South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-04
Fl. Wayne Editor
nting Career of
John Worth Kern

The story Of the career of the
late Sen. John W. Kern, covering
almost half a century, is being writ
ten by Claude G.. Bowers, editor Of
the TT. Wayne Journal-G
who was intimately associated with
him during the whole Of his sena
toriaI career. The biography will
cover the entire period and every
phase of his life. beginning in the
story of his political activities in
1870 when a youth of 20 years he
became the recognized leader of the
democracy of Howard county. 1t
will be in a sense a political history
Of Indiana during all these years.
and that portion dealing with his
senatorial career, during four years
of which he was the majority lead
er of the United States senate will
deal intimately with the legislative
history OF the first Wilson admin
istration. Mr.. Bowers has the ad-
vantage Of having the late senator's
letters and papers and the coopera-
ton Of such men as William J.
senator's colleagues in the senate,
and new light of an interesting ma
ture is promised on many import
ant events, including the Baltimore
convention.
Sen. Kern was not kindly toward
publicity and the world knows
practically nothing of the vital part
he took behind the scenes in the
convention that nominated Wilson.
and less about the intimate part he
played during the first Wilson ad-
ministration when he was summon
ed to the white house scores Of
times at night to confer on vital
matters. These visits were so fire.
quent as TO be commonplace and
yet the late senator refused 10 cap
italize them through publicity 1t
Is the intention of Mr.. Bowers 10
give a graphic inside story of the
Lorimer case in which Kern lead
the fight in committee and on the
senate floor against the blonde boss
OF Illinois, and another chapter OF
considerable length will give the de-
tails. tragic and startling. OF his
fight against the allied money pow
err. for an investigation into the
conditions Of the mining district of
West Virginia. Mother Jones,
popularity known as the angel OF
the miners" who was tried by
drum head court-martial for her
life and was dismissed when her
telegram 10 Kern was read on the
trips 10 Fort Wayne to furnish NJ.
Bowers with details of that drama
tic struggle The story OF how she
struggled the telegram from her
prison TO Kern in Washington will
read like a page from Russian his
tory.
In a recent visit 10 KokOmO. Mr..
Bowers went through the files OF
the papers there covering the years
from 1870 70 1854 when Kern
moved 20 indianapolis and secured
a wealth OF interesting information
on that period Of the late senator's
life. The present generation has no
knowledge or little OF the days 30
years ago when Kern was known
as the boy orator OF the democra-
cy." and Thomas A. Hendricks was
predicting that he was "a coming
leader Of the party here n Indi-
ana" A significant disclosure Of
the book will be ;nat Kern never
changed greatly in his views on So
cial problems and the labor ques-
ton. He wrote the resolutions at
the age Of 20 for the county con-
ventiOn in KOkomO and these. which
Nj Bowers has. might have been
written by Kern in 1915, allowing
for the change in issues.
In those days Kern was a bril-
liant young firebrsnd. and was SOW
ing quite a crop OF wild oats which