Evening star., 1920-04-04
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

INHERE may be something in
name after all. Take the
name of Miles Poindexter,
Washington states candi-
date for the republican nomination
for President Miles is Latin for
soldier; Poindexter tpoing dextre),
French for right fist-a right -fisted
soldier. ! should like to claim
credit for working out the deriva-
tion Of Senator Poindexter's name.
but cannot. President Collier of
George Washington University
pulled it, when he conferred the
degree of LII. D. on the senator re-
Gently.
The name fits like a glove. Big,
brawny, blunt. the senator from
Washington in any kind of con-
test in which he may be engaged
relies upon sledgehammer blows.
He is downright in attack. He does
not believe in halfway measures.
let he has constructive mind.
and in his legislative career has
put forward many important pro-
posals which have been written
into the statutes.
Ihere is no camoufage about
Senator Poindexter 1 have inter
viewed him regarding many knotty
questions that have arisen in re-
cent years and have never known
nm to hesitate to express his
views freely and for publication.
IN the Senate he is a forceful
of oratory. As rule he speaks
Serlously-he takes things serious
ly-but now and then he iniects info
ms remarks bit of caustic humor
that tells.
Not long ago Senator Poindex,er
was approached by some moving
picture photographers who desired
to take pictures Of him fishing. for
ne is great out-of-doors man.
fond of hunting and rourhyng If
IN the woods. as we'll as a devoted
follower of Izaak Walton. The
senator doesn't care about having
photographs made of himself, but
ne finally agreed. provided he
could really go fishing and that the
move men would not interfere with
ms nshing. So he went fishing up
the Potomac river-and the movie
men scrambled along behind him
and made pictures. The senator had
no luck. and finally one of his
friends. who had accompanied the
party. suggested that he tie a rock
on the end of his line and haul awav
at it. so that the pictures would
look as though he were really
catching something. He put his
foot down and said he would see
them all further before he would
make believe he was catching 4
fsh. when he wasn't--which is like
poindexter. but is not art. He is
the only fisherman extant who
would not stand for a fish story.
+ = X X
Miles Poindexter was born ir
Memphis. Tenn. April %. 1868.
Both of his parents were Virgin
ians. however. and they returned
to Virginia while Senator Poindex-
ter was an infant. His ancestors
had lived in Virginia fo- many
years. On his fathers aide his
people were French Huguenots.
and on his mothers they were
education at Fancy Hill Academy
and at Washington and Lee Uni
versity, where he took a degree In
law in 1881 That same year he
pulled up stakes and went west.
He went to Walla Walla. Wash,
and began to practice law. He
hadn't been there a year when he
married Miss Elizabeth Gale Of
Walla Walla.
Senator PoindeXter was twenty
three years old when he landed in
Walla Walla. He had only $40 to
his name. But he had his profess
sion and faith in himself. He hung
onto his $40. practiced law and
about a year later he was elected
prosecuting attorney. In spite of
the fact that he had chosen the far
west in which to settle. his career
was not sensational, but made up
of the usual things which happen
to young men who are struggling
to get ahead. Walla Walla was
new, but not a frontier town in
the sense Of the towns in tine great
plains states ard the mining states
in earlier days.
He conducted many important
cases, his friends say. for the state
and county while acting as prose-
cutor. He fought the bankers in
a case involving a tax upon the