken from him. He is quiet. adro-t
industrious. capable. and he gener-
aily gets what he goes alter He Is
set In his views. Old-fashioned in
his Democracy. plays the game as he
sees fit makes no secret OF whateVe
affiliations he may have. and goes
about his business methodically and
intelligently. He has been charged
with being Thomas +. Ryan Sen
ator-Ryan comes from Virginia;
charged with representing the inter
ests. with being hand-inglove with
Aldrieh-and with various other
things. He may be all this or he
may not The point is that he does
not resort to the hypocrisy. the cant
the humbuggery and the demogog-
ism that a lot of his associates in
/ the Senate resort to. either 10 cover
up what they really are or TO force
themselves in whore they do not be
long He is exactly the kind Of a
Senator he Is
He was born in Virginia. was a ca
Diet AT the Virginia Military In
stitute in 1864. and served in the
Confederate army with the battalion
OF cadets from that school He wa
licensed to practice law in 1869. ana
although he was very active in poll-
tics. never held an office or sought
one until he was first elected to the
United States Senate in 1895 lie
was reelected 10 the Senate in 1899
and again in 1905; and he VIII
undoubtedly be reelected when his
present term expires
His long service in the Senate
has placed him on various important
committees. lie is chairman OF the
Committee ON Public Health and a
member OF the Committees on APP
preparations, Commerce. District OF
Columbia, Claims, and Naval Al
fairs. being the ranking Democrat on
Commerce, District of Columbia, and
Claims.
He voted with the Republicans on
several items in the Payne-A'drlch
tariff bill, which fact was made to
stand out when they were trying TO
beat him for leader. When asked
about these votes he told all in
quirers his responsibility lay with
the State OF Virginia. not with these
inquisitors-a and that was about all
there was of that. Indeed, he mas
a direct way of talking. Once they
framed up an investigation In Vlr-
ginia to try to show his election as
senator was improperly secured. They
had a committee sitting at Rich
mond. but apparently did not intend
TO call Martin to testify He walk
ed into the room. demanded to be
sworn, said he was ready to be ques
toned and remarked: IL want first
to say that any statement made by
any man that I either directly or
indiroot1v used sanctioned or had
knowledge of any corrupt. Illegal or
improper methods or means in my
election. or in the campaign pre-
ceding. is an unmitigated. I'M
qualified and malicious falsehood.
He was not sworn. the inYestlga-
ton collapsed and the affair is men
toned merely to show that wheh
the Senator desires to talk he seems
to know how to clothe his Thoughts
HtNe cCnpcE MITES