Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-20
HIS PATH WAS sMooTHED
His upbrInsIns Proves That Under
wood Was In No Sense Ever an
underdog-New England
Breakfast Food
BY WILLIAM ATuERToN DU pryy


SENATOR OSCAR UNDERWOOD, mem
~ Der of the American big four at the
Arms Conference, is not one Of your rough
and-tumble, up-from- the grass roots poll
ticians.
He was born in Louisville. KY, of "Blue-
grass stock, as contrasted with "B'ar
Grass ''Pennyr'yal'' or Purchase
In HIS upbringing he never did n thing so
Grass DIS to attend public school, but on the
contrary was carefully tutored in the private
institutions Of the Old South.
When he went to the University Of Vir-
ginia to complete his education. he carried
with him thoroughbred riding horse and n
Negro valet to take care of his clothes.
Finally, as young lawyer, he went to
birmingham to hang out his shingle, but not
to endure the customary starving period of
his kind. but on an advance guarantee Of
an adequate income
There he married the daughter Of ]. II.
Woodward, the daddy Of the blast furnaces
| which have made that city the Pittsburgh Of
the South, with money enough to sink
ship.
One, could hardly say that Oscar has had
hard life.
TT YOU so back home after twenty years
absence, at some point along the way some
particular thing will happen which makes
you know that you are again in the land
where you went barefooted and took castor
oil.
There is W. w. Husband. for instance,
who Is Commissioner of Immigration down
in Washington and who grew up in Ver-
mont. Last summer he was tracking back
to the land Of his nativity. and on the way
1t became necessary that he should stop Mt
n New England village restaurant for break
fast. He settled down and the waitress
took her place with her back against the
wall. natural like, south by southeast of his
elbow.
Have You any breakfast food?' inquired
the Commissioner.
Eyes, sir" said the waitress "Mince,
apple and pumpkin"
| Husband knew he was at home.
MERRITT G. SPEIDEL is now owner of
AV1 the only newspaper published in Iown
| City, Ia, but two years ago was companion
country editor and lifelong friend Of War
| rem G. Harding. over in Ohio.
1t was during the nomination campaign
| that Mr. Speidel went out to Iowa to David
| Harum a bit for the newspaper which is
now his. AS a sharp trader he did not want
| the real purpose OF his visit known, so he
| pretended to be interested in politics. For
camoufage purposes he asserted boldly that
| his friend Harding would get the nomination
| for the presidency, and advised Iowa Repub-
| leans who favored Lowden to be satisfied
| with the second place on the ticket for their
candidate. He was called to headquarters
and gravely consulted and ended the con-
ference by making deal which resulted in
these Iowa politicians pinning the button of
| Warren G. Harding on their lapels above
! that Of Governor Lowden.
Speidel got his Iowa paper. but because
| of his prognostications as to Harding he also
got n reputation for political wisdom which
has given him high standing in the land Of
| his new activities.
NOW, let's see, there's Coleman du Pont,
~ recently appointed United States Sen.
| ator from Delaware. the outright owner of
the Equitable Life Assurance Society Build
ing Company. and n string of huge hotels
| that reaches all across the United States;
numerous coal mines, etcetcra. etcetera
Senator du Pont has remarkable memory
| for faces and likewise n remarkable mem
ory for numbers. but to save his life he can't
! retain the names of the folks he meets.
He was down here in Washington for the
| Harding Inauguration and put up at one
of the leading hotels. One night he played
| n r,,ber of bridge with some gentlemen
| whom he met casually. At the termna-
| ton Of the game one Of them suggested that
whenever he had some time to kill he
! call him up by telephone and they would
have another game to.pbnne s nmS%r gave
Just the other day Senator du Pont en-
| countercd him on the street. He remembered
his face and the occasion upon which they
| had met. but he hadn't the slightest idea as
| to the mans name. lie hailed him genially,
! however, and recalled their former meeting
| Your memory is most remarkable, Sena-
| tor" said the gentleman. Il am surprised
that you should have remembered me so
readily"
ing to luck that 1t would not be necessary
| to call this mans name. My memory is
| ouite remarkable. l can even tell you your
telephone number. 1t is Cleveland G42.'
| This number was correct.
WHEN Elihu Root was Secretary of State
| w the Supreme Court handed down deci-
| sion with regard to our Colonlol possessions
| and the Premier was being questioned as to
| his Interpretation of this decision. Did it
mean, he was asked, that the Constitution
| was not to follow the fagI
''It seems to follow it," he said, "but It
does not seem to quite catch up with it,"
| Upon another occasion. being pressed as to
| the truth of certain statements which were
| appearing in the newspapers, he answered
his nquisitors by taking up from his desk
| n book and reading from 1t ParSOn Weems'
| story of George Washington and the cherry
| tree They did not know whether he meant
them to take it that these stories were OF
| questionable accuracy like that of the cherry
tree or whether he meant them to hold that
| he admitted the truth of these reports since,
| like George, he could not tell lie.
COLONEL JOHN T. ANTON is the COM
~ manding sky pilot of the United States
| Army which is to say that he is the chief of
chaplnins of that organization. He it was
who did the praying on Armistice Day at
| Arlington. Colonel Axton says that to him n
remarkable thing about the present Arms
| Conference Is that everybody in the army,
men and officers, is enthusiastically in favor
Of their own drastic reduction.
Whenever Colonel Axton leads in PRAYER
these days, somewhere in that prayer there
| is nearly sure to occur that line which saws
that the job on Gods workable must now
be done"
Sergeant Sam Woodflls, who went out
and got himself nineteen Germans in one
mornings fighting, and who was selected