South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-01-23
STA TESMEN
REAL AND NEAR
BY FRED G. KELLY.
BY FRED c. KELLY.


Whitacre, OF Ohio. was away from
home visiting. A man to whom she \
had just been introduced did not eaten
he- name but learned that she was
from Whitacre's town, Canton.
you know Cong. Whitacre, sup
pose p" suggested the man.
Yes, / am acquainted with him. 4
replied Mrs. Whitacre, smiling.
i've often wondered what he was
like" went on the man. DO you 1
know him real wels?' /
NO. I can't say that. / do" laughed |
Mrs. Whitacre i've been married /
to him for good many years. but l |
should not like TO go so far as to say |
/ 7 know him well. No one knows him !
well"
And she was right. The only per-
son who knows much about Whitacre
is Whitacre. He can keep more things
10 himself than almost anybody IN
/ congress. And he is a great little SELF
counselor Yet. every now and then
+ ne says something that causes lot
of talk A short time ago he stirred
up comment throughout the entire
/ due season Whitacre was hrst-rate
disgust with his job here in congress
He said congress is no place for man
who is Intellectually honest and that
he was sick and tired of sitting around
and doing nothing and looking wise.
perked up and inquired what sort OF
chap Whitacre might be.
Whitacre is an exclusive pattern. He
! doesn't do anything like anybody else
would do it. For example, he never
makes speech III the mouse, anu
never. if he can help it, listens to one.
But whenever there is subject UP
for discussion. such as the currency
bill he utilizes the time he would give
to making and hearing speeches, TO
saturating and amounting himself with
information. He reads every line OF
the other members speeches when
they are prir ed in the Congressional
Record. and he sends to the library Tor
every book he can think OF that deals
with the su bjects on which the others
have been talking. His faVorlte
method of absorbing facts is to lie on
the bed in his room with scores OF
books and pamphlets grouped about
him, so that he can pick up first one
and then another. After he has
! slOshed about among all these BOOKS
, for a while Whitacre could make as
good a speech as many of the others.
But he doesn't do tat least not on
the floor of the house.
Whitacre says half the speeches de-
livered in the house are INTENDED
solely for home consumption, anyway
so when he has anything to say to his
back to say it direct. In that way he
saves the mail carriers great deal
of time and annoyance and burden.
He works a similar plan in regard
to scriptural inspiration. Although he
is great Bible student. Whitacre
never goes to church. Instead, he
subscribees for the Monday edition of
: the Brooklyn Eagle which has for
years made a speciality of printing
digests of the leading sermons deliver
ed in and about New York. He reads
these inst as carefully as he does the
Congressional Record, which means
that he doesn't skip a word. when
[ he has finished the sermons be takes
= up the Epistle of St Paul and other
books of the New Testament. Hls
tcamDaign speeches are always heavily
fortified with quotations from st.
, Paul. and those who have never seen
, him at church wonder how it hap
pens.
Whitacre pays his children modest
, salary for taking exercise, such as
boxing and horseback riding, certain
length of time each day. He says it is
the only way to insure their regularity
at it, and is simply applying business
principles to the upbuilding of the
Youngsters. For mental gymnastics
, he has his children play chess and
. plays it himself. He says that even
I the much maligned game of poker is
2 good for children or grovn-upS pc
: cause il teaches quick thinking and a
knowledge of human nature.
After Whitacre was married he got
the notion into his head TO study law.
But he mad no money. So he went
' away to law school and took care OF
f the Office for a justice of the peace IN
Il return for a minimum wage. while
! way they managed to get along, and IN
1 due season Whitacre was a first rate
LAWYER. He practiced law for ten
years and then was caught by some
kind of reform wave and quit the
y profession flat. Meanwhile ne had got
: into the manufacturing business. max
ing a building tile. His plant was L
miles from his home town, and at
e first he often walked back and forth
because he could liz afford 10 rae.
Today when he makes that 12-mile
trim he rides in one of his large. toot-
! ing automobiles the size of Pullman
L coach and has a beautiful home al
/ each end of the line.
Although he has 4 habit of saying
inst what he thinks. even if talking
to man seven feet high. Whitacre Is
a quiet chap of moderate stature. lie
is no larger than crOckery salesman
weighing less than $50 pounds. and Is
e modest and bald-headed. His eyes al
o WAYS have n funny little squlnt, as II
ne had just been told something thai
/ didn't sound logical
< Congressmen get all manner Of
% kicks The other day Rep. Steener-
i, son. of Minnesota, got letter from a
Swede up his way who told harrow
ing tale about his experience with
seeds.
= There was a package of rutbaga
n seeds in the lot you sent me-" ne said
, land the plants grew so large that
little girl ND the street fell asleep un'
der one of them and could not he
found for several hours. The child:
+. mother was terribly worked up. Don
send any rutihaga seed this year.
u Downright 1914 by Fred {. Kelly
All rights reserved
- BY JIM Nance.
!, When YOU wake on winter mOrns
feelin kind of rummy,