The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

graduated him. IL was another Of those
big moments In an active life.
BE had one other thrill equal 10 II, Mr..
Gillett said. When be was q young law
yer up In Massachusetts, be one day went
to argue q case before Judge Horace Gray.
Of the State Supreme Court, later an as
sociste justice Of the Supreme Court Of the
United States. Judge Gray was q friend
Of his father. was one Of the great men Of
his day. After young Gillett had presented
his case the judge called him into chambers,
congratulated him on il and said that he
Of q worthy son.
THE judiciary had been the goal Of the
L early life Of Frederick Huntington Gil.
lett, the thing for which be regarded him
self ss tempersmentally fitted, the sort Of
thing which appealed to his tastes. Yess
later he offered q Judicial post BY the
governor of Massachusetts,. but BY that time
he had ttcome immersed in the workings
Of Congre and declined.
As a ma fer Of fact Mr.. GiIlett Is one OF
the men at Washington who have always
taken a great deal Of pleasure in the life
Of the nations capital. He has always
gone about among the interesting people
there, is socially inclined. loves his fellows.
He was a bachelor in Washington for
twenty five years. For years he lived with
two other celebrated and popular bachelors
in q house in X street, which they bought
and in which they set up their menaGe.
There they entertained and there il is said
they received twenty invitations to dinner
every day.
These other two men were Brisadier Cen
ersl William Crozier. for many years chief
of ordnance Of the War Depa artment. and
William H. Moody, who became Roosevelts
attorney general. II was while they wer,
keeping bachelors hall here that Mr.. Moody
suffered an accident and was dangerously
i'll. Mr.. Roosevelt, then President. came
over to the house one night on foot to in
quire about Mr.. Moody. When be pre-
sented himself at the door a new Negro
butler stated that he was sorry but no one
was TO be let in. He was told that the
visitor was the President, and answered by
asking president Of what" When be
finally grasped the fact of the identity Of
the visitor be near expired with chsgrin.
IF MR.. GILLETT has had one consistent
hobby through life it has been athletes.
He was captain Of the baseball team in
college and played the game long after.
Tennis was his particular fsrorite for two
decades in Washington. and be was long
the best player in Congress. As he sp-
golf. but he plays a strenuous game and q
good one.
Early in bis career as presiding Officer
of the House be created CONSERVATION BY
the vigor with which he welded the ssvel.
In fact he smashed up one or two very choice
and expensive ivory gavels. The manner OF
his handling Of this symbol Of authority was
like his work on the links. he specialized
on following through. Finally Representa-
tive Nicholas Longworth presented him with
q blscksmith's hammer and this remainea
as reminder to gentler methods.
They say that as man grow. older
he becomes more conservative" Mr.. Gillett
told me. My old friends back home would
think it, strange If they understood that
was elected speaker by the more progressiv.
younger men of the party. l confess that it
rather reverses the ordinary custom, but
as have grown older have grown more
radical.
''As one looks back twenty years and
thinks Of the line of difference that was
then between radicals and conservatives,
he is likely to find the radical of that time,
still holding the same views, is the conserva-
tive of today.
1T is not true that the state owes every
man a living, but it is true that it owes
him a fair chance to earn one
''As long as a majority can always hsv.
its way in peace. then we shall always have
order and progress"
These are bits Of political philosophy
dropped by the man who presides over the
popular branch Of the greatest nation in
the world, and attempts {" NJ SO" inI~