The Washington herald., 1912-03-10

old. evidently her son, with her. Sh<
has paused for a moment In the corridor
adjoining the Senate Chamber 70 peer
door OF which stands open.
Sunny Jim" Sherman. sitting in the
middle of the room behind a huge ma
hogany table-desk, smiles as the two
timidly enter. gets up. shakes hands with
them both, and proceeds TO talk with
the boy. He calls the boy SON. asks
him how old he is. and inquiries whether
he likes baseball or football best
Yet these people are total strangers
to him II Is just sunny JImrs' way.
A minute later he goes BACK to ms
work. while the woman and the boy look
about the room at their leisure, being In
vited so to do They Inspect some photo
graphs on the mantle shelf. In front or Q
great mirror. and admire the huge crys-
tai chandelier-which latter, by the way,
has an interesting history, having hung
for many years In the East Room or the
White House. II contains 5,OoO pieces OF
glass. and cost $1,000. But, Mr.. Roose-
Welt. when he remodeled the mansion at
Q total expense OF about $55o.0Oo. threw
II out. and II was put up in the vice
Presidents chamber. TO take the place
Of another very handsome gilt one
with the faces OF Washignton and other
famous Americans worked into its design
which had been burned while being re-
wired for electricity at a power house on
Pennsyivania avenue.
When the visitors have departed. ana
have returned to the distant town which
Is their home. the pleasantest recellec-
ton they will have Of their visit TO
washington will be that OF meeting the
Vice President and of the kindly ana
cordial way IN which he treated them
They will remember II all their lives.
and everybody they know will hear
the story.
After all. perhaps. It pays better in
this world to be friendly to everybody.
sunny Jim acts upon that idea. Inc
door Of the Vice Presidents room at the
Capitol is always kept wide open-a
thing heretofore unheard of-and any
body Is welcome to walk in who wishes
to do 50.
II may be remarked here. by way or
parenthesis. that Mr.. Sherman did not
get his nickname from the advertisements
OF a certain well-known breakfast food
Oh Nho NCAhoAsE - AAoNAS eAN
case stands Just the opposite way. FOR
the present Vice President has been COM
monty known as sunny Jim Tor some
thing like twenty-five years.
As everybody knows. he is a man of
considerable wealth. At home in Utica
he Is president Of a trust company which
Is the largest institution Of the kind IN
Central New York. In Washington he
rents a very handsome corner house IN
Sixteenth street. the property Of a'titled
EnglishwOman.
Mr.. Sherman Is a man OF simple habits.
He gets up at Z o'clock every morning
ington newspaper and a Utica news
paper Of the previous day. Breakfast is
at o'clock. but II is liable TO be an
meal. for by this time the
telephone Is beginning to ring in a fever
Ish manner. The Vice Presidents tele-
phone Is not in the telephone directory.
but 4 good many people have his num-
Der. and others call his private secretary
up. often getting him cut Of bed to
reach sunny Jim"
He kas friends all over the country.
from California TO Maine and from the
Gulf to the Lake OF the Woods. and they
are constantly arriving In Washington.
Most commonly they get here on trains
that pull into the station at about
4. m. and their first idea is to get hold
of Jim" Sherman lss soon after break
fast as possible. They want him to take
Them 10 the White House or TO do some
hing else. Hence the jingle-jinsle of
The telephone
After breakfast Mr.. Sherman attends
70 his intimate personal correspondence.
which ne does in long-hand without the
lid OF stenographer or typewriter. Then
he starts out in his motor car. which
las a limousine body in winter and a
curing body in summer. and proceeds
% transact whatever business he may
lave 70 do downtown Some OF this is
ikely TO be at the departments in the
interest of Utica folks. For he is as
much interested In his own Congress
ional district as ever. although the lat
er Is now represented by a Democrat. !
,haries A. Talcott-
He doesn't get really busy. however. |
Intil after he mas reached the Capitol, |
which may be any time between 10 and II
: m There he finds a lot Of mail await |
ng his attention. and dictates few
stters- There Is more or less Interrupt
ion by callers. Senators drop in TO talk |
legislative business with him. Newspa-
er men have questions to ask Delega- |
Ions come bearing invitations of one
ort or another. He is asked to attend 1
anquets, to make speeches. &c.
BanQuets have small attractions for /
i'm. and he has no special banker for
aIking In public. Accordingly. he rarely |
ccepts such Invitations, and he 'will
ever 20 out Of Washington while Con-
ress Is In session.
What he really considers the most fun
watching a good game OF baseball.
Ie Is a pretty fair golf player, and In
leasant weather he likes to so on for
,ng rides In his automobile When he
trikes a road that Is new to him, he
ANTS to find out where II goes to. and
, this way he has thoroughly explored
II Of those part Of Maryland and Vfr-
inia which are within not too distant
each Of Washington.
A little before noon the Chaplain Of the
enate comes. into the Vice Presidents
pom. His name Is Ulysses Grant Ben
min Pierce, and through slight per-
ersion Of his initials, he is commonly
nown as Bug Pierce. A few moments
tier In walks the official whose impress
we title Is assistant sergeant-at-arms
charge OF the floor, and who, with a
sspectfui bow. ssys: Twelve o'clock.
Ir. PRESIDENT"
It should be explained here that at
ie Capitol Sunny Jim" is always Mr..
resident" for the reason, OF course,
nat he Is ex ofiicio President OF the
enate.
Accompanied By the Chaplain. he valks
sr. and stands at the east end OF the
ais. while the sky pilot of the Upper
ouse assumes the place occupied during
,ssions by Mr. Sherman himself He