The Washington herald., 1914-02-26
Statesmen, Real and Near.
py FREp q KELL.Y.

BY FRED c. KELLY.
Joseph Taggart Is a Kansas Congress
man with knack at epigrsmmatic tall
and line OF philosophy Of the brans
i they grow In Kansas.
Tasgart is a member of the House Com
mittee On the Judiciary, which is goinl
t. undertake lot OF legislation to regu
late the trusts. And he has a number
! OF ideas about how a trust should bs
handled. When the proper time come,
he will spring these ideas on the commit
tee. and It Is safe assumption that
What he has TO say will come out in the
form OF short sentences whitfield dowr
to sharp point
| When he was a prosecuting attorney
out in Kansas. Taggart made a study
o. criminal traits and propensities. He
eVoiVed a lew opinions of his own about
inc treatment OF crime and today he
thinks one should handle a wicked cor
poration much the same as one would
wicked man
/ Make u inconyenient to do wrong
rather than impose a big penalty for do
| ing wrong" says Taggart
This is material world and We must
use material means to gain a material
end
The only persistent crimes are those
that bring material gain.
Few trains have been wrecked for
meanness or revenge
| But many have been stopped at. the
point OF gun for hope Of gain.
Years ago there was talk OF hanging
men who scraped away the silver or gold
from coins. But the practice continued.
Then Sir Isaac Newton, I believe II
was. thought OF having miIIed edges. and
making IL impossible TO pass a coin with
the milling damaged. That ended coin
mntiating. because IL ceased to pay.
There was no more need OF hanging any
body.
The same with trusts. Instead of fin
ing corporation for underselIiAg a small
competitor in one locality. compel IL 10
sell at its lowest price in every locality.
Throw up obstacles that make il diff
ficult to do wrong without material loss -
Taggart was opposed to the provision
in a recent bill for a reading test for
immigrants.
Keep out all immigrants if you will, "
says he. but why bar those that work
with pick and shovel instead Of with
their wits?
THE illiterate fellow comes and does
your work: the smart quick-witted one
schemes and takes away your money"
Taggsrt IS the foe also of large military
and naval appropriations. On this point
he said:
The man in uniform stands around
idly holding gun and producing moth
ing.
Those who produce have to pay his
salary.
And they also have to buy him the
gun.
"lf every man standing around with a
gun were TO substitute a. hoe and spade
the high cost of living would never be
heard OF more.
The great trouble in this country is
the stress laid on talk.
Nothing brings such great reward as
talk.
THE politician that talks longest or
best goes farthest.
People think that as a man talks so
Is he.
IF Paderewski could talk as well as
he plays the piano he could be a master
politician.
''Caruso's song turned to talk would
move multitudes.
The best religion is that which gives
a mans family plenty of food and places
them together at home evenings.
III were going to carry religion to a
man l would like to catch him in front
OF an open fireplace with his slippers on.
The trouble with most reformers is
that they talk from the point of view Of
a man in a Morris chair
Remember that most preachers are
addicted to wearing dressing gowns"
Taggart was asked why he became a
lawyer.
BY elimination" he replied.
II used a process OF reductio sd abb
surdum.
when I had reduced every other pos
sibility to an sbsurdity, law only was
left.
You know. the practice OF Law is ever
the last resort of an enlightened mar
So IL goes. These we're all picked from
one casual conversation with Taggart. 1t
seems just as natural for him to express
himself in epigrsmmatic phraseofogy as
for Henry James to use only long SEN
tences that required a guide and a COM
pass.
In appearance TaSgart is slender, with
a sprightly, smooth-shaven face. He has
Q sharp little nose. and both his eyes
and hair stand alert. His whole counte-
nance has a good-naturedly incredulous
look as IL il were saying:
Il don't know about this
\ small detached group of Congress
men were listening to a certain other
member making a speech. All were
things about the speech and the
speaker that they did not feel like saying
out loud.
One of them turned 10 Representative |
Hamilton. OF Michigan, with a look OF |
inquiry. |
AS Il speaker" responded Hamilton, |
sravely. that man has not an inferior |
in the whole United States"
One of the most frequently encountered
family names down in one OF the Ken
lucky counties lying in Representative |
Ben Johnson's district is Guess On one |
of his first campaigns for Congress, |
Johnson stopped at a farmhouse and |
said: |
My name is johnson. May 1 inquire !
yours:"
Guess" said 4 member OF that family. |
You've got me-" said johnson.
Copyright, 1914, BY Fred e. Kelly. All rights re- |
serred.l.