Evening journal., 1914-08-08
New News Of Yesterday
Two Kansas Senators as
Newspaper Readers
By Holland.

The late Preston B. Plumb. who
was three times elected by the Kan
sas legislature TO the United States
Senate, was sometimes spoken OF by
his colleague in the Senate. william
P. Frye, of Maine as in many re-
spects an ideal United States Senator.
Senator Plumb was Of striking sim
plicity Of life. He was one OF the
first OF those who ventured TO depart
from the precedent established many
years ago which fixed the dress which
a Senator should wear when he ap-
peared upon the floor OF the Senate.
Senator Plumb preserved con-
stantly, and probably Intentionally.
the appearance OF democratic sim
plicity. He was conspicuous by rea-
son of his flowing red whiskers. his
large head and the fact that no one
in the Senate ever saw him idle He
allowed himself but modicum Of
sleep. His friends were persuaded
that he was overtaxing his physical
and mental strength and at the time
of his death, which occurred when he
was serving in his third term. the
impression commonly prevailed
among his Senatorial colleagues that
il was attributable to his excessive
work.
Senator Plumb greatly interested
me because / never saw him when
he appeared to be listening TO another
Senator. although his occasional re-
quests for permission TO ask a ques-
ton made II clear that. busy as he
vas, his ears took in everything that
was spoken. Another characteristic
OF the Senator which interested me
was his daily habit Of littering the
floor around his desk with news
papers. He seemed TO possess the
somewhat rare faculty of taking in
the meaning of an editorial or alb
sorbing the gist of column Of writ
ten words at a single glance. II is a
faculty which Charles A Dana pos
sessed and was also the one which
has made il possible for Theodore
Roosevelt to read so many books
with understanding of what he has
read.
Senator Plumb was not one OF
those who disdained the newspapers.
Instead. he was fond OF saying that
he read all the newspapers that he
could get. He was reported to have
received and faithfully to have read
each week every paper published in
the State of Kansas. He was a pro-
found believer in the value of edi-
torial publicity,
His colleague. Senator ingalls,, who,
ike Senator PluISb. began life in
newspaper work. read but few news
papers, but those which were taken
by him we're read diligently. His
purpose iii reading a newspaper diff
fered from that which moved Senator
Plumb TO read consistently every
newspaper published in Kansas. In
gals was anxious to stimulate his
own mental activities. Plumb sim
ply desired TO learn what was the
prevailing public opinion in Kansas,
what his constituents in Kansas we're
talking about, and what they were
doing. In this way. he was not only
able to get a sound understanding OF
prevailing public opinion in that
State. but was also the first to de-
tect shifts or changes OF opinion. Fur
thermore, this swift reading OF the
Kansas newspapers made II possible
for Senator Plumb 10 carry on cor
respopdence with men in Kansas.
some Of whom he never saw or heard
Of until he read something about
them in the Kansas newspapers. He
realized the value of correspondence
of this kind in making and maintain
ing friends, and ii is proDable, too.
that in the entire history OF the SEN
ate there never was a member Of that
u MS "a
such large reader of the newspaper
press as was Senator Preston B.
Plumb, OF Kansas.