The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-12-04
Statesmen, Real and Near.
BY FRED G. KELLY.


Representative Ben Johnson Of Ken
lucky Is man who WIN do anything fol
one or TO one. whichever way the exigen
cies OF the case seem to demand. He /,
man kindly disposed. obliging and with
disposition to take OF his coat anc
give it to the first stranger who seems &c
need it. Moreover he is reasonably for.
giving OF those who trespass agains'
him. But once in a long time he meets
up with somebody that he can't forgive
worth a cent.
Some years ago johnson was a candi-
date for the Democratic nomination for
governor OF his State and the nomination
that year was equivalent to an election.
He would have landed except for one
man who started some campaign lies
about him and In the other ways done
him dirt"
Time ran along and a few months ago
this same man who treated Johnson 50
unkindly in that race for the governor
ship greatly desired a certain job. IL
was a Federal appoIntive JOB and John
sons influence was needed before he
could get IL.
He sought to make peace with johnson,
but the latter did not at once become
sociable or clubby-not at all. Then the
man sent em!ssaries TO johnson with the
tidings that he realized he had once
served johnson a mean trick and that
he was mighty sorry he had behaved In
such a shameful manner.
Are you quite sure the man really is
sorry?' inquired johnson. with a benign
smile that seemed to bode no III.
"Oh, yes indeed" replied the mans
emissary. He is thoroughly sorry. He
wants to meet you and apologize"
you think there's no blum about it
and he's positively sorry?'' persisted
johnson. talking still more amiably.
mo question about IT," the envoy as
sured him.
Then" said johnson. Il wish you
would Just say to the man that he is not
half as sorry as 1 intend that he will
be later on
Little things still keep right on leading
to bigger things.
When Byron r. Newton, Assistant Sec
rotary Of The Treasury. was special writer
on the New York Herald years ago, he
was amused every once in a while bv see
ing a stray paragraph in one OF the pa
pers about an unknown lawyer named
McAdoo who proposed to build a tunnel
lnueF the I1uuSOu INlNNAs NllAbb
started nowhere and ended in Hoboken,
besides being n proposition that had al
ready been tried and abandoned as an
impossibility. Every time
Newton thought OF the poor. simple-mind-
ed lawyer who dreamed such absuTdities
he chuckled to himself. and at last he
determined to hunt the man up lust"
as he afterward expressed It ito see what
The poor, blamed fool looked like"
After hunting for an hour o. two he |
fnally 'ocated. McAdoo tucked away in |
/ dreary little office in Wall street.
And Newton sat there In the ONCE talk |
ng to McAdoo for just exactly seven !
hours and n half. McAdoo interested him |
md IMPRESSED him.
He felt sorry for McAdoo as an I'M
fortunate. misguided dreamer who had |
nit upon a thing that couldn't be done. |
yet he saw that II the thing only could |
De done, McAdoo would be the man to !
10 IL
, Newton went TO his office and wrote |
Sunday page about McAdoo and his
lream That story marked the begin
hing OF McAdoo and his tunnel project
he only attention paid 10 him had been
Is a subjec: for amusement or pity.
From that time on McAdoo has kept
coming more and more into prominence
md Newton has always been asso-
lated with him behind the scenes. Sew
raj times Newton got leave OF absence
rom his paper for a few months while
lie went to help out McAdoo." All
through the various steps incident to
he big tunnel proposition Newton
wrote publicity stun. advised, abetted.
nd made himself generally. useful
When McAdOo got into the managerial
81 - NJ
he first thirgs lie did was to send for
BY Newton.
And when McAdco STEPPED into the
,abinet, nothing would do but BY
must ccme along.
II permitted Just to follow his own con-
ersational course, Vice President Mar
hall will nearly always veer the talk
round TO the subject of the climate and
cenery afforded by the State OF Arizona,
nd allow the talk to remain right there.
.rizona is the Vice Presidents favorite
opic for offhand chat. Just now this
of his is especially marked. &,
'om the fact that he has recently been ,
Arizona. When he gets away from
ne subject of Arizona, Marshall usually
Lnds at once in baseball.
Kin Hubbard, the comic paragrapher,
ent out once for a week or two with
theatrical troupe. The newspaper in I
ne little town where they appeared
pasted the show without reserve or
ercy. Kin saw a copy of the paper I
hereupon he wrote a post card to the !
litor saying:
II don't know whether I am a SUD-
'riber to your paper or not. II am.
op it"
upright 1913 BY Fred G. Kelly An rights reserved c