New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-09-07
millionaire SLEMP
enigma AT CAPITAL
What Does He Want? Asked
About Presidents Secretary
M HARRY n HUNT
sFA Service Writer

washington. sept Ia slender,
sallew,sklaned, Ions faced man Of -,
gray hairs al his temples pouches OF
loose skin under his eyes, eslshFatsd
his birthday aAniverssFy September .
by stepping Into a Job that many be-
lisvs may shape the Political destiny
Of the United States f0r the next four
yeaTs-that Of secretary 20 the pFssis
dent
"seerstsFy 20 the president Is the
title Campbell Baseom slemr vii
wear ofieiallY But people who know
eiemp intimately smiles AZ the idse OF
his being any kind Of secretary
A miilienaire. a keen business man,
an astute politician, giver not
taker OF orders. the idea Of slsmp
playing the sseretsrial role even 20
president somehow lust doesn't
ssem 10 NJ Therefore,, his appoint
ment mus, mean more than appears
on the surface. they argue But what
WHAT
A political manager That sounds
more ike II Who better than he,
Who as 0 republican served II years
in congress from 4 democratic south
srn state. could round up southern
delegates behind the Coolidge eandi-
dscy IN 1912
A Iaison officer between the White
House and Congress- His long service
on the hill. his mountaineering with
members and his knowledge OF how
the legislative wheels go round would
make him most helpful on that lob.
But. after all. what do either OF
these Jobs mean In terms OF slemp?
All who know him agree he's not
taking a secretarial Job Just 10 be
secretary. What has he got his
eye on7
well" suggests an old-timer here. /
who has know slemp intimately for
many years. maybe It's Just republic |
can success next year" But even that |
would cover only part of it. The real |
explanation must be found in some |
answer that would touch Slemp him
self, personally. That suggests cab
met job. Knowing Bascom as ! do,
and knowing that the Job OF secretary
can interest him only as stepping
stone. here's my guess
Cabinet Timber?
IF Slemp makes a success of the
work he really Is selected to perform,
thereby assisting or insuring the nom
nation and election of Coolidge next
year, you may as we'll put him down
right now for place In the next cab
met.
"Postmas ter general, probably. Per-
haps secretary of treasury or maybe
of commerce. He has qualifications
for any of those three. Anyway. watch
Slemp. He sees something more than
being secretary In this new job II
What sort of man is this south /
erner, then, who becomes secretary
to a Yankee president and already is !
talked among the wisacres as one of
the big forces in the coming political
maneuvers?
Campbell Bascom Semp was born
at Turkey Cove, Lee county Virginia,
on Sept. 4. 1870. His father was Col.
Campbell Slemp, former officer in the
Confederate army and.a typical south
ern gentleman of the old school. His
grandfather was one of the famous
Virginia Campbells s
politically. slemp multiplied his fam 3
lily fortune between times and held &
his seat In Congress until he tired of 4
it. He told a friend last year that he =
had cleaned up 100000 the previous 3
year alone in his coal land deals. He +
is reckoned safely within the million +
aire class 4
Hates Routine +
He has a mathematical and analyti- &
cal mind which has developed In him +
unusual executive ability for a man 4
long In congress. He is hard work Il
er and expects his associates to work =
equally hard. Some who have worked &
with him term him a driver" He +
will work night and day to put +
through some proposition and then 4
take time off to rest up. Il
When he tackles a job he has a +
definite objective in mind and is in 4
clined to be intoerant of obstacles 3
and impatient of delays that may in 3
tervene He hates details himself, Il
them off onto others &
He is wholly unmethodical and hates +
routine. 4
He is a fast thinker and either u
when writing himself or debating he
chafes at the inability Of the material +
record to keep up with his thoughts. y
He can't bear being circumscribed; &
be must be free, foot-loose, and can Il
tolerate no situation in which he &
must occupy position of subordinate, +
Il
Two years older than the preside Mt Il
md far better grounded in the school &
Of practical politics, Slemp comes to 4
MS job largely through the recon- Il
mendation of Speaker Gillette and 3
Weeks. b.
Slemp had an active part In the
asst speakership fight, in which Gill Il
cite was elevated to presiding officer =
IF the House ui
He was a Gillette lieutenant then. &
He turned the trick. HI
He is a Coolidge lieutenant now. Il
IAN he do the same this time? I'll
That's the question Hi
Slsmp plays fair game OF golf. n J
,ut he's not golf bug He plays III
,etter game of poker but can play q
I or let II alone He Is popular with H
but is not easily impression 4
BILE hi
Contrary TO popular opinion he is 81 /,
lot bachelor. Who's Who shows 3 !
lin as unmarried However, 81
-