Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-12-07

nominee for president or the Un1teC
 States. is the principal owner of the
 South Bend plantation, a few miles
 below Pine Bluff, and has frequently visited this section.
 "What Kind of Man is Lowden'
 ;s told by s. Leigh Call, managing
 editor of the Springfield (Ill.) State
 Journal, in an article in Leslie's Weekly. MT. Leigh writes:
 "What manner of man is Lowden of Illinois ?" This is a question prac- tically every person from Illinois is being called upon to answer these days in his travels beyond the boz ders of his great state. Within its confines whoever runs may read or hear of the war governors acts be- cause even the school children know of him and regard him as an example worthy of imitation.
 But to return to the traveller and the questions shot at him: "Is Low den big enough to be president ?" or "Is your war governor the kind of president the country needs?" or again, "Has Lowden demonstrated that he possesses the metal of which presidents are made?"
  as well as the analytical, if some what skeptical, observers answer "Yes, Lowden has made good. He is big enough to be president, and we in Illinois think him the man the country needs"
 Of course you want to know why. That is familiar interrogation. Well we in Illinois border on the land of doubt and we are forever, "showing'' our Missouri neighbors, so we think we know how to "show' others. Frank O. Lowden. governor of Illi- nois, by grace of the people, is a tri- state product. Born in Minnesota, educated in Iowa and given his IT, cense to practice law in Illinois, Low den bears the mark of the great West upon him. A product of the prairies, he brought their sturdy in dependence to Chicago and achieved success in his profession and in life. In a great city where brilliant minds enter into fierce competition with each other, Lowden showed himself i able to cope with the best of them, When success came he listened to the call of his neighbors and accepted a seat in congress. After five years he retired to his farm to enjoy a we'll earned rest. But he had always said that every citizen owed certain amount of service to his country, so when his friends declared that he was needed as governor of Illinois. he ask ed them to show him that the people wanted him. They brought him the evidence, with the result that he be- came governor at time when the state and the nation really did re- quire his services.
 But before he would say whether or not he would be candidate, he wanted to know what he could do worth while if elected. He knew the mongrel development, called govern ment by commissions and boards, which had been grafted upon the state every time someone suggested new duty or work that should be undertaken. He had watched the way it was done in congress, so he declared vigorously for centralized government and budget system. Some of the old-time politicians bat ted their eyes and said, ooh well, that's good campaign talk. If Low den wants to tell the people he is in favor of abolishing lot of good jobs let his do it. but we don't take 1t seriously" Who had ever heard of position being abolished once it was created?
 But in this case they were mistak- en. Lowden was in earnest and the people believed him. Within three months after he had been inaugural ed, 125 boards and commissions had been wiped out; their duties were centralized in nine departments, whose heads were required to live Tn Springfield and give their entire time to their duties. Some said that It was too good to be true, but when the new governor began to ask the men he thought would make good di- rectors if they were prepared to move to Springfield as he had done and to give all their time to the state, 1t looked different. His administrative code included the budget system un- der which there has been a reduction m m taxes, notwithstanding the fact that wartime prices have prevailed eyer since he was elected. He pro- vlded for sixty -million-dollar bond issue for good roads, both principal and interest to be paid by automobile ncenses. He strengthened out the klnks so Illinois is ready to spend twenty million dollars in building a waterway from Chicago to the Miss isslpl river. He recommended a new constitution for the state in place of the one adopted in 1870, and a con- yventlon will meet next January to draft that constitution. His admins. !ratlon abolished the board of equal.
 lzatlon of twenty-five members
 winch spread the tax levy, and sub.
 sstIltuted therefor a commission o1
 u.h: unree appointed by the governor
 which must give all of it's time tc tfe the work. All of this was done with 1ne hearty co-operation of the legis.
 iature which pulled manfully and cor. alally toward the goal wheneve,
 teamwork was necessary. Lowder
 mad their friendship and respect al
 no