Evening star., 1919-04-13

AuiEHIy 10 u0lly StluC with Nlcu-
x olas Longworth. At least one Of
his gray eyes is always focused
in that direction.
Now, professional scrutinizers. mainly
possess the same temperament. Com
monty. also. they are specialists. They
might. as rule. be called ons-track
pessimists. Mostly, they center their
endeavors on the Treasury.
So. in the lingo Of Congress. they be-
come watch dogs over public expendt-
lures. They are useful but would be
more SO were they less juiceless and
dreary. The trouble. usually. Is that
they are uninteresting. When their
countenancese are not forbidding, they
are lacking in expression. while their
But there are departures now and
then from normal types. Mr. LongWorth
can be so classified. The targets for his
scrutiny are miscellaneous in kind, al
the seats Of the mighty, which means.
specifically. Of course. the occupants OF
the same.
The Treasury is but single item
on his program. Both the Army and the
Navy. and. indeed. the government gen
orally come within the purview Of his
watchful solicitude.
X X
virtus Is not made repulsive by his
advocacy. Vice does not become ac-
ceptable through his condemnation Of 1t
as a pastime or a policy. Many re-
former is the funeral director OF his own
cherished mission. And in Congress,
particularly in the House Of Representa-.
tives. the upbraidings OF professional
objector often turn instructive support
into obstinate and almost unanimous
opposition.
BY his own definition. Mr. Longworth
II "a pretty militant republican" But
he modifies II with courtesy. cheerful
ness and an agreeable personality.
The oral results Of his scrutinizing.
then, are heard II not always needed.
because of their source and character.
Practically. observations. warnings.
dialogues and speeches change no In
matter in debate Is without signifi-
canoe politically. But they occur.
nevertheless They can be read on
every page Of the published proceed
ings. and often. very often. In fact,
Nicholas Longworth's name 10 attach
Cd to them.
This is notably so with respect to
financss-the tariff. the public debt.
government bonds and so on--and to
military subjects and to the public
conduct Of those. as he phrases 1t, who
sit In the seats Of the mighty"
among whom are those whom he lists
In hfs catalogue as Uncle Joe Cam
nonites. Such seats are permanently
under his observation, as has hssn
stated. He studies them scientifically
and scrupu1ously and makes the best
use Of his discoveries.
Few young men Of Independent
means choose politics as a profession.
Henry Cabot Lodge did. The same
can be said Of Col Roosevelt. In the
Senate today there are two similar ex-
amples of self-dedication to the pub
lie welfare. Peter Gerry of Rhode Is
land. aged thirty nine. and James w.
Wadsworth Of New York, two years
older. wealthy men. seem to have
adopted politics as . permanent occu-
patton.
There is reason to believe that
Nicholas Longworth. while at Har-
ward. where he graduated before he
was twenty-five. decided to return to
Cincinnati and take hand In party
affairs. When asked by. the writer
why he studied law, he replied: II
followed the counsel Of my father
who had been a Judge OF the supreme
court of Ohio, and my own desire. Be-
sides. wanted a means OF earning
my living and a safeguard against ac-
cidents in tho future"
The frat money that Nicholas Long
worth ever earned was paid to him
after his admission to the bar. Land
waa appropriated by the city for a
new street." he said to the inter
viewer; II represented one OF the
nn ....t II Si,.t