South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-08-26
Tales About Folk
By Fred c. Kelly
BY FRED @. KELLY.

WASHINGTON.-O of the best
political speeches ever delivered by
Sen. Swanson of Virginia, was TO an
audience of two women. He had been
campaigning in a mOOnshining dis
trict off in the mountains and was
entertained over night at the home of
a well-to-do native of that region.
After dinner that evening the host
said: See hyah, my wife and daughter
haven't even had the pleasuh Of hyain'
yo' style of speakin' | want you to
stand up right hyah and now and give
them that same speech you delivuhed
this afternoon"
Sen. Swanson was game. He did
not omit gesture or an anecdote from
the speech and the audience seemed
in accord with what he had TO say.
Also. the women must have made faV
orable comments on the speech to the
neighbors for he has been carrying
that precinct by almost unanimous
vote ever since
Swanson is diligent little worker
and always was. For instance. when
he attended Randolph Macon college.
he not only stood at the head of his
class. but ran the college paper and
also edited the leading county paper
I'm the midst OF a hot political cam
paign and went around in the even
ings making political speeches. All
this was before he became of age.
Furthermore, right at that time he
insisted on taking part in prize ora
torica1 contest that was open only to
seniors. The faculty wasn't going to
let him compete. So he looked up the
bylaws of the college, found there
was no law giving the faculty the
-, 4
won the prize. He hadn't any more
than got through with the contest
when he was challenged to a duel on
account of a political article he had
written in the county paper. and he
prepared 10 take part and try TO make
the affair a success. but friends pre-
vented.
When George AIDE first found him.
self with more money than he could
conveniently spend. in consequence Of
writing fables and plays, he began to
buy farm land in his native Newton
county. Indiana. Later on, as his roy
alties and fame increased, he felt the
need more and more of quiet place
TO work-a place beyond the reach Of
book agents. real estate allotment
statesmen. insurance men. and casual
visitors, all OF whom would take up
much Of his high priced time. So he
arranged to build little house on his
farm possessions down in the heart of
the felt boot section.
He took an architect friend down
from Chicago 20 pick out a site and
see what could be done. AIDE was
just like other people about building.
He believed all he read about the cost
Of putting up a house. When he saw
in a magazine that one could build a
pr-tty little hOme-just like the one
in the picture-for $4,000 or $4,000.
he assumed that IL was gospel truth or
else the magazine wouldn't print IT,
he told the architect friend. My idea
is simply 10 have a modest little home
that I can sleep and work in, and il
must not cost more than $2.500." The
playwright spoke the closing phrase
in italics. looking the architect friend
in the eye sternly.
I'VE can do il for that" replied the
architect. You can have a nice little
place for that. OF course II you want
10 spend a little more and have
That was the way IL started. When
the house was built IL cost AIDE some
where between the specified 81. 500 and
$25,0OO-nearer the latter than the
I former sum. In addition the archi-
tect was permitted 10 build a combi-
nation stable and garage that cost
several thousand more. using up all