South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-26
Statesmen Real
and Near.
By Fred c. Kelly

| WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-Mem bers
! of congress are in certain respects
\ the most timid lot of people to be
/ found anywhere in the known world.
\ Many of them are afraid TO wear a
/ dress suit or net to wear a dress suit,
/ or high hat. or to ride in an auto
mobile, or To be natural, or TO change
! their cuffs for fear that the voters at
\ home might not understand the mo-
tive. Every congressman who wishes
/ to keep mis- seat has a horror of the
| suspicion ever getting abroad back
/ home that he is stuck up" II is for
this reason that the member who
comes to Washington wearing a
| broad brimmed felt hat, like a states
man in a cartoon. is rather likely
never to buy any other shape of hat.
He would fear that some quiet OBJ
server in his district might think he
! had learned new ideas about dress
\ from 4 bright young haberdasher's
apprentice in the nations capital and
was coming to feel himself above the
| home folks.
The worst blow that ever befell the
| late Sen. jeff Davis of Arkansas was
| the day it got into the papers about
/ him riding uptown in a taXicab. He
/ issued q long statement which he sent
/ to the Arkansas papers explaining or
/ denying the departure from true dem
/ Ocracy. l imagine that the report
preyed on his mind and was a factor
/ is Fastening his death.
/ Then there are men who take pride
/ in the fact that they never wear a
/ dress suit. a certain far-famed SEN
ator used to stay away from the
white house receptions rather than
! be seen in evening clothes, and he de-
/ clared, so twas said. that he would
never buy a dress suit or an auto
mobile. But in time he departed from
these convictions and bought both
Now we come to this fact: Claude
Kitchin of North Carolina, who is
slated to succeed oscar Underwood
as floor leader of the house of rep
resentatives, hasn't any dress suit,
| and will not go to those places and
| functions where a dress suit is re-
| quired.
But in the case Of Kitchin his
| reason for having no dress suit is
not based on any fear of what the
people at home might think or on
any silly bid for the acclaim of the
voters who do not care for evening
clothes.
He has no dress suit for two rea-
sons: Because he Outgrew the one he
had and because he has never felt the
need of replacing the one he Outgrcw.
When he was elected to congress
| some Is years ago kitchin went to the
best tailor in Scotland Neck, y. c., and
I ordered a first class full dress layout.
Instead of going on the stump to de-
clare that he would act and behave in
| Washington exactly as he did at home
he was free TO say that he would at
tend the big receptions at the white
house and other formal social gather
! ings attired in the conventional fash
ion the same as anybody else.
He went to a white house recep-
ton soon after his arrival here and
there was a particularly large num-
be- of guests present Several able
bodied persons stepped on Claude's
feet and he was jOstled about by large
tiaraed dowagers. Claude did not
4 have "A bit of a good time.
The next time he had occasion to
get into his dress suit Kitchin discCv-
cred that he couldn't. He had gained
about 20 pounds. His wife told him he
would have to get a new suit. Claude
mind reverted TO the last time he had
worn evening clothes and the ruthless
/ manner in which comparative strang-
ers had walked on his feet
Why" he asked. why should
spend my money for garments 10 wear
Y TO places that bore the very life out
of me? / don't like TO go TO fashion
able gatherings. SO long as 1 have 20
dress suit ! am protected against go
ing to such places.
And he has never replaced the dress
/ suit he outgrew.
What YOU ask. does Kitchin do TO
put in the long winter evenings, If he
avoids tango parties, receptions, and
I the like
The Cnswer is that ne is movie
fan He attends a film show nearly
every night in the week. He goes
about on the floor of the house ask
ing one congenial spirit after another
. 90 join him that night in witnessing
a movie drayma If none will accom-
pany him ne goes himself.
But il would be difficult To drag
him into a regular theater
7 Copyright. 1918. by Fred {. kelly)