Semi-weekly herald., 1913-07-31
DOUBLES" OF PRESIDENT
AND MEMBERS OF CABINET

WASHINGTON, d. c., July 80
The quadrennial crop of doubles" of
newly elected and newly appointed
statesmen and heads of the govern
ment has set in with vengeance. As
is always the case when new presi-
dent takes office, doubles" of that
official are discovered in all parts of
the country. And it is the same with
the cabinet members and higher gov
ernment officials. 1t goes with their
jobs to be doubled" and have the
doubles" write to them enclosing pho
tographs to prove their claim to fame.
Some of the doubles" even came in
person to prove that they ''look like
statesman"
Of course, the president always has
the most doubles, and President Will
son is nc exception to this rule. Since
he was inaugurated, President Wilson
has been informed by letter and in
person with pictures as exhibits that
he has as many "douhles" as he has
fingers and toes.
Next to President Wilson, Secretary
OF State Bryan is the most doubled ;
man i'll the present administration.
But he had start on the others be-
cause OF the great length of time
he has been before the public so prom
inently. Secretary Bryan doesn't at
all mind being doubled" In fact
he acmits he gets quite bit of n
laugh out of the situations that arise
through having doubles" He says
priests. walters, cabmen, conductor.
and policemen have been mistaken for
him and that he has seen MANY who
laid claim to fame by virtue of their
resemblance to him, who really bear
startling likeness to him. He and
Colonel Roosevelt probably have more
doubles in this country than any
other six men in the public eye.
Speaking of his doubles" the other
day. Secretary Bryan said:
Charles B. Hanford. the actor. is.
as would be said in the vernacular, a
dead wringer' for me. Hanford re-
Gently passed himself off at a Grid
iron banquet as w. J. Bryan and he
didn't have to use any makeup, either.
A very good Democrat named .Woif of
Texas, who is now dead, impersonated
me with great success at national
gathering OF tlks, and w. Haw.ey of
Oregon, looks so much like me he
might fool my banker if his voice
was more like mine.
"The most humorous case of a 'dou-
ble.' however. was when a waiter at
Buffalo clJh impersonated me tyI
sDeGsing n a number of law .choo!
grs'.ua.s who wpre present and ASKED
lin to f1,cr tinsm with a short ID
dress. The gracuates didn't know the
speaker was noS sse until they read
the papers the next day. afterwards
got copy of the waiter's speech, and
it was a pretty good one."
Another amusing incident occurred
when Father Nugent Of Iowa intro
duced him to an audience at Creston,
Iowa, in 1896. Just as Bryan began
speaking, two men entered the hall.
Father Nugent stood just behind Bry-
an as the secretary made a short
speech. After a few moments, one
OF the late comers nudged his friend
and said: "Why doesn't that fool stop
spouting and let Bryan talk"
Secretary of War Garrison says he
has dozens of doubles, judging from
the way he has been mistaken for
other people. Frequently men and
women have approached him on the
street, grasped his hand, asked him
how Alice or Bertha or John or Sam
were, and remarked he was looking
hne, or poorly, as the case might be
Secretary Garrison follows an invari-
able rule in such cases. He always
replies that so-and-so is doing well
and asks to be remembered, in order
to save explanations and apologies.
Secretary Of the Navy Daniels ha
had similar experiences, and has in
his desk photographs of a half dozen
persons who have sent them to him
70 prove that they look like him. Hs