South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-04
Statesmen Real
and Near.
By Fred c. Kelly

WASHINGTON. Jan 4.-If one
/ were to jump too hastily to conclu-
slons, one might opine that Frank b.
| Willis has a star of destiny Willis
/ is about TO become the governor of
! ohio. He has risen in few years
/ from obscurity TO fame. AS a small
! boy he dreamed of going to congress.
Later, as college boy working his
way along by carrying large buckets
OF coal up long, steep flights of stairs,
/ ne still thought of going to congress.
He went to congress. Now hell be a
governor. And he is being mentioned
as a possible president
All such items as that could easily
| lead one to assert that the man has
star of destiny. But he hasn't
stars never had much influence over
/ Willis one way or the other. In the
final analysis Willis owes his rise not
nearly so much to stars as to animals
Always the big shifts in the career
of Willis have occurred with some
animal in hte ascendency. Chief
among the animals that have infu-
enced Willis's life have been:
a dog, a sheep. d calf. a pOny-in
the order mentioned. Also q flock of
little shotes
b When Willis started to run for gov
ernOr of Ohio there were many who.
without knowing abOuc the other
animals that had Influenced his life,
thought at once of a goat. They be-
! lieved Willis himself was a goat, be-
cause he would lose his seat in con-
gress and yet would not be a COVER
nor. But in tRe little detail of getting
elected Willis fooled them. SO we see
that the matter of being a goat has
really nothing to do with this little
tale at all.
The first animal TO enter into and
become really identified with the
Willis career was a dog. Willis grew
up on a farm in Delaware county,
Ohio. His brothers were all much
older than he, and he had no play
mate. So he wanted a dog. One day
he went to a neighbOring farm TO
help old John Gregg get in his oats.
1t was his first days work away from
home and when night came he was
paid off Instead of being paid in
money he was paid in dog, at the
rate of one dog er diem-a cute
little fuzzy pup, largely collie.
From then on Willis and that dog
grew up together. and Willis has
given me his personal assurance that
old Cap was probably the smartest
dog that ever lived At one time
Willis had an amitiOn 10 become
a locomotive engineer AnG one sum-
mer he was offered a job on the rail-
road.
The reason he didn't take the job
was because he couldn't bear the
thought of being separated from Cap.
Except for his attachment to the dog
Willis might now be a fireman or
switchman or something on the c.
II. & d.
Willis did a piece OF work once
for his Uncle Frank. His Uncle
Frank had heard about him working
a day for a dog, and he said TO him:
Il have no dog To offer you. but
suppose l pay you sheep -
So Willis got a sheep. When the
sheep was as big as ii would ever
be Willis sold it for enough TO buy
himself a gay little calf 1t was a
calf above the average as it turned
out. Willis desired to take il TO the
county fair. but his father could
not spare any of the horses to haul
IL there, and the distance was too
great to walk all the way leading
a calf Some young men might have
stayed away from the fair, but VIII
Ii did not He rode the calf to the
fair. Moreover. the calf took the
first prize. That gave the calf a
reputation, and when it was no long
er a calf but a steer Willis sold IL
for two $40 gold pieces.
Up TO that time he had never be-
lieved there was so much as $40.
His parents advised him to put it in
the bank and let it draw interest,
but instead of that Willis went and
bought himself a wild yourg Texas
pony.
The pony was the first connecting
link between Willis and the outside
world. The dav after he got the pony
ne road it clear over into the next
county 10 attend a big political rally
am heard a member OF congress
make a speech. II was the first time
Willis had ever seen a sure-enOugh
congressman, and he was greatly i'm
pressed Right there as he sat on
his $40 pony listening to the speech.
he decided that 10 make speeches and
make laws must be the noblest work
OF man.
When he got back home Willis be-
gan learning speeches and saying
them at milking time while the cows
listened thoughtfully and chewed their
cuds
Willis did not realize il at the
time but still another animal had
fitted him for public speaking and
craftsmanship. 10 wit: A shote. or
rather several shotes. These shotes
were in a narrow rectangular pas