Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-06
Manuel Herfick of OkIaho-
ma, Conducts a nBeauty
Contest" While He Tries to
Outlaw One by Newspaper
BY LEE LEWIS
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
downright. 1921

y
| out of the west few months ago. it
was with the intention of starting
something. Manuel Herrick can now
| look back on his brief career as a
| legislator with proud satisfaction,
for he has started something-oh,
yes, indeed!
For one thing he has the unprece-
denied distinction of having been the
first and only member of either
house, to date. to start beauty con-
test in the nations capital with him
self as the prize. His starting of a
crusade against newspaper beauty
contests, while incidentally running
one of his own, and his numerous es-
capades, involving interviews with
feminine detectives, narrow escapes
from running afoul of irate fathers
and husbands, and difficulties with
his former landlady, have enlivened
the drab days of the recess season
in Washington.
Often times the pages Of that pro-
sale publication, the Congressional
directory, give some very good in
side stuff on the hopes, fears and
ambitions of budding statesmen.
Some years ago there appeared, in
the biographical section of that book
reer of a man who, evidently, shone
by no reflected light, but with a
rare effulgence Of his own. The
screed covered approximately two
full pages, and recounted at great
length the distinguished mans strug-
tanned that pinnacle of fame, a seat
in congress. The directory, however,
sheds little light upon Lochinvar
Herrick, who has been discreet in
giving his life" for the public print
er. About all one learns from it is
that he was born in 1875, lives in
that part of Oklahoma known as the
Cherokee strip, raises Herrick's
Giant yellow corn and Copper-faced
Hereford cattle Cloth duly capital
ized) and represents the eighth Ok
Row He Won
Herrick obtained the Republican
nomination in his district through a
somewhat unusual combination Of
circumstances, the most important
of which was the death of his prin-
cipal competitor at a time when Her
ricks chances were most enhanced
thereby. AS the Republican nomi-
nee, he was duly elected, and event
ually arrived in Washington to take
up his duties. His personality i'm
pIGSSGu lISGll Will HIS COllcdSo uOS "
such an extent. he informed the
home folks in a letter from Wash
ington, that they wanted to make
him speaker, but he thought Gillett
was doing a pretty good job and
that it would be right hard on him
to throw him out practically without
notice. Moreover. it was his idea
that since he was relatively inexpe-
rienced, he would probably be able
fill the chair better some time hence.
This letter-couched in style
highly reminiscent of a noted bush
Lacquer" of observation-disclosures
berated Washington as city of no
modern connivance." and paid Her
rick's respects to his colleagues by
a comment to the effect that he
would stand out among them like a
tall oak among lot of mushrooms,
into some rather intimate details as
to the cost of room and board in
Washington and held that eastern
women didn't come UP at all to those
Of his home state.
When the speakership episode had
become history, Manuel Herrick
lapsed for little while into rela-
tive obscurity, but an epidemic Of
beauty contests in Washington,
sponsored by newspapers and social
organizations, brought him again to
view. He fathered bill to make
beauty contests illegal, alleging that
girls were already vain enough and
that such contests lured them to the
stage and to the clutches of immoral
multi-millionaires and other enc
mics of the sanctity of the home.
Within "a hours after his bill had
achieved publicity, it developed that
he had been running beauty con-
test of his own. He wrote 40 let
ters to attractive Washington girls,
entries in one of the contests which
L.. Il ,41, fx ~
informing them that he was 1.-The
lonesomest man in town" and offer
ing them "the love of a man whose
love will be so great that If that
was the one and only price to pur-
chase your souls salvation he would
ransom your soul out Of hell at the
price of his own"
Some Of these letters had been
turned over to the pNStoffice depart
ment by the recipients, it developed,
and postal inspectors questioned the
Oklahoma congressman about them.
He said he had written the letters
to get evidence in behalf of his bill;
he wanted to show that the girls
were ready to fall for anything. The
publicity he gained in the press in
spired the representative to issue a
statement which read in part thus:
LET the slur writer's rave, the fact
remains and cant be gotten away
from 1st that herrick has been in
Washington since February 25th and
in all that time He has done no run
ming after Wimen in the sence the
term is commonly Understood to
Mean End he employs no women
clearks in his office but on the con-
trary has a full force of Men clearks;
3.rd he has about peck of replies
from the siley and gidey girls which
they sent in answer to his decoy let
tiers that he sent out in order tc
geather evidence in behalf of his
"He defies the Social Hyenas,
Moral Reprobates and Moral Lepers
to prove by any evidence worthy of
a moments consideration in any
court of record any wheare in the
world that he has ever been guilty
of an act of Moral turpitude in his
whole life, so he is willing for the
Morally Unclean to Howl as long and
as loud as they like it disturbs him
MOTT"
Well Beaten Up
Herrick also asserted that two
pretty Washington young women,
one of whom is married, had come
to his office and signed statements,
apologizing for having turned over
his letters to the postal inspectors,
and that he had given them 25 cents
to buy ice cream and turned them
out of the office. The sequel CAM
on August 80, when the husband OF
the girl and the father Of the other
made an attack in force upon his Of
flee and Herrick saved himself from
a beating by seeking the intervention
of one, of his colleagues. 1t. devel--
oped that two women detectives of
the Washington police force had Wis
tied his office impersonating the
girls and taken his quarter for ice
cream. Herrick then retained detec-
tives of his own.
Hprrinlr
in his own abilities, and some of the
letters he has sent to Washington
express the view that within seven
years he is going to be president of
the United States.
But the Oklahoma delegation is
not so keen about his prospects, and
President Harding is said to have
conferred with some Oklahomans as