The Washington herald., 1913-07-06

Vice President Marshall has a theory
| that the average man. when you look
him right in the eye. and pin him down
TO given proposition. will tell approx
mately the truth
Vice President has comparatively
| little to do. and ordinarily it doesn't
matter whether a man tells him the
truth or not: still. once in a while i, is
desirable to know. and Marshall has a
system that he perfected when he was
Governor of Indiana.
In the first place. to get the whole
| truth out of a man. it is best to he
| closeted with him alone. At first thought.
one might have an idea that a man
would be more likely to shrink from
telling lie when there are others about
| to hear him. but that is not the way it
works out. A man who lies at all thinks
il smart and cute to tell lies, and he
will do So all the more likely when he
has a good audience. especially il most
of the audience is in sympathy with him.
1t is when he is alone with the man he is
trying TO fool, and has a thing put up
to him. on his honor, that the of hand
liar is apt to quail.
For example when Marshall was gov
ernor, committee of ten came to the ex-
ecutive office one day to urge the appoint
ment of a certain ponderously- girthed
politician to an important place. Mar
shall had supposed that Of all the appli-
cants for the place none was quite so in
competent as this one that the delega-
ton was recommending with such great
enthusiasm and plausibility. He asked
all manner of questions. first of one
member of the delegation and then Of
another, but he could get no one to ad-
init that there was the slightest flaw in
the candidates character or entitlements.
Then Marshall called one of the dele
cation aside. took him into his private
office. and told him he wished to have a
chat. Looking the visitor straight in the
eye. the Governor asked:
Tell me. now. man to man. il you
were Governor would you appoint him."
WE'LL" faltered the man. ''of course
-oh-h. l think so-that is, l might"
Marshall called the others in one at a
time. and each faltered, and finally told
the truth when the thing was put up to
them in that form.
The two Senators from New Hamp-
shire show promise of disagreeing about
things often enough to add a touch Of
light comedy to Senatorial debates. As
rule. Senators from the same State
try to be In accord on most OF the
propositions that come up, or II
they are not in accord they aim not
to show 1t. Until the death Of Senator
Hepburn the two Senators from Idaho
were a striking exception to this rule.
They never agreed on anything or on
any part or phase Of anything. II Sem
ator Borah was for a proposition. his
colleague was certain not only to oppose
il. but to do SO openly. In full view of
the audience and in a loud voice. Each
seemed to serve as a foil for the other.
like Weber and Field used to be.
One recalls this sample dialogue that
took place on the Senate floor between
Borah and Hepburn:
Hepburn: / have never been partial
to caucuses, and I should like to elimi-
nate them.
Borah: I am glad the Senator is COM
ing to disclose that much progress.
Hepburn: am not coming. I have
always been there.
Borah: I am sure that IL my colleague
was ever there, he IL there still.
Hepburn: The right Of today 10 the
right Of all times. The right does not
change with every season.
Borah: That is true, but I would rath-
er have my face to the dawn than al
ways to the sunset.
Hepburn: That IL q very pretty senti
ment, but . man who never looked at .