Iditarod pioneer., 1914-05-23
LEADER JAMES R. MARIN,
 GUIDE AND CRITIC OF HOUSE

Intelgencer)
 There is one figure in the house of rep resentatiycs which the capitol guides tow i ing their prey delight to point out, and i that is James R. Mann of Illinois, Repub- Gcan leader. Usually the visitors have heard a good deal about him and take | lively interest in his personality and hls work
 Mir. Mann is a stanch oak that has weath- cred the storm which swept the Republican forest. Cannon, Dalzell and other leaders have gone, but Mann remains, alert, watch Iul and aa capable as ever.
 Usually occupying an aisle seat on the Republican side of the house, MT Mann does not impress the casual observer They see pleasant elderly gentleman with short gray whiskers and spectacl@s. He appears not 10 be taking an interest in the proceed ings. Presently somebody from the other side of tke house attempts to slip something by. Instantly Mir Mann is on his feet.
 MT Speaker, restrving the right to ob- icct, l would like to know something about this matter.'
 Then it is discovered that it is imposs ble to slip aynthing over on Mir. Mann, and he makes good his reputation of being the guide, critic and mentor of the house. No other man in that assemblage has so good
 1, rrl, ,ln,l,r, 1t parliamentary law
 Occasionally the house will get tangled up on some question, and it is then that everybody looks to Mr. Mann. He knows every precedent and presently he is able to pick the monkey wrench out of the ma chiucry and the house proceeds in an or delly way with its business.
 Mir. Mann is not an orator in the com mcnIy accepted sense, although he speaks couvincngly, and he is on his feet speaking cf.ener than any other congressman. His language is plain, forceful. direct and ire oucntly blunt Occasionally he uses sar- caSm so biting that few members care to have q tilt with him. Outside the cham Der he s agable, genial and always ac- cessible.
 In his office in the basement of the cap i iloI he does most of his work One room is occuf ied by his secretary, Mrs. Florence A. DonnclIey, who has been his secretary for twenty years and two or three clerks Ad- Joining this room k Ilr Mann's private of ice Ihe walls of these two rooms are covered with filing cases, in which is kept all tine information available for the work of congress.
 Asked to explain his system for keeping at his fingers ends the vast fund of knowl- edge necessary to hold his unique position, Mir Mann replied:
 By uvailng myself of the sources of inicrmation at hand Few people, cvo1 in congress realize the amount of information that can be obtained from a careful read ing of public documents 1 have these pvbEcaJions sent to me and 1 look over the" and read what is necessary f5r r.e to read"
 Tine after time it hes been demonstrated tbaJ Mr Mann reads and studies every i bill that passes either house l. may be a matter in which there is little general nteros. and the members of congress have permitted it to go forward without close scrut.ny Not so with Mir. Mann, however 1t the proper moment he will rise and he will reel of figures and pithy statements .aat simply floor the opposition
 Che thing which is helofuI to Mr Mann s his wonderful memory During the clos ing days of the special session the Demo crats proposed q concurrent resolution pro- ylGing fer action to be taken by the new congress. In the discussion of the ques- Han Mir Mann was opposed to Oscar Un- aorwaod the Democratic leader Mir Un- @erwood cited a precedent of the Fifty eighth congress-
 W hen the special session to which the gentleman rcfcrS' said A1r Mann, was called by President Roosevelt to meet in November, the house on the Saturday pre- '-ding adjourned The senate adjourned to meet on the following Monday at II o'clock or Il :32, l believe, and then they ad- .4vraed"
 'It has been some years ago said Mir. | Jnderwood, land of course ones memory Ea2not carry everything, but Iay recoIec- ,ion is that at the termination of that ses- sion of congress me wet in the morning of i the first Monday in December"
 Well, the gentleman's memory IS incor- rect, and if l were he I would not proceed farther on that line" said Mir Mann I've met on Saturday. The house adjourned on Saturday without passing any concurrent resolution"
 To settle the point an examination of { the record Was made and it was found that Mir Mann had correctly stated what oc- cured at that special session of congress.