Evening star., 1923-10-14
by JAMES A. BUCHANAN.

Slemp, the secretary to Presi-
dent Coolidge. They hate him
because he has been the thorn In their
political side for many years. He has
been able to come to Congress time
and again from that rock-ribbed
democratic stronghold and the demo-
Gratis do not like to have their plans
upset. They are averse to having ap-
pear on the roster of their representa-
tives in Congress the designation
republican" after a name. Over in
Virginia they love c. Bascom Slemp
because he Is a Virginian. They are
strong for their own men and Bascom
Slemp Is certainly Virginian, both
in political cleverness and in
chivalry and general makeup. They
love him because he was always on
the lookout, while in Congress, to
get all that he could for his state.
1t is an open secret that more than
once he helped the brethren OF the
opposite faith, for. after all, man
cannot go back on the state in which
he was reared. They don't do that. in
the commonwealth across the Poto-
mac.
The love Slemp because he was al
ways ready and willing to help some
poor unfortunate who came to the
Capitol with q grievance, and they
love him because he was always will
ing to put up a fight for what he
thought was right True Virginians
may differ as to this or that question,
but when it comes to fighting they
certainly admire a man who can take
a punch---a political punch-and then
bore in so that he can land one in re-
turn. They have a high regard for
Rascom's political sagacity, for more
than once, after the smoke OF battle
had cleared away, they found that the
earnest, viriIe, dynamic young man
from Big Stone Gap had wrested
the iaurels of victory from them, had
achieved the seemingly impossible,
and was so blooming nice about win
ming, as a Tirginian once told the
writer that It took away the sting
of defeat.
THE secretary to the President OF
i the United States just had to be
in politics, for his father and his
fathers father were leaders in their
day. and about the first thing that
young Slenp heard was talk about
precincts, county, state and national
elections. 1t might be truly said that
he cut his teeth on a copy OF the
achievements Of the g. o. =.
OF course. there are some who say
that he just happened to take an in
terest in politics. but going back to
the early days OF his life we find
that as a youngster he served for ten
years as a page In the Virginia louise
Of delegates, and a boy who had that
training just couldn't help but catch
the political fever. In the state that
had as a son the gallant soldier, Rob-
ert E. Lee, they do not play politics
n few months before election time.
Thev are at 1t all the time, and II
YOU find your companion on the train
or your neighbor at dining room
table getting to look tired or poreo'
and you want to have some one to
talk to, just mention the word poll
tics" and wou will see an apparently
listless man galvanized into u crea-
ture in whose eyes shines the 1.5bt
of battle. Yes, in Virginia. they are
raised on 1t.
while the course that the young
man took at the house Of delegates
helued prepare him for the political
arena, his real start may be traced to
the time when his father was nomf--
mated for Congress. Then the men,
bers of the clan of Slemp girded their
ioins. buckled on their armor and set
forth to slay the democratic donkey,
riding astride the republican ele-
phant. C. Bascom has been busy on
the hunt ever since and his adver-
saries have never found him out OF
training.
He left the University Of Virginia to
engage in business and was getting
along very we'll until the politcai
virus took root at the time OF his
fathers nomination. After his father
had been elected the young man Just
could not keep away from political
meetings. When the father, Campbell
Slemp, died 1t was but natural that
elected to the Sixtieth Congress in
December. 1907, and was reelected to
the Sixty-first, Sixty-second, Sixty
third, Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth
Congresses. The next time he ran the
democrats, having worn themselves
out as far as candidates were con-
cerned. made no fight against him and
IL S41 rz-fXH
Then, just to make the record a good
one, he was elected to the Sixty-sev-
enth Congress.
A year ago Siemp WAS sitting in the
cloakroom of the House' OF Repre-
sentatives when an old-time politi-
clan was discussing what the reQ-
uisites of a successful politician
were. The men In the group all gave
their views as to what a man needed
If ne wanted to keep in office, and
when 1t came to Slemp his answer
was: Efficiency, power of organiza-
ton, publicity instinct, and. above all,
an honest desire to serve the people"
Some of the older men in the group
afetrward declared that it was the
best expression they had ever heard.
y y 4 y
liver since the present secretary
l. took his new job remarks have
been made as to just how he manages
to remember names and faces, for,
with the countless stream Of people
that come into his office every day
it is no easy matter to call each man
by name and to relate some little IN
cident that will show him that you
really do remember him, With .Slemp
this comes naturally. He never uses
a notebook, but relies on his men,