South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-26
Statesmen Real
and Near.
By Fred c. Kelly

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-It is
question whether Vice Pres't Marshall,
Sen. Kern or Rep. Henry Barnhart.
all from Indiana, has the best line of
Hoosier philosophy.
Barnhart and Kern were to speak
recently from the same platform III
a little Indiana town Each was
anxious to talk first, lest the crowd
should grow calloused to so much
good stuff and not fully appreciate
that which came last. Barnhart had
a pull with the chairman and was
called on first. He talked for an hour
and a helf
Later in the evening. at their hotel,
somebody offered Kern and Barnhart
pair of chairs.
NO. 1 don't care to sit down." re-
marked Barnhart
81 noticed that when you were
making your speech" observed Kern.
Sen. Henry T. Ashurst of Arizona is
one of our foremost gladhanders.
You meet Ashurst and he greets you
with such unfeigned enthusiasm that
you are certain you have brought
more joy to his lot than he has known
IN months.
Then you start away and he shakes
your hand again and parts from you
been an important feature of his life
for great many years and now are
about TO go away from him forever
seaving a void that nothing Will ever
nil.
The best of il is that Ashurst means
it all. He is kindly disposed toward
his fellow humans; he believes that
humanity is mo silly all right. When
ne takes ones hand in a monkey
L 4
ones gizzard out of keller, ii is be-
cause of an actual warmth of feeling.
Gradually Ashurst has come TO real
iZe, after long experience, that his
greeting because of its sincerity, is
we'll nigh irresistible He knows that
if any man harbOrs i'll against him
all that he has to do is to hunt up the
man, take him by the hand. and shake
away all the malice.
A while ago the lawyers of a town
in Arizona got up a dinner for Ash
urst
There's one prominent attorney
who will not come here, were sorry to
say" the chairman of the affair re-
ported TO Ashurst. you know he
bates the very sound of your name,
and he said he'd be BANKED. dashed,
and hyphenated if he'd come"
'"Oh, he'll come" declared Ashurst.
fine new derby hat he'll be present"
In the course of the next hour
Ashurst made it his business to meet
that man accidentally on the street.
well, if here isn't old John So
and SOL" he exclaimed heartily as he
seized the hand of the man who was
supposed to hate him. Wish / had
time to stop and have a nice long
talk with you. But then you're com
70 Of
Hadn't thought of it," replied the
man. without warming up much.
"Oh, Of course, you'll be there, in
sisted Ashurst, beaming on the man
with all the irresistible force of his
rosy cheeks and his bubbling enthu-
siasm; why the dinner wouldn't be
Gny dinner at all unless you're there.
IF you feel that way about it I'll
come" agreed. the man, and they
arted apparently friends.
After the dinner was under way,
however, the man got to thinking
things over. and when he was called
on for a speech he opened up some
what as follows:
We're assembled here tonight in
/ Henry's honor, and let us speak only
good of him. I for one am going to
Try to avoid dwelling on his faults
| We all know Henry has his faults
Doubtless his faults OvershadOw his
/ good qualities. But it is not our
I friends faults that we should discuss
now. I've known Henry for years
and perhaps am better aware of his
many shortcomings than most Of you
| but let us try TO think now only OF
his less Objectionable traits of char
acter."
And so on throughout a delightful
I little 10-minute speech.
/ Copyright. 1914, by Fred c. Kelly.