The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-06
MANN PRESIDENTIAL BOOM
 MAY BE TAKEN SERIOUSIY Y

Washington, October 5.-(Special.)-So Virginia recent yarose in his seat and
 nominated Representative James R. Mann for the presidency on the repub- lican ticket of 1916, virtually the entire chamber took his remarks in a Pickwick- iar sense. And MT. Mann. himself, prob ably more than any other member. Since then, however, many men in Washington nave been thinking over the suggestion, and more than one has reached the con clusion that there's many a true word spoken in jest"
 More than that. serious turn was given to the proposition, when Represen- tative Covington, democrat of the dem ocrats in his swan song before leaving the House for the bench of the supreme court of the District of Columbia spoke as follows:
 MT. Speaker. I observed a few days ago that the genial gentleman from West Virginia, MT. Hughes, was engaged in the pastime of making a presidential candi- date for 1916. I imagine that, belonging to the party to which he does, he was engaged in chimerical performance perhaps trying to extract sunbeams from political snowballs. But, seriously, MT. Speaker, if by some strange revolution of politics the now minority party shall have even chance to elect a President. l known of no one of its members so fit as the great minority leader, the gentle man from Illinois, MT. Mann. Whatever of good record his party has before the people today Is due to his industry and keen political acumen in this House His party will honor itself in honoring him wth the nomination for the presidency. Of course, I hope it will be only an empty honor. but an honor well deserved, nevertheless
 Never has there been a more suave diplomat in the House than Harry Gov ington, nor one who took more pleasure in saying nice things about his colleagues, but on this occasion Judge Covington spoke from the heart. He esteems Mr Mann as a statesman and a patriot just as he respects him as a political oppo- nent worthy of the greatest democrats steel. And many there be on both sides of the chamber who share this view and indorse Manns nomination by Hughes.
 AS a matter of fact, Mann is an in- valuable member of Congress, primarily through the fact that he is not blinded by partisanship but looks first to the welfare of the nation. True. he believes he is convinced, he is certain. he knows that the welfare, even the salvation" Of the country can be compassed only through the activities of q republican ma jority in Congress and a republican in the White House. but he is more than will ing, when his conscience and convictions will permit. to help the democrats or even the progressives, work some good end
 Many democrat in this Congress and in its predecessors for years can tell and does tell of helping hands lent him by Jim Mann. With an inexhaustible fund of information card indexed in his brain Mann can answer perplexing and abstruse ter parliamentarian sits in the House not even Asher Hinds, who is a specialist in this line The size and tenderness of his heart are known to all, but all his deeds of kindness are not known and never will be on this earth.
 True, no more exasperating man can be found in Congress when the spirit moves him ito harry 'the enemy or to pla gue some individual member. But he in- varably makes the amende honorable in some way and ultimately soothes the sting he has inflicted
 So, the suggestion of James R. Mann