New-York tribune., 1911-02-26
Such Was the Four Hour Speech of William Lormer, OF
Illinois the Other Day in Effort to Induce the
Upper House of Congress to Retain Him
as Member Thereof.

window 10 the boy purchasing them. He
went off into a doorway or hallway and
folded them and put them together.
But one Sunday morning as | came up
out of the basement crowd of boys sur
and Others by the throat and they pulled
my headings out from under my arm and
then let me go They Disappeared. l was
standing there brooding not only over the
dollar that l might have made out of the
sale of those papers. but the dollar and q
half that | had paid for them. because the
supplement was Of no value without the
heading.
Another boy came along with an armful
Of papers and said to me. What is the
matter? Why are YOU so downcast?' l
told him the story. He looked AT me for
moment and handed his papers over 10 me
and said: Stand back there in the door
way. Stay there until | come back!' He
went away, and in about five minutes he
returned and he had my headings in his
hand. He said Here are your papers.
Now. see to it that they don't take them
away from you again
"I went of. out Of that little incident
grew a friendship to the extent that AL
most every week l helped him. We had In
our town at that time Saturday after
noon paper called The Gazette. In the
territory that ] worked ] sold ali of mine,
and this boy usually had some left over
We used TO call II in those days getting
stuck. He gave them 20 me and tooH
them up in my territory and sold them LOT
him. Sometimes there was only one. but
II saved him i've cents and he made the
profit on Il ot another five cents. Some
times there were half dozen, and he
saved his 30 cents and made profit OF 80
cents
"Tbat friendship grew upon that basis.
4 dollar and a half he had saved Tor
me and 81 ~ was more to me, Senator
Root. IN those days than N,"""O wou'd
bo ia many OF the people Of this country
to-day
"What grew up out Of that little Incl
dent was a friendship and gratitude that
has lasted for over forty years. This man
that ! speak of as a man now was boy
then. He was sort OF a hero with the
newsboys. sort of king of the crowd,
and what hc said they did.
II have no doubt that Senators in this
chamber have heard his name. because
the newspapers of my town arc ringing
rounded me. Some held me by the hands
with II every day. In those days We called
him Hinky Dink' His name was Michael
Kenna. The nickname has followed him
10 this day. He is the leading Democrat
in the neghborhood in which he lives.
John Griffin represents that district.
'"Whcn tie papers published the story.
that Lormev would probably be candi-
date for Senator ne came 10 my office and
sat in my Office and said to me substan-
tally this BIZ, 1 understand you are
going 10 be a candidate for United States
senator and that YOU cannot be elected
unless you get Democratic votes. You can
depend upon it that If your name is pre-
scented John Griffin will vote for you IL
no other member Of the Legislature does
can the Senator from New York under
stand a situation OF that kind? Has he
ever come up through conditions Of that
sort that bind men together more firmly
than all the things that can be done to
him when he has grown 70 manhood after
he has been successful?
"When We quit selling papers Michael
Kenna went one way and ] went another.
He became a Democrat and ] became a
Republican. But there never has been
time in forty years when l without solici-
tation or he without solicitation could help
each other that we have failed 10 do it,
and almost Invariably without notifying the
other of our performance Of what we con-
sidered our duty unless l. was necess1.y
to do so. 1t may be the Senator from New