South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-08
Statesmen Real
and Near.
By Fred c. Kelly

WASHINGTON. Jan. s.-James r.
Mann, the republican floor leader, Is
the king Of detail Nothing is too
small or too numerous for him TO
know all about Ask Mann what
we're the amounts of the principal
items in the agricultural apprOpria-
tion bill il years ago and / have no
doubt that he could tell you with
out pausing TO move an eyewinker.
I'll venture 10 say that he can skin
"a gnat and that he can tell offhand
the day OF the week when each OF
the house page boys was born. No
minute detail escapes him. He knows
everything. Also Mann never lacks
for a word The person who Yilfully
engages Mann in a battle Of repartee
has much the same fOolhardy point
Of view as the lad who monkeys with
a buzz saw. This brings US TO what
we had in mind to tell at the mo-
ment we started 10 write all this
about Mann. The thing we started to
tell is about Rep. Johnny Garner of
Texas. Garner is the only person SO
far at this session of congress who
has asked Mann anything that he
didn't answer.
Mann got up one day to criticize
the Mexican policy of the present
administration. Then Garner asked
Mann:
Just without going into details.
how would YOU dispose of the Next
can situatiOn2'
Sens. O'Gorman. Hitchcock and
Reed, who have been rearing up on
their hind feet here of late and buck
ing at the presidents program in the
senate, have been named by their
associates, The Three Musketeers."
The only one of the three who has
the slightest objection to the sobri-
quet is O'Gorman. He says that he
does not want to be any musketeer.
When Tommy Hardwick was in his
campaign for the United States SEN
ate down in Georgia, he persisted in
making what theatrical people term
long jumps He would speak in the
northern part of the state one night
and then would dash clear TO the
farthest southern corner of the state
for his next speech. His friends
pointed out the extravaganza of so
much railway travel and showed him
/ how he could cover one section at
time before moving on to the next.
But did you ever notice" asked
Tommy, "hOw much easier it is to
handle fires that are close together
than if they are so widely scattered
that the fire fighters must be di-
vided? If ! were to start several
fires Il one section and then quit
them. they would be out before cleo
ton day. My idea is to start one
fire and let it spread while I'm off
somewhere starting others. Then If
a fire is extinguished by the oppo-
sition, I'll come back and light it
afresh. The more fires 1 can keep
going at once the harder I'll make
it for the fellows who are trying to
beat them back
When John Sharp Williams was the
democratic floor leader of the house
of representatives there were com
paratively few democratic members.
great many democratic voters
throughout the country wrote to John
Sharp whenever they wished anything
accomplished instead of to their re-
publican representative. They came
to look upon John Sharp as their
own congressman. Many of them do
so still. The consequence is that John
Sharp gets more letters today than
almost any other senator. He aims
to dictate all the replies himself and
no two are alike. But every letter
he ever writes winds up with the
same phrase, With every expression
of regard"
A correspondent wrote to John
Sharp one day asking his permission
to publish a letter he had just re-
ceived from him. The senator had
his files searched, but could not find
a copy of the letter So he wrote
back, saying:
Il don't know what l said in the
letter you desire to publish. but you
are at liberty to use it, provided you
are certain that I did not say any
thing that l shouldn't"
Copyright, 1915. by Fred c. KellyO