The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-09-29
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
BY J. e. Jones.

One of the dominant figures in n a
tional life for many years has been
Senator Boies Penrose of Pennsylvania.
When Penrose was a young chap at
college he walked off with class honors,
and was considered M of the most
promising of youths. In those early
days he exhibited every quality OF lead
ership that has since yielded to his
domination in the affairs of the poll
tics of his state. Always, Mr.. Pen
rose has been considered a brilliant
man, but there are plenty of people
who insist that politics is his business
rather than his public trust. But
while there are those that cry Out
against, and defame this Ulysses of
Pennsylvania, there are others who
believe him to be not only a safety
valve, but a bulwark as well, against
the encroaohments of radicals who
would sovietize the United States. 1t
Is not necessary to quarrel with Opin-
ions of men about Penrose, because
friends and enemies alike credit him
with being a very smart and able
man. He was a hero in the political
fray while most of the leading lights
in national political life were learn,
ing the a, b, c's of the game. BY
sheer force of mentality and a domi.
mating personality he ross above all
the crusts of politics and become
known as Boss Penrose."
Less than a half dozen years ago
Senator Penrose possessed all the ap-
pearance of a physical giant. The
other day the writer saw his big red
automobile whizzing along one of the
main roads leading out of Washing.
ton. The purring engine, the alert
chauffeur and the big red devil re.
tanned all the sham of the Penrose
outfit that has become so familiar to
Washingtonians. But the lone chief
slept YEARLY, slouched in the rear seat
of the machine. Ill health and the
responsibility of carrying on the pom.
derous affairs which he insists on di.
recting, have been too much for the
Pennsylvania senator. For more than
a year he played the role Of an invalid
and remained away from Washington,
but when his party was returned to
power he came back to the capital
to take up his work as chairman OF
the finance committee of the senate.
He has been threshing out the revenue
bill with his colleagues. The tariff
bill has been pushed aside for the
present, Both measures are said to
be going the "Penrose way" That
way, apparently, has resulted in the
tax bill being changed in so many fea-
lures that its authors will hardly be
able to recognize 1t as their product
when it gets back to the house. 1t is
said that Senator Penrose finds the
house tariff bill very distasteful, be-
cause some of its schedules build a
prohibitive wall against certain classes
OF commodities in foreign trade. He
believes in lower rates. No one knows
when the tariff bill will get to the
senate. Senator Penrose has it in
hand, and he has made it very plair
that he is in no hurry.
Out in the West in the early days
frontiersmen used to glory in dying
with their boots on" The same spirit
Of determination must actuate Penrose
He seems determined to carry on his
work utterly regardless of his health
and his friends would not be surprised
at any moment should he sink beneath
the burden of his self-imposed duties
About fifty years ago Britain diplo
mats put over a treaty with the Unites
States that gave to that country equa,
rights in the building and operation o.
the Panama canal. When it came time
to put up good round dollars for the
purpose Of construction the Englist
seemed perfectly willing to make sucl
changes in their treaty relations Al
would enable the United States to d.
III the spending Of money. but which
Would ~ the came time give the Eng
ish eQual rights In skipping through
IS conplsted canal. The American
,onsress subsequently, made : "scraI