South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-30
STATESMEN
REAL AND NEAR
By FRED c. KELLY.

WASHINGTON, April 30.-When
Victor Murdoch was comparatively
new in congress, he served on the
postOttice committee which was
committee of much turmoil. II was
rare thing for a meeting 10 be held
without some form of hOstilities. and
Victor's sandy hair and lighting spirit
lent themselves nicely TO the prevail
ing scheme.
1t came about that there was a plan
framed to pass a ship subsidy bill in
the house, and the bill was to be in
cubated in the pOstoftice COMMITTEES.
Victor Murdoch and a minority of the
committee were against ship subsidy,
but there seemed TO be no way 10
prevent il from being favorably re-
ported to the house.
One day it was apparent that there
were enough votes present TO pass the
bill out of committee. and the chair
man prepared TO do so.
Representative Stafford of Wiscon-
sin turned To Victor Murdoch and
whispered excitedly:
Get uD and make a talk against
ship subsidy. We can't stop them
from passing il out. because they've
got the votes, but we must make
snow OF nSnl.
The trouble is" whispered back
Victor. that l don't know anything
about ships. l was raised inland and
don't know "A knot from a log. You
get up and talk"
NO, you talk first" insister Stat
ford. Say mething-anything. You
know more about it than ] do"
So Victor got up and began to talk
about ships and ship subsidy. won
dering each moment if he could think
of enough things TO say to last anoth-
er sentence.
Then Stafford made a brief talk
He knew more about ships than Vic
tor, but to be on the safe side, he did
not discuss ships much, preferring the
safer ground of generalties.
The chairman put the question to
vote, and, 10, the subsidy PROPOSE
ton lost by the rather meager mar
gin Of one.
Representative Hoggett of Colo
RADIO was one of those who had
changed sides. and Murdoch went
over TO him TO ask why he had voted
with them against the bill.
why" the man replied, earnest
~, those two speeches convinced
me-"
On the day that William Mckinley
was shot at Buffalo. Theodore RoOse-
welt, then vice president was with a
party of friends on an island in Lake
Champlain. Shortly before they got
the word of McKinleys assassination.
members of the party were sitting
about telling stories. Roosevelt told
one about a queer experience he had
not long after he went out west as a
young man TO build up his health.
He had gone down one day to a lit
tie ranch town 10 attend a cowboy
convention. and the one shack of a
hotel in the place was crowded.
Roosevelt. all done up in his brand
new cowboy clothes that branded him
as a tenderfOOt. went 10 the hotel
proprietor and asked if there was not
a possibility of getting a bed. The
proprietor said there was just one
bed that didn't have two people in it,
and that he was at liberty to go up
and persuade the occupant of that
bed TO let him share il.
Roosevelt went up, but the other
guest was not in the room. Both
room and bed looked rather good to
Roosevelt. though and he determined
to undress and get into bed and make
explanation 10 the other man when
he came in.
Soon he was fast asleep He had
a dream-like knowledge of somebody
entering the room at some time dur
ing the night, but he did not wake
up. The next morning Roosevelt saw
indications that some one had slept
in the bed with him and mussed the
room up, but whoever il was had
packed up and gone. Young T. r.
was much impressed with the Won
derful pOlitenesS and consideration of
person who would find stranger
in his bed and let him share it with
out a question. He FASTENED down
stairs to find out the name of the
kind person, but the man had gone
and the proprietor did not recall his
name
And to this day" said Roosevelt.
in telling the story TO the crowd on
the little island in Lake Champlain
Il have wondered in vain about the
identity Of that courteous bunkmate."
At that point spoke up William
Seymour. who later on became mayor
of Tacoma. Wash. but who was liv-
ing in Vermont then not far from
the island. He began TO ask questions
about the town where the bedroom
incident occurred. the approximate
date. the appearance Of the room and
all. until finally T r. arose. showed
his teeth. and exclaimed:
Nobody could know so much about
that room unless he was there
You're the man whose bed I shared"
And il was even so.
When the feet was ordered 70 Mex
leo the other day several Washington
newspaper correspondents were hur-
riedly sent along. No one had more
than az hours notice. and there was
little time TO pack ones trunk or hat
boxes. Archie Jamison. who repre-
sents one OF the big news services.
took inst che article Of baggage.
which he obtained after a mad ~''sh.