Evening star., 1923-10-14

darned il he hasn't gotten away with
it all his life. That is the reason he
has so many friends. Bear in mind
that we don't like him politically, but
if you want to get a fight from US you
attack him personally and see what
happens to you"
The foregoing statement brings to
mind one made by SIemp when one
day at the close of the last session OF
Congress he was asked to give his
reasons why his party should be con-
tinued in power. The answer brought
tears of joy to some of the old
timers on the "IIill." who had heard
the question asked. Slemp's reply
was:
Because OF the personnel Of the
republican party and it's attitude. Be
cause the opposition party has be-
come one purely of eXpediency. In
fact, it has almost degenerated into
a fault-inding organization, and it
is an antidote to all forms of op-
timism."
Shortly after President Coolidge
was sworn in. the man who now
stands at his side was asked if he
considered Mr.. Coolidge the man
needed to keep this country on an
even keel, and if so. why. His answer
was: 81 do, because he thinks clearly
and constructively, consistently and
without personal bias, and because
Of his intellectual integrity"
-
T EFT US suppose that you have busi-
IL ness at the White House. The
nature OF your business is such that
it must come to the attention of the
President It is a question that can
not be handled by one of the very
capable assistants. You march up to
the place where the head Of our ma
ton puts in many long hours and you
send in your name to Mr.. Slemp. In
very short time you are requested
to step into his office, and when you
enter that spacious chamber you find
roomful of people. some sitting in
chairs, some standing, others perched
on the sofa, all of them with special
tales that must be told to the Chief
Executive of our nation.
You note rather slender man
garbed in dark clothes, n man whose
face is kindly but earnest, and you
see that he is listening intently to
" hat his caller has to say. You have
never met the secretary to the Presi-
dent, but somehow you know that
this is c. Bascom Slemp. and you
watch him to see just how he fills the
job. He finishes with the caller whom
you noted when you entered, and he
gives him a hearty handshake, one
of the kind that makes you feel that
here is an honest individual, for only
real men have that kind Of hand
shake. Then he turns to another
visitor and you hear him say that he
has taken the matter UP. He speaks
clearly and convincingly. You know
that he has given the matter much
attention, because he has said enough
to show that he is familiar with the
question. He lowers his voice trifie,
and you see that the man to whom
he is talking knows that his matter
has reached the President.
Slemp turns to another caller and
starts to talk about something else
something that is not just what the
visitor came for, but you feel that he
is preparing the way for statement
that will show just why the request
that had been made is impossible OF
fulfIlment.
Still another man has come to but.
tonhole him., He looks at the man
with those brown eyes that can be as
gentle as those of a fawn or as pene-
trating as those of the school teach
ers we used to have-the teachers
that could look at you and tell If you
had been playing hockey the day be-
fore or IL you really had been sick
and could not be at school. There is
something that causes you to believe
tlrat the demand was not 100 Per cent