The Topeka state journal., 1913-11-15
PAY IN POLITICS
Politicians Often Prosper in
Their Private Enterprises
Through Their Connections
With Affairs of Government.
MILLIONAIRE CHASE'S START
Was Made When He Became
@Fat Fryer" at Washington.
Now He Is q PlutOcrat in the
Theatrical World.

Washington, Nov. 15-Who shall say
that politics doesn't pay" when each
day discloses a politician who has pros
pered in his private affairs and gives
politics credit for discussing the way
to do it.
Politics brings men together. puts
them to work together, and business
propositions develop. with prosperity
the result. Only the other day here
in Washington Miss Chase. the daugh-
ter of a millionaire theatrical manager.
p. B. Chase, was welded to B. F. Keith.
another theatrical magnate with mil
lions to the good. Yet this Joining of
millions would never have happened
had it not been for good. old-fashioned
politics, ----s ..---z-s
Not SO very many years ago. when
Harry NJ Dougherty was chairman OF
the Republican state committee IN
Ohio, he sent Plympton B. Chase from
the banks of the Kokasing to WASH
ington for the sole purpose OF collect
ing campaign funds from Ohio Repuo-
licans on the federal payroll. That was
but two years after William McKin-
ley and Marcus Hanna had brought q
big bunch of appointees to town and
besides there were a few hundred ONO
officeholders who had slipped along
many years without chipping in Tor
the election of Republican governors
or congressman at home. 1t was the
Dougherty idea. backed up by Hanna,
an extrmely practical man in politics,
to make these old federal employees
''come across" and it was not much
trouble to collect from the new ap-
pofntees, who went on the payroll
mighty soon after the Inauguration.
Chase had been running modest little
theaters in the state. and a dull sea-
son was on. He could spare the time.
and Dougherty picked him to do the
collecting, also the threatening. at this
end. Chase came on and had plenty
Of time on his hands between pay
days of the government. He retained
his fancy for the theatrical proposition
and studied the amusement situation
in Washington to the limit. He hgur-
ed out that the town needed a clean.
modest vaudeville theater, and he beg
ged Dougherty and other political
friends at home to invest in such an
enterprise. They couldn't see it. and
Chase sought backing elsewhere.
Years later Dougherty watched the
crowds coming from the old Chase
theatre with the woeful remark that
he might have had some of that profit
had he been wise, but adding that
he was happy to see his friend Chase
enjoying all of 1t. Politics alone gave
Chase his choice, and Ohio Repub1i-
can managers in big campaigns do
not forget to remind him of the fact.
After a tariff debate in the Senate
recently the conversation drifted to
the way in which the party in con-
troll, by exercising its power. fire.
Quently will embarrass itself. Sem
ator Norris Of Nebraska was in the
party.
1T recall" said he, 'sthe story Of q
certain western senator serving some
time back. He was denounced as q
violent radical and his speeches n
nally became SO vitriolic that the Re-
publican leaders took steps to head
him on. Consequently. whenever he
arose and asked that a speech be i'm
serted in the Congressional Record
there was objection.
Zone day the senator rose impress
sively and begged to read some docu-
ments which appealed to the Repub-
licans as being entirely too radical.
OF course, they couldn't stop him
while he was reading. But at the end
of fifteen minutes he paused and
asked leave to insert the remainder Of
the document In the Record.
Instantly about the whole Repub-
lican side. which had been itching in
its seats. arose as one man and OBJ
jected.
"svery well, Mr.. President said
the senator. There II objection from
the Republican side and viii with
draw my request that the remainder
of this document be inserted. But
would like to remind the senators
that this document. to which they 90
seriously object. Is from the pen OF
that immortal Repub1ican-Abraha
Lincoln!''
] 1T all depends upon the point q