New-York tribune., 1921-09-25
r " IS in his nincty-third year.
E-M He has lived nnety-two years IN
Il q New York City.

r y is in his nincty-third year.
E-M He has lived ninety-two years IN
Il 4 New York City
He is the titular head of a world
known political organization.
He does a full days work six days out cf
S,ven.
lie works frequently at night.
He walks to and from his Office, distance
Of three miles. almost every day in the year,
the weather permitting.
He walks with the stride Of hale and vet
eran hiker.
He doesn't wear glasses.
H smokes and drinks.
He has but one rule for living long-obey
the Ten Commandments.
This nonogenarian is John r. Voolnis, who
president of the Board Of Elections of New
York City will have active charge of The ma
chinery by means Of which the people will ex-
press their choice for all candidates for office
state and local, this fall
During one Of the swetering days of last
month | spent more than two hours with Com
missioner Voorhis. When / left his desk
I sat at one end and he at the other--I am
frank to say that was tired. But Mr. Voor-
his looked as fresh as when the interview
started. Had one who did not know his
years been present while I interviewed him
been asked his age he would have said that
this veteran politician was in his early sixties
His alcrtness of mind is a constant won
der to the active members of Tammany Hall
over whose meetings he presides when it
meets as the Society of Tammany, of which
he is grand sachem and by virtue of this
Office the nominal head of Tammany, whose
real leader, Charles F. Murphy, modcsty
keeps in the background.
Naturally, talk was largely political,
and he expressed the opinion that the poll
ties CT two generations ago was cleaner and
better than the politics of to-day And the
same he held was true Of social conditions.
The cause of our deporable conditions in
public and private life," said Commissioner
Noorhis, is greed of wealth. 1t has affected
people in all walks Of life, and our politics
and our social life will grow worse, instead Of
better, unless we revert to the simple life of
our earlier days and honor men and women
not for their wealth or position but for their
manner of living. crook to-day, financial,
moral or political, whether male or female. is
welcomed into most of our best homes if
driven there in a limousine. When | was
lad these types would be outcasts, and prop
erly So
l suggested that he was generalizing, to
which he rejoined with twinkle in his blue
eyes:
You asked me if I believed if society and
politics were any better to-day than genera
tion or two ago. and did not know you want
ed me to particularize. Anyway, l would not
care to, at least to degree that would drag
IN living personalities. For if there is one
thiEg | ioathe it is what is commonly known
knocking"
What would you propose as remedy for
bettering conditions in public life?" | asked,
after acknowledging the thrust
We'll, let us take this office for example"
he said 1--WE have about 5000 election Off
c'als Some are good and some are bad We
literally have to take what we can get. The
time the law allows US is too short to make
proper selection. What should be done is
to change the law SO that we will have
competent class to draw from. You know
that the ballot is at the root Of our govern
ment 1t should be safeguarded That can
not be done if incompetents or the corrupt are
in charge of it on Primary Day or Elec-
ton Day"
He looked out of one of his windows. which
is almost level with the clock on the