The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-03-23
nomination for one Of

ten JuQSeSillpS VI lliS >ooh Nooii1y
superior court. The Republican can
didates won the other nine place
Payne was elected by 5000 plurality
After some years on the bench OF
Cook county, the judge resigned and
entered private practice again, this
time as member Of the big firm of
Winston, Payne, Strawn 4 Shaw
and it wasn't long before ne WIS
widely recognized as the leading law
yer in Chicago. His speciality was
transportation law, and ali the rail
road and steamship companies in
that section sought his aid in their
cases. 1t was just a question of how
much he could do
] In 1917 Chairman Hurley picked
Judge Payne to be general counsel to
the United States shipping board,
later Mr.. McAdoo drafted him to act
in the same capacity for the railroad
administration. Then without the
! Judges knowledge, President Wilson
nominated him to succeed Hurley as
chairman of the shipping board. Mrs.
| Payne, who was a sister Of Charles
Page Bryan, the diplomat. was on her
death bed at the time and her hus-
band was with her.
After Mrs Payne's death, the
judge plunged into his new response
,, bilities. Work has alw hys been his
anodyne against his griefs and pains
of life. The: harder these have been
ito bear, the harder he has toiled. He
did wonders. of reorganization at the
shipping board; there. are perhaps
even big opportunity for him in this
line as secretary of the interior, if
he has time to develop them. The
senate has been asking him to stay
at the shipping board until the pres
ent hearings are over, and he is there
fore being delayed in putting his
mind on the great cabinet job before
him.
His "Hobby" is Art.
One might get the idea from this
sketch of Judge Payne's life that he
is mere efficiency machine and that
he devotes his thoughts exclusively to
what are called practical matters.
There could be no greater mistake.
Though pretty much self made
man, John Barton Payne is a cultiva-
tor of the humanities and is notable
connoisseur and collector Of art. Re-
Gently he presented his magnificent
;: collection of paintings worth several
millions of dollars to the state of Vir-
ginia on condition that it should be
suitably housed and exhibited to the
public free Of charge. To the Uni
versity of Virginia he has presented
an almost priceless collection of etcn-
| ings.
! In memory of his late wife, Judge
Payne has undertaken and nearly
completed the remodeling and prac-
tical rebuilding of the famous St.
Johns Episcopal church, just across
Lafayette park from the White
House. His Washington residence,
which is only a block from the quaint
old church, is treasure house of in
terest to the artistic or. literary
spirit and has been center of the
sort of hospitality that in a previous
day characterized Thomas jefferson,
for instance.
Judge Payne does not look or act
his 81 years. He is clean shaven
man of average stature and strongly
built. In bearing he is alert, in gaze
keen, in utterance incisive and
laconic. He says in two minutes what
the average man would say in ten or
/ 90, and he knows when he is through
He goes at things directly and hard,
! but his aggressiveness is tempered by
| a lively sense of humor and his strong
face readily relaxes into a charm
ing smile 1t is easy to see how he
holos the confidence and affection of
those about him. He is born leader.
The interior department of the
United States is not one of the oldest
of the departments. Three score and
ten years ago it was an infant one
year old. Now it is giant affair
which doesn't know it's own strength,
which is covered with superfuous
weight, lacks discipline and system,
and sprawls all over the place. 1t
needs pulling together and training
down. Look out for Judge Payne on
that assignment.
GREENWICH VILLAGE