The Washington herald., 1914-06-10
Statesmen, Real and Near.
BY FRED G. KELLY.

1t was the good old custom, In Shell
by. N. c., back In the good old sos
for the promising young men Of the
community to make dates with the
more charming Of the girls there
abouts to take them to church on SUM-
day evening. After the services the
young folk would stroll slowly home
ward. admiring the moon, or the stars
or the clouds. and after that they
would sit on the verandas. engaging
in low, earnest conversation until
about $3.50. A few of the more reck-
less and daring young men remained
until the clock in the front hall struck
10. but IL was considered proper TO
start away by s:3o-or by 9:45 at the
latest.
Now. this fine old custom was the
thing that gave the real start in life
to Representative Edward Yates
Webb. of North Carolina. who has jusr
been made chairman of the important
Judiciary Committee of the House
one of committees in charge of Mr..
Wilson's antitrust legislation. Yod
see. telephones were luxuries rarely to
be found in the Shelby. n. c.. homes in
those early SOS. and the absence OF
telephones necessitated the writing OF
great many notes to the village
bellies toward the end OF the week.
The more beautiful of the girls
would often have a field of eight or
nine different escorts to pick from IL
they wished to attend the evening
church services. To send a note il was
necessary to have a reliable messen-
ger boy. That was where young Ed
win Yates Webb came in.
He was not the kind of boy who
would take a note around back OF ths
barn and read 1t, and then tear IL up.
II a young man entrusted him with a
note to a girl he went at once in a
quiet. inofrensive manner to the girls
home. and with hat in hand waited for
her TO pen a purple-inked reply. HI
did not grin knowingly or offer any
remarks or jibes to either party of the
transaction Edwin was nice, polite
boy Yet he was no mollycoddle. He
was a better ball player than almost
any boy in town. At any rate, he had
practically a monopoly on the billy
dux business Of Shelby. and he never
received less than cents for carrying
a note-often 10 cents. and occasion
ally when the reply was favorable and
pleasantly worded. some dsshing
young cavalier would hand him a
quarter of a dollar.
In that way Webb saved up a good
deal of money and as his bank account
grew, he began to throw out his chest.
He began to think how fine IL would be
to make even more money and amount
to something when he grew up That
led to an ambition to go to college.
His resources derived from his note
toting industry were not sufficient 10
provide his education. however. and
he came out of law school, at the age
OF twenty-one. some $500 in debt.
Seeing that he was in debt and with
out clients Webb at once went about
getting himself engaged to he married.
There was pretty girl. the daughter Of
a professor at the little college he had
attended. who had been willing TO listen
when Webb talked about him.
self and his ambitions, and so, OF course,
there was nothing to II. The girls moth
er asked Webb how he purposed to sup
port a wife mas -'Ich as he was a client
less attorney.
oh" saws he. avely humping his
chest. I'll go ont and hoe corn If neces-
sary."
That seemed to cheer ur the mother
good deal and she consented to the en-
The Young folks were to be
married that fall. and during the sum
mer Webb got a first rate start as
la wyer. His first case netted him a fee
OF s gold piece and he gave il to his
mother. She kept IL for a number of
years and then gave It back TO Webb.
and he has II yet.
A few days before they were 10 be
Webb's fiancee attended golden
wedding celebration and the ice cream
gave her a serious case of ptnmaine
poisoning. Webb married her on what.
IL was then feared. was her death bed.
She recovered. hut her narrow escape is
probably one reason why Webb has al
ways taken a great interest in pure food
legislation since he entered Congress. He
was responsible for that part of the law
which requires patent medicine manu-
facturers TO specify on the label how
much opium. morphine. cocaine or other
ha bit forming dope is contained in their
wares.
Webb is also the author of the inter
state liquor act, bearing his name. which
law was PASSED over Mr.. Taft's veto. Civ
ing each State the right to control the
liquor traffic in its own way. When he
WAS small lad, Webb lived not far from
the foremost drunkard of their little
town. This man used to come every
evening from his busy days drinking
and chase all his family out of the house.
Webb did not believe that the mans
home life was as pleasant as II might
have been. and. while he has never been
a crank on the subject, he has been in
rerested in temperance legislation from
that time on.
Though he is forty-two years old, Webb
has the pink, seamless face of a youth.
with a luxuriant mop of dark hair. He
IS one of the best athletes in Congress.
and excels at tennis. golf. and baseball
Whenever they have time. he and Ssna-
tor Bryan. of Florida. defy the summer
sun and face each other on the tennis
court. He is an informal person. too. and
IS about the only member OF Congress
who has the nerve to ride about Wash
ngton on a bicycle il he takes notion.
Now and then he goes over to the
nearest vacant lot and bats up flies just
as he did when he was kid.
Copyright 1914 by Fret e. Kelly. All rights
re>eredl