South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-02-13
STATESMEN
REAL AND NEAR
BY FRED C. KELLY.
BY FRED C. KELLY.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.-Sen. At
lee w. Pomerene of Ohio has an un-
whiting faculty of lending certain
atmosphere of mystery 10 nearly
everything that he does or says.
If the senator were To walk up to a
man and ask for match, he would
do it with such unimpassiOned gravity
that the man would wonder: What
is this fellow up to ?"
A few mornings ago POmerene APP
peared at the white house To keep an
appointment with the president. He
was accompanied by one or two men
from out of the city and all looked
rather serious. though none SO much
so as the senator one got the inn
preston from a glance at Atlee that
the president was about TO be APP
prised of something extremely sad and
weepful.
Two or three newspaper represen-
tativeS rushed up TO POmerene TO
learn what manner of rueful rumors
he bore, and braced themselves TO
hear the worst
But Pomerene merely shook his
head sadly and declared:
q can tell you nothing.
A moment later he led his cOmpan-
ions into the presidents office. with
every outward appearance Of one
carrying words of WOeful wisdom.
BY that time the newspaper toilers
who had seen Pomerene were becom-
ing alarmed. They waited for anOth-
er look at the senator when he came
out of the executive chamber and his
face confirmed their suspicious 1t
was amply evident that the brief con-
ference had been one of much mo-
menC-One effecting not merely this
nation alone, but affairs of interna-
tional significance and of the utmost
consequence to many generations yet
unborn.
DO tell us what it was all about?"
they asked Pomerene in hushed whis-
pers.
There really is nothing of inter
est that I can tell you" replied At
lee.
Nothing at all?
Absolutely nothing"
BY great diligence, however. the OBJ
jet of the conference was learned.
And what was il that had brought
Pomerene To the white house?
He was there TO introduce a man
who desired TO invite the president to
a college dinner!
One of the pleasant features of be-
ing president of the United States is
the fact that one does not have to do
much talking over the telephone.
Owing to that happy circumstance a
president can save a great deal of
wear and tear on his temper in the
course of a day.
Every effort is made to shield the
president from the deadly telephone.
He talks over the phone to cabinet
officers nearly every day but that
about lets him out
The average senator doubtless feels
that he is a fairly important feature
of the cosmos, and yet he is likely to
find some difficulty in placing himself
into telephone communication with
the president. If the matter is OF the
utmost importance that is considered
all the more reason why the presi-
dent should not talk about il over the
phone, and if il is not important that,
too. is "A perfectly valid reason why he
should shun the phone.
Occasionally a senator will grasp n
phone and ask for the president in an
urgent tone. intended TO convey the
impression that the national honor
depends on the two holding an imme-
date conversation. But even then the
presidents buffers make a concerted
effort to persuade the senator 10 send
his message through one of the white
house secretaries. or else write note.
or drop in and see the president face
10 face
Ordinarily the president Will talk
by phone less than half a dozen times
a day. and perhaps more than half of
those calls wiz be initiated by him
self
Sen. Miles Poindexter. who is al
ways being mistaken for Rep. Hob
son. and who has q sense OF humOr.
was riding along pcaceably the other
niSht on a street car. \ middle-aged
man who had been reading one Of
ETobsOn's temperance speeches. sat
down beside him and inquired:
Captain. didn't YOU ever drink
Just once" replied Poindexter. 1T
was q great many years ago. but j
shall never forget il. 1 had fallen in
with evil companions one night and
they tried 10 persuade me 10 drink
with them For a long time I with
stood their gibes and jeers. but finally
7 Welded. feeling that perhaps after
Laughing gayly We made our way TO
and white and allurinE II was a
others aGd drank two large CUPS of
iutterr1t-k before I realized what /
had done"
Sen Lawrence y. Sherman az me-
about secondhand book stores look
irg over sallow-leaved tones and
making an occasional purchase. Like
l.. 4 ofv-.