South Bend news-times., 1915-02-25
Statesmen Real
and Near.
By Fred c. Kelly

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-When
the senate was holding all night ses-
sions recently, and the members were
sleeping about in committee rooms
OF hired cots. there was no senator
Sc little concerned about the sleep
proposition as HOke Smith Of Geor-
gia. Although there is more Of him
10 go-to sleep than any other senator,
ollie James alone excepted, HOke
smith can sleep on a moments no
tlce at almost any time or place and
regardless OF distracting influences.
he closes up his mind just as one
might close a Saratoga trunk, and
none Of the worries or petty annoy
ances of the day enter therein. HOke
smith did not lose a minute Of sleep
during the all-night sessions Of the
senate-even though he expressed
some little jealousy Of Sen Chiffon,
who occupied the bridal chamber as
the presidents room in the capitol
was called when j. vas converted into
temporary bedroom. Although he
was aroused to come in and vote sew
eral times during the night, Hoke
smith suffered no inconvenience.
couch and was asleep again on the
instant.
Some years ago Hoke Smith was
on a can paign tour and was asleep
on the train. a rival candidate had
just uttered some vicious things
about smith which might have
changed the entire aspect Of the cam
paisn-sO much so that Ralph Smith.
one OF the newspaper men on the
train, felt justified in arousing Smith
10 tell him what had happened
That viii require considerable
thought remarked Smith, "but III
let it go till morning. Just now
want to get my sleep" And without
further delay he was asleep.
The next morning he was extreme
ly angry over the remarks of the RI
val candidates. angry as any one
could have been. But he had calmly
postponed his anger until he had first
disposed Of all the sleep in his sys-
tenn.
Sen. Culberson of Texas dislikes
nothing 50 much as to be asked ques-
tOns 1t does not matter how harm
less the question, CulbersOn peters to
keep his own counsel and tell no one
exactly what he thinks bout a given
proposition. AS one of Culberson's
friends puts it:
He would walk a block to avoid
meeting a man who might ask him
the time Of day"
The same man put into language
another trait of the Texas senator
Culberson likes to play things safe
ly, taking just as few chances as
possible.
IF he were going to kill an ant"
his friend says. "he would like to
have the ant fastened securely to
vice and then shoot it with a 1O-inch
gun"
Members of congress are called up
on TO perform many a cute little
chore. The other day Rep. Kettner
of California received a letter from a
constituent who wished TO obtain the
full ramifications of his family tree
He knew his ancestry as far back as
his grandfather but that was all.
What he wanted was to get his Eng
liSh line of descent clear on back to-
William the COnqueror or some of
the rest of his early kin, whoever
they might be. SO he wrote to Kett-
ner:
II voted for you both times. and
this is the first trifiing favor l have
asked of you. Get hold of the British
ambassador and see if you and he
can't trace out my full genealogical
entitlements."
The man doubtless assumed that
the congressman and the British am
bassadOr would link arms stroll over
to the congressional library. and
there stick by the task until they had
ascertained the pedigree in detail
along with all the quaint and delight
full little traits of his earliest ances-
tors, from the cave folk on down.