The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-07-08
KONG IS EUL0GIzED
AS SELF.MADE MAN
Baltimore Congressman's Death Calls
Attention to Rise From Ship
yard Roustabout Of 81. ~~
CO-WORKERs PRAISE HIS DEEDS
Voted Before He knew His A 3
C's-Life Is Inspiration to
Every American Boy.

By Congressman G. H. Tavenner.
Washington, July S-Sometime!
there is real inspiration to be found
in the drowsy old Congressional
Record. Last Sundays Record tol(
a story of inspiration, the story O.
George KONG, who didn't want tc
be ''one of the bunch" KONG, who
was a con gresham from the city OF
Baltimore, is dead now, and his col
leagues on Sunday were deliverin G
his eulogy.
Down on the eastern shore of Mary
land KONG was born. This part OF
the country, formerly the home OF
the brains and bravery of the young
republic, has stayed still while the
rest of the nation advanced. Today
it is asleep, hopeless, dead.,The spirit
of ambition seems to have forsaken
it. Here illiteracy maintains a high
percentage among the population
And young KONG was raised on the
Seueldl lcFCi w I'LL lue IcoI VI Iuc
population-wh he was Fl years
old he could neither read nor write.
Have you ever listened to work
men calking the hull of a wooden
ship? If so, you will never forget
the pleasant sound of it, as the
mallet desends upon the iron calkin g
tool it makes a shrill clink that can
be heard at a considerable distance
And when many calkers are at work
at once the blend is like that of apond
on a calm spring evening when the
toads are shrilling their love songs.
George KONG drifted to Baltimore,
doing roustabout work on the DOCKS
Then he learned the trade of calker
And one warm day many calkers
were at work on the hull of vessel
in Baltimore drydock, at a distance
sounding like toad pond. Most Of
the calkers at work on that boat
had thoughts as trivial and shallow
as the clinks they made with their
mallets. But one young man that
day had come to a crisis in his life,
and for the first time he was thinking
real thoughts.
He said to himself: George
KONG, which are you going to be,
leader or follower? Why can't
you be one of those substantial men
at the head Of things instead of one
of the bunch?"
He answered this question by buy
ing a primer and an arithmetic and
by applying himself to them in his
leisure hours. Years later, after he
had served his city in good stead and
had been elected to Congress, he told
a Baltimore reporter about his crisis
in his life, and how he bought his
school books, even though he did not
yet know his letters.
II was a calker and good one,"
said KONG. Il was one Of those
careless fellows intent only upon
drawing my pay envelope on Satur-
could spend my money. l was
always out for a good time. II join
ed the union and went to the meet
inEs, and finally came to the con-
clusiOn that the president and other
officers Of the union were substantial
men, men who did not carouse and
drink and who were certain in their
work." Then KONG asked himself
if he wanted to continue to be 'one Of
the bunch,' and answered it by buy
ing school books.
when I started for home that
night, some of my friends yelled at
me, Hey, George, come with us 4
am going home, I answered., and
although they jeered at me when
they found out I had bought the
books, Event home and started plugg-
ing, first learning the letters and
piecing out the words slowly. Hard
work, 1t was the hardest job
ever tackled
But he won. He learned to read
and figure. He became head of his
union. Then head of a profitable
business. Finally he was elected
councilman, and took leading part
in the rehabilitation of Baltimore
after the fire. Then he was elected
to congress- The New York Sun
which usually ignores the first
speeches of a new Congressman, and
ridicules the speeches of old Con.
grIssmen, complimented George
Konig's first speech And when he
died recently university men were
proud to stand up in the House and
eulogize KONG. r.