The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-05-05

Looking at myself impersonally | am inclined
to think have very patient mind | mean by
that mind which moves slowly, which plods for
ward instead of dashing or leaping. There is moth
ing brilliant about ii. brilliant mind it strikes
me, is like thoroughbred horse good for a race
but afterward needing to be stabbed for day
two My mind is like plow horse. 1t cannot
squirt, but 1t go turning furrow after fur
That let's get through lot of work.
by patient mind" he went on II also mean
a mind which does not leap to attitudes and deci
sons but feels its way. And a mind which does
not get its back up easily Opposition does not
make my mind brstle. difference OF opinion is
not a personal thing with me.
And think" he said, his dark eyes twinkling
and his wide lips qurking with fun, 1T has been
very decided advantage to me to be so little and
TO look so young | really mean that" he fastened
add and cited two instances in illustration One
his argument before the Supreme court OF the
United States in the Cleveland traction cases
argument which attracted the hatterng favorable
comment of the learned justices The other
speech which one of the outstanding features
Of the Baltimore convention which nominated
President Wilson.
Neither of those" he commented could by
any stretching of words be called a great speech
The natural farmindedness Of men was what
pulled me through in both cases. | looked so
handicapped that my hearers said instinctvely.
Give the boy chance!'"
Such cool. almost academic sefanalysis led
me to ask him how life struck him, to speak
what ambitions il stirred in him I'D like to prac
tice law" he said. THAT is my ambition
There is no Office or position that for But
I'd like to practice and practice and practice law.
Further talk along that line developed the rather
interesting fact that the new secretary of is
of those men who seem to have been moved
forward by the urgings and propulsion of their
friends instead of fighting forward of their own
accord in response TO an inner impulse. Post
master General Wilson all but dragged him from
his brienessness in Martinsburg TO get his first
taste OF cabinet ways and duties and responsible
ties Martin Foran dragged him to Cleveland TO
become a trial lawyer. Tom Johnson dragged him
into politics And Woodrow Wilson has just
dragged him to the department
The circumstances of the Foran
usual enough to partake of the romantic In 1897.
when the young and still younger looking attorney
was returning from his first visit to Europe he
was table mate of the late w. T. Stead and mild
hammered, retiring English barrister One day
Baker came on deck to find the barrister in peck
OF trouble A stawart. lawyerish, sx.foot Irish
man. full of Gaelic fire. had waylaid him and was
charging him. in his own person, with all the
wrongs England had ever perpetrated on the dis
tressful country. II happened to be rather ia
miliar with the Irish land laws" so Mr.. Baker
tells IL. "and contrived to substitute myself for
the barrister in the argument. The upshot of IL
was lnat my opponent and ] became good friends
and spent the rest of the voyage playing chess
together. We parted in New York. | went back
TO Martinsburg and word passed between
for two years. Then the man-Martin Foran-
wrote me the firms business had so increased that
another partner was required and that he wanted
me- had long felt should be in a larger COM
munity than Martinsburg and | liked Cleveland.
but knew they wanted trial lawyer. which |
was not SO | went on full of excuses, prepared
20 thank him and be dismissed in friendliness
Before could get my first excuse out Mr. Foran
had ushered me into Office and said Here's
yours and before caught my breath he had sent
some clients in for me TO talk with. | stayed in
Cleveland and learned to be a trial lawyer"
His enlistment active fighter i'm the John
son camp was equally casual. Tom" was sick
one night. and the young lawyer pressed into
service to fll his place at rally. Toms SICK"
said the man who introduced him. This is New
ton ID. Baker. who's going to speak in his place.