The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-02-11
In New York Tribune.
~ STANLEY FROST.

ii
II never understood until l came 10
weshinSton. where foreigners get IDEAS
OF Americans that they write po"hS
about. !" said q Boston person the other
day. y ncvcr"--he h"sitated because
this was vulgar thing he was eolns
to say. and he sought in vain lot IN
vulgar words 20 say 1t in neFe. 81"
a nice man chew tobacco ectoVf'
The nice man in the case was He':".
tor Nelson. though probably no one ou.
a Boston person would have ch"osc''
inst that adjective Rut my friend WIS
right about one thing-Senator Nelson
Ia m American, UNDERSIGNED. capltatiZ-
cd. and emphasized in every PoSS'p''
wayl There is not in the Senat"-S'''c
Roosevelt's death there is prooaolF no
vher-a man more militant assFes-
stye, thoroush-snins and vigorous III
his AnnericanisU,. Il is his reilS!"h NJ"
hobby and his battle cry
Oldest Man In the Senate.
rnntc Nelson has earned the right I"
this He was in IN" American army
hoFore he became ar American citl%c'L
rror his stripes as q uon-cotnmisSiorsu
officer on the field OF battle. lay al
dav helpless from wound aticr tn.
fight at Port Hudson. LII. and slHi':'
most OF the rest of the war IN q e'''-
federatc prison.
Since hc went home ne mas oeen ~.
most continuously n the puhNc SeF''Cs
in some way or other-aS d ltS'n "a
rhc legislatures first Of Wisconsin ef'N
then of Minnesota. as public prosecute
&C rcrnbcr Of Congress. and tina'iE
S.,etor Today ne is the oldest man III
tho senate-tMis Sunday IS his ScNe.ttt
sirth oirthday-and the nearest 10 hl',
IN age though there are many VITO ~,
and act older. is Senator "artHH' 80,
orIIv Union veteran in the scHate' .,.o nv
who. by a coincidence. also Non ~
wound and q conSrtss'''A
Port Hudson
his rrue Measure. ,.
Er+ Senator Nelson does not loon
,o~ och >,ike the Oldest OF this mos
dirn;fcd body. nor is the most oisr'fieu y,
YTSs heels ring along the cors'oors =.
+bc caotto1 with a snap that "oulo
he o credit TO many Of the messengers
Die s,ocky, stnlwart figure gets o'el
+ho. ground with speed. and carries al
air of complete decislveneSS. nus ia"
and beard are snowy. but Sho" no o'h'!
signs OF wear: his blue Dyes snap ls.|
smile and sparkle and glasses are sc.
dom in evidences, ms voice ,,o-
tSrooted and growly as ever. II thc9
80. sim of his years. it is that n
docs not fight quite 50 often nor =
1on- as Of old-and it is himself am
nor his opponents that complain OIL tn'
,vca1,ness "If'.this had only come te'
,.o.rs opo" he lanentcd one day. alIe
giving a suspected pro-Geralan VINO ma
Appeared before a coWHittee an ''o",
grilling which that putatiEc run wa
remember to his grave. / coui' ia
given that cuss 3 run for Il. m F"'
ting TOO old now. but I had to set II
y little lick anyway.
,.You ask such rrn,'arrasSinS gu ;
tions," protested another. whose ION
> Eindcd defense OF kaiS"r!sm MID o.
,:r+ short BY q demand that he defn
his stand regarding the murder OF "a,
cayel1; "and yc. you nave Such h!hoi
eyes,
He had taken The measure OF knut
Nelson quite perfectly. Kindly Eyes an
Ennbarrass!nc QucStiors. The senator
&C kindly man rs lives. and as AYERS
70 hunk of any brand. He wants fact:
the bottom facts. and. if given 4 chaAc'
is quite likely. 70 get them. NncH "
makes 4 statement in the Senate
one ever thinks of verifying it; 1t Stanu
at a hundred per cent on the Sp"
And when s-.uc man comes ociorc MI
with O carefully rch"arscd s"Shis>t!
he is more than likely to depart cFeS'
FALLEN.
Probably he has never delivered Z
Grafton in his life. though he has take
the bloom eff many with his emoa'
RAISING questions. He occaS'onaIt
makes a speech. but it is rather
spoken synopsis Of tho available IL
formation on the subject at issue tina
an .oratioo--and II, is punctGr" PROOF
Work he also loves. and he is a
WAYS to be found where work is golt
on. He seldom listens to the fuluna
ing on the senate floor. but can AWAY
be found in some committee or othc
Daticntty enduring the dreary toll
dragging facts from unwilling or pT"J
diced witnesses, or the even mo
dreary work of whipping some mcasu
into shape. He has two other lines
endeavor-rcading and writing letters.
He is probably the only man IN q
senate who. personally dictates III
signs the answers to every letter IN
comes to him. no matter OF what KIN
His mail is enormous. and the reGueS
for advice, help and information IN
he gets come from Norway as we'll
from Alaska His secretary docs n
own o Rubber stamp with the sen
torial signature.
1.fbrary's Biggest Patron.
His reading is even more ama%in
I5c is the biggest individual patron
the library of congress and nc has be-