Evening star., 1911-08-13

= pubic place 1T Inc national 1dIltdt men
md women point him out and explain,
There nc i, There's the great Brandcis.
10 moro certain sign of distinction could
ic given than this attention in 4 city where
statesmen, dignitarics, rulers. and ing men
II every variety elbow one another in the
rect, crowd the cafes and move in tioCks
large and small through hotels, drawing
.oums and corridors Of Government build
:ngs When man can have himself pointed
cut in Washington as being unusual and
remarkable for ability, he has arrived,
landed, and taken his seat srnacl; in the
center Of the limclight.
Brandcis is the Bostonian who told the
-.ilrouds Of the country how they could save
me million dollars LAY; who once returned
. check for twelve thousand five hundred
dollars on the ground that he did not care
- take any fec for the work he had done in
!, case that concerned the good Of the people;
and clcnched forever his reputation as a
brilliant lawyer bv his work in the Plnchot-
Bailingcr investigation He IS the man who
IN recent years has taken several trips to
Washington and risen each time calmly and
.tnobtrusively above the flood Of greatness,
with some sort Of crown resting on his raven
..air.
\ glance at him convinces YOU that, above
III things, he is 4 poet. His deep, bright
x
IMPRESSION an idea that might well be the
tight one; for his mother was 4 Pole, and
Poland is land Of romance and song. But
lie Poles have another great attribute, Their
superb patriotism, and this is what Brandcis
inherited from his mother. His is the
patriotism that believes in helping and up
lifting the people Of the country, not in the
glamour Of indiscriminate wealth and well
,.ivcrliscd ;lmsgivng, but in hard, effective
work for which no charge IS made either IN
money or in applause.
Years ago Brandcis and his wife made a
compact that when they had saved enough
money to allow them to live comfortably, he
should have the privilege of giving his SER
.ices rs attorney free Of charge 10 any cause
hat seemed likely 10 advance the good of
humanity. One result of this agreement
was his sending back the check for twelve
thousand FIVE hundred. Other fruits OF 1t
were his leading and winning the fight in
Boston for cheaper gas, his creation Of the
Massachusetts law for savings bank insur-
,nce. his victorious struggle in the courts Of
Illinois and Oregon forbidding any employer
10 work a woman more than ten hours day,
and his gratis service TO railroad shippers in
.hcir fights for cheaper freight rates.
There is no doubt about the Brandeis
patriotism. 1t is i special branch in which,
~ lstl, IlS ltio liti'i iSs IOiIo"1la. ~ -
llanaton Of his success in the many things
hc has undertaken IS easy. The man is
simply foolish about facts and figures. He
can take a set Of figures and make them do
anything from piercing stone wall to con-
rcrsing in Semitic. Facts and figures have
been his lifcwork He laid up his income by
working with railroads and manufacturers,
and, while he was doing it, he always got to
-hc bottom OF things.
He was asked on one occasion why he had
concluded that the railroads could save a
;:illion dollars 4 day in their operations.
The million-dollar estimate he said
quietly, is i conservative one. ! reached 1t
,ftcr | had examined the railroad presidents
md managers in the rate cases last Sep
.ernbcr. | found out then that they knew
absolutely nothing about cost, and that they
we're in as great ignorance on this subject
hen as the manufacturers OF the country
.;ld been 4 quarter Of century ago when |
became interested in a scientific manner Of
calculating each day the cost Of operating
!. plant.
The railroad men laugh at him and say he
is i seer Of visions; but h has been getting
thousands Of letters daily from railroad sub
Drdnatcs telling him his contention is right.
Ic studied this question because hc wanted
- tighten the burden of railway expenses on
he masses IL the people. Such also was his
motive when nc undertook to cheaper gas
in Boston. and his love of humanity was