Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-12
BY WILLIAM HARD.

It was a notable and an extraordi-
nary thing in Nicholas Longworth that
no matter how great his public aspects
became, his private aspects remained
still greater. He lived in a country in
which men tend to get dominated and
dwarfed by their jobs. They tend, all
too often, to be power men or railroad
men or steel men or tintack men or
sheep-dip men more than they are
human beings at large. They have
this tendency also in politics. They
arrive almost at knowing nothing but
politics, talking nothing but politics,
being nothing but politics. 1t was
never so with Nicholas Longworth.
Nicholas Longworth always seemed to
ploring and enjoying the process Of
living itself, and doing politics inciden-
tally with his left hand. When you
met him, you did not meet a mocha
nism of craftsmanship. You met a
man who had chosen for some hours
of each day TO be a statesman.
Leaves Personality Behind.
It was, therefore, that you could love
him as you could love hardly anybody
else in the field of public affairs. His
nature overlapped public affairs. Pub
lie affairs was but corner OF him.
What he did In public affairs will dim
with the decades. He, as long as any,
body that knew him survives, will not.
All men leave some achievements, all
to fade. Few men leave personality
that. after them, is a presence. Long
worth has done so.
1t was, indeed, his detachment from
politics that really enabled him to be
such a master of it. He could look at
1t effectively. Though inside It, he
could look at 1t also from the outside.
He did politics in the middle of the
day. The rest Of the time he was what
his critics called frivolous. He en-
ioyed, he laughed. he went to parties,
he exchanged amenities and joculari-
ties, he played cards, he listened to
music, he performed music, he en-
countered people, he studied human
natire, he relaxed. At IL midnight he
might seem to be the most unburdened
and irresponsible man of the world"
on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cool, Complete Master.
At II noon next day in the House Of
Representatives, when he took the gavel
at the Speakers desk, he was the Sc
rious, cool, complete master of every
detail of what would be done during
the afternoon. The contrast between
the reveling Mick" of the nighttime
and the commanding and controlling
Nick" of the ensuing daytime was one
Of the incredible miracles Of contempt
rary Washington. It was thought in
credible. 1t was, in truth, for him
wholly logical and natural.
Possessing physical constitution
that year after year was able to defy
the ravages Of late hours, he gained
from his relaxations a fresh, amused
serenity every morning for viewing and
estimating and forecasting the plays of
politics and the outcomes of parliament
tary maneuverS and manipulations. AS
an ordinary member of the House, be-
fore he was Speaker, he had never per-
mitted himself to become the chair
man Of an important committee. That
way he thought, lay the fate of be-
coming a specialized expert on some
set of details. He never wished to be
tied to any details except those Of the
management of the whole House. He
desired to envisage and operate the to-
tai of the game. He played society in
the evening. In the morning he goi
up and. with ABS members of the House
/ for his pieces, played chess.
Knew Personnel and Rules.
He became that games unparalleled
| contemporary master. His one bookisi
trait was that he had read-and read
and read-the rules of procedure Of the
House. His one trait of specialization
easy for him, was that he had studied
and Sunderland studied-the char
acters of the members of the House
With this equipment of knowledge OF
procedure and Of knowledge of person
mel he ruled.
But he ruled because he also, declin-
ing to be detailed expert on any given
| legislative topic and keeping even his