The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-11
STATESMEN, REAL AND NEAR,
ny FRED e. KELLY.

STATESMEN, REAL AND NEAR.
ny FRED &. KELLY.
Representative James Manahan OF
Minnesota is n young person with the
hair and complexion of a Scandinavian
but the pedigree of an Irishman And
he has a knack at plausible argumanh
He will argue about anything at an and
often can convince one that he Is
right.
From earliest boyhood Manahan
liked to argue. One of the things ne
used to argue about was the distribu-
ton OF household chores. 1t was a
great disappointment to him that he
could not have been born into a larger
family where many hands would make
light work
He had only eleven brothers and
sisters, and so each one had a great
deal of work to do. Manahan always
contended that he got more than his
share OF chores simply because he was
good natured.
81 am perfectly willing to do IT," he
would say. when his mother assigned
him to task. but want It under
stood that always do much more than
my share"
And he would take ten or fifteen
minutes to emphasize this point and
make 1t perfectly clear.
one day, in evaporation, his mother
said:
Jimmy, your drive us all crazy
! with your constant talk, talk, tllk.
You'll never he ft for anything when
you grow up unless 1t would be
/ lawyer"
That served as a suggestion and
young Jimmy determined then and there
/ To be a lawyer.
For many weeks Charles i. Higgins.
/ sergeant-at-arms Of the Senate, has
/ been carrying about a message to Will
( lam Jennings Bryan, without having
, the heart to deliver II. He fears it will
, make Mr.. Bryan sad and downcast.
The message Is from a once success
fn piCkpocket now in the penitentiary
Of a Western state Higgins was a
visitor at that pcnHentiary a while ago
and the warden proudly introduced the
pickpockot as one of his leading
celebrities.
AS soon as the pickpocket learned that
Higgins was from Washington. his face
lighted up ard he exclaimed:
II wish you'd give my best regards
to William J. Bryan when you get
back there. He did me great service
once
1t seems that the pickpocket chap
was one of several men in his pro-
fesson who were travelling after Bryan
during one Of his Presidential CAM
paigns, because everywhere that Bryan
spoke they found crowds, and crowds
were their harve,t fields
There was one man in tho audience
in one town whom the thieves had
selected for n victim in advance, be-
cause it was known that he had just
been to the bank after a large sum Of
money.
This man was cautious person to
start with. and he would not take his
hand away from his wallet. which he
carried in side trousers pocket.
The pickpockets tried to jostle him
and worked every professional device
, they knew to cocrce his hand out Of his
/ pocket. But the hand stuck there until
William jennings Bryan came to the
! rescue.
Toward the close of the services Mr..
Bryan observed:
, II believe most OF you here are in
sympathy with what | have been say
= ing. | wish that all who favor the
r propositions l have been discussing
would hold up your hands, so that I
. can count you"
Then at last the man took his hand
0 out OF his pocket and held 1t heaven
i ward. In fact he held up both hands,
n for he was Bryan enthusiast.
e When he put his hand back in his
= pocket his money was gone.
Although he is the Republican leader
. of the far famed House of Representa-
= tives, James II. Mann does not always
q fall in with the rest of the old line
Republicans. He reserves the right not
to agree with anybody or any group in
gender person or number. The truth
2 is. as Mann is free to admit, that he
Y has n streak Of contrariness in him and
I he has had 1t all his life.
When he was youngster he at
4, tended college in what was then the Joe
: Cannon Congressional district And
r when Joe Cannon made his first race
I for Congress his opponent was one Of
y the heads OF Mann's college.
J. Now all the college boys without re-
= gard to party upbringing got out and
whooped II up for their chief.
n All except James X. Mann.
), He hadn't thing in the world against
8 the college professor. And he didn't
= know Joe Cannon from a load of wood.
n But he couldn't see that he was under
u any obligation Just because he was at
a tending a mans college to help send
Q him to Congress. Neither did he see
= any sense in marching in torchlight
n procession, carrying banners on shout
h ing himself hoarse on behalf of a man
II just because his associates were all do
: ing so.
:. A. Mann pointed out at the time:
: He would funk any one OF us II he
Y had the chance. I'm agin him"
IT His motives were largely those OF CON-
II trarness, but he went ahead and made
a speeches for Joe Cannon. In the course
: of the campaign he met Cannon for the
:, first time.
=, And that was the beginning OF the
= acquaintance that led to Mann entering
e Congress himself many years later and
t becoming Cannon's floor leader back In
- the days when it was still permissible
n to be a Republican.
~ Newton d. Baker of Cleveland wal
10 talking to President Wilson here re-
l. Gently