The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-03-06
SENATOR NEVER
LOSES BILL OR
MAKES SPEECH


By Eva Chappeif in the Denver News.
Never to have made a speech nor
lost a bill during his IL years in the
Colorado General Assembly is the en-
yiab'e record of Matt N. Lines of
Canon City, senator from the Ninth
district and In point of service oldest
Republican in the present Senate. A
kindly. forceful man. with a square
deal philosophy, is Mr.. Lines He
looks problem straight in the face.
measures IL with his Judgment and
then loses no time in taking action.
Farm boy. railway fireman. locomo-
tive engineer and man of affairs, Mr.
Lines has taken a friendly way
through life.
Born in Richmond. Va. In 1868, his
only recollection of anything con-
corning the Civil War is of seeing his
fathers long, blue overcoat and. later,
being allowed to shoot ducks with the
old. bayonetted musket with which
his father had gone soldering. The
turmoil of reconstruction left no inn
preston. perhaps. because the fam
lily soon removed to a farm in Mis-
1Oat-s WnCiC tAC 0Ol iltGu uNlll NE
went adventuring to see the world.
The farm was too SLOW Mr. Lines
said. As soon as l could came
away. The opportunity was not long
in coming. for he was only 17-just
slip of blond boy-when he start
ed for the place which was holding
the imagination of much older ad-
| yenturers-Leadville in the sos. His
b'ondness may have been a bit be-
srimed when he arrived. for he had
beaten his way
Never Broke"
Mr.. Lines is almost as laconic in an
interview as when presenting a bill.
He tells the essentials Il have
Eever been broke. but didn't have
money to spend on railroad fare"
His first Journey in the world had
profited him considerable knowledge
of train, cleaned from blind bag
gage. brake-peams and wherever else
he could get hand or footho.d-
knowledge which led to his first work
He got job as fireman on the Denver
q Rio Grande railway "Leadville in
those days was ithe snesf place IN sAe
world for boy looking for excite
ment." he said- and left it at that
with NO account OF the drama of which
he was the daily witness. There was
hardly a night when there wasn't
shooting in some of the gambling or
dance halls" he answered a question
Il neve rhappened TO be around when
there was a lynching. though I've
come soon enough afterwards to see
bodies hanging in the alleys
Sometimes during those days he
ran down to Denver for taste of
what seemed life in big city. and
ater. THE Tabor Opera House was
new then. and it was the biggest and
finest theater ! had ever been in. The
other evening / was down there with
some of the other Senators. and I
showed them the seats where my girl
and always sat No. not the girl
married-thacwas much later. I was
just a kid then. and this was little
convent girl who went to school at
St. Mary's. I knew her aunt and
used to try to get her to write notes to
get the girl out of school SO she
could go to the theater with me-
When she wouldn't I'd write notes
myself
First Engineer In Cripple
He recalls only one dramatic Incl
dent of his experience of Cripple
Greek. Not only did he take the first
engine into that camp. greeted at the
station by cheering crowd of thou
sands or gold-seekers. he laid the
/ FIRST rail of the Florence & Cripple
Greek railway and. 2s years later. in
1917. when the last rail was up. he
loaded his engine on fiat car and
took the stage to his home in Canon
City. II was then that he said goodby
to raiiroadine as business.
Il had letter from A. Z. Carlton.
president of the Florence 4 Cripple
Greek railroad. telling me that it had
| fallen to the lot of few men to be SO
Intimately concerned with the entire
life of railroad
Pushed Into Politics
Mr.. Lines entrance into public life
was a chance happening. Moses F.
Lewis was a member Of the Senate
during the Fifteenth General Assem-
bly,. He knew had lot of friends
in Fremont county. and asked me il
would consider nomination for the
House" MIR. Lines said
Il tod him that was no politician;
that wouldn't know the way In ard
out of the state house. but he insisted