Evening star., 1920-02-15
Who's Who for President

member of the House. Mr.. Palmer
was made a member of the ways
and means committee. which ham
dies all revenue measures, and he is
credited with having written the
steel schedules in the Underwood
tariff act.
After his success in his own dis
trict Mr.. Palmer tackled the
statewide democratic machine. run
by Guffey. and he succeeded in
getting himself chosen democratic
national committeeman from Penn
sylvania. He retains that office
today. He was national commit
teeman when he went to the 1912
convention in Baltimore which
nominated Woodrow Wilson. Pal
mer was a Wilson man. and he is
credited with having done as much
II not more than any other man
to bring about his nomination.
1t is related that late at night.
after hours of balloting which
showed the Clark forces way out
in the lead. Mr.. Palmer received a
telegram authorizing him to with
draw the name Of Woodrow Wilson.
Mr.. Palmer tore the telegram up
and jumped into the fight again.
Next day when the convention met
the tide had begun to turn and
Wilson finally won.
When President Wilson was
casting around for his cabinet
officers he settled on Mr.. Palmer.
a Quaker. for Secretary of War.
But Mr.. Palmer felt that all his
training was antagonistic to that
Office. and he declined the offer.
In 1914 he was nominated by the
democrats for the Senate and took
part in triangular battle in
which Senator Penrose. republican,
and Clifford Pinchot. progressive.
we're his opponents, Penrose win
ming. In 1915 Mr.. Palmer was Of
fered another. Office, Chief Justice
of the United States Court of
Claims. but this. too, he declined.
He went back to Pennsylvania to
practice law.
Mr..Palmer is not wealthy man
as wealth goes today. but he is
well off. When he gave up his law
practice to come to Washington in
1917 to take the Office of alien
property custodian. paying $4,000
a year. he was making about $780,
900 a year. it is said.
+ x
The Palmers have handsome
tractive house in the fashionable
part of Washington. 1t was at
the latter red" stubbed his toe
last summer and blew himself into
kingdom come with a bomb that
was intended for the Attorney
General and which did wreck the
front part of the Palmer house.
Prior to this incident Mr.. Pal
mer's friends had urged him to
have a guard, since they realized
the red element in the country
was stirred up against him. But
he pooh-poohed the suggestion.
Now he has a guard. but declares
it is very distasteful to him.
Mr.. Palmer is dignified, but un-
ostentatious. He is genial. yet
there is reserve about him which
does not lead to familiarity even
on the part Of his intimates. He
tells good story and makes a
good speech. aided both by his
earnestness and his reasoning
powers. His tendencies are dis
tinctly progressive. his supporters
say.
Pennsylvania has produced one
President in the past. He was a
democrat, James Buchanan. For
years. however. Pennsylvania has
been a republican stronghold. If
Mitchell Palmer is nominated he
will face the almost impossible
task of carrying his home state.
Yet. it is recalled, President Will
son failed to carry his home state,
New Jersey, in 1916. Nevertheless
he is in the White House today.
Copy right. 1920, by The Washington Star.
Next Su.day-Gen. Leonard Wood