Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02
WALSH COMBINES
FIGHT With FAITH
Personality Of. Montanan Is
Big Factor in Consideration
of Any Voter. ..
BY WILLIAM HARD.

BY WILLIAM HARD.
Now is the time to write about Tom"
Walsh of Montana, before he. gets
turned. into q lame duck" by his Re-
publican senatorial adversary in Mon
tana, J1idge Albert ]. Galen, as the Re-
publicaus say he will be and as the
Democrats and the mass of political
prognosticators say enphatically he will
not be. The prognosticators, some OF
them. think that Tom" though dry,
has saved himself from being sent up
Salt Greek as lame duck by becom-
ing sufficiently weh-footed in the waters
of immediate politics to swim toward
on wet waves. Others, suhtler AND
deeper, hold that it is unreasonable to
think that a voter could look at Tom
and not send him and re-re-send him
to the Senator to some station stu
1oftier, If imaginable.
Absurd to Call Him Tom"
It is absurd that he should be. called
tom" One might as well have called
William Ewart Gladstone Bill or
saving the irreverence = ST. Peter
''Pete."- Mr.. Walsh, indeed, in any
properly cast and thoroughly reverent
miracle play would make an admirable
ST. Peter. He would hold the keys of
Heaven with an air which would need
no artificial effort to indicate to all be-
holders that exact justice was going to
be done with precision laborious, con-
siderate, sensitive and implacable
Short of the post at the Pearly Gates,
there Is nothing really entirely bef1tting
MFR. Walsh except seat in the Supreme
Court. Whatever levity may now APP
pear among the,.venereble practitioners
before that venerable tribunal would
thereupon be thoroughly hushed. His
fellow Justices might have perception
enough to call him Thomas, There
was no perception, just the same, in
whoever 1t was that christened him
after the doubling apostle.
Has Both Fight and Faith.
Thomas J.. Walsh does not doubt. He
does not doubt religion. He does not
doubt righteousness. He does not doubt
the validity of good. He does not doubt
the possibility. of the arrival at good.
He is among the very few men. in public
life who seem never to be penetrated by
even a silver of cynicism. Serious
though he Is, he accordingly seems
never genuinely depressed or disheart-
ened. In the midst of his seriousness,
which is really portentous, ne seems
also continuously actually cheerful. Be-
lieving In God and His world he is OPP
pressed by duty but at the same time
sustained by-serenity. e.has fght, but
he also has faith. $3.50
He thus acquires in Washington a
eort of awe at his dignity but also a
sort Of tenderness toward the spirit
uality that Is In him. Severe as he
has been toward national culprits in
the Republican party, he has many Re-
publican friends and is much invited
TO Republican houses. He very fire.
Quently accepts the invitations.
Is Austere Though SOciabIe.
Austere throughout the whole day,
including the evening, he is neverthe-
less, In the evening, and in his way,
sociable. That Is, he likes TO be in
seems indeed. usually. to like the. people
themselves. He viii not. drink with
them. He win not smoke with them
He win not even costume tea or coffee
with them. He is in such matters
q complete ascetto... He never sermon
lies for .asceticisnl. He simply quietly
practices 1t. His conviviality in the eve
ming Is that In the middle Of dinner he
will follow up some remark OF some
bodyis by saying now let's look into
that" snd-he- will Ghereupon descend
q
engaged in excavating the jurassic and
triassic strata and substrata Of 1t
down through all geological depths to
original creative infnity. He thus has
q good time, and so does everybody else
except the unfortunate person who made
a remark about the grass without re-
flecting upon the jurassic and triassic
eras underneath.
Spirit Transcends Greed.
He could be an extremely forbiddine
character II he were In temperament
materialistic. He has q. mind like q
pneumatic drill and steam dredge
He Is rescued from being a mere mon.
strous nauling mechanism by having
also true life of the spirit. It OBJ
viously transcendS creed. His .Cathol-
icism has not impeded numerous meet
ings Of Protestant clergymen in thi:
campaign In Montana from giving hin
their open Endorsement. He Is in truth
It might adventurously be said, a per-
son of Catholic religion but Of ProteS.
tant reformiStic views. He favors pro
hibition. He favors the World Court anc
the League of Nations. The genera
support for those projects in this coun'
try is dominantly protestant, and dom
inantly enthusiastically protestant. Mr.
Walsh Is in his personal habits q sor
of Catholic Puritan and in his public
policies a sort of Catholic Methods
or Baptist.
Such considerations, however, remair
secondary in his political prospects
The primary influence on. his behal
next Tuesday at the polls in Montana
will be the striking resemblance which
so many Of his fellow citizens thinl
they see between him and the prope
qualifications for any high office, If
respective of religion, irrespective O
party, irrespective of platform, irres
pective Of anything except what is IL
Illustrated by the feeling that brash ant