The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1932-05-13


ton. But, what of that?
No one had ever suspected his
intentions, but he had always
succeeded in them, nevertheless.
He was used to playing a lone
hand. Indeed, he liked nothing
better than bluffing through on
a couple of deuces.
So, once more, he entered the
game with what seemed to be q
highly innocuouS hand.
maybe you don't care for poll
tics? But listen in, anyway.
You can learn about go-getting
from this.)
For many years old William
Henry Grain had represented the
Seventh Congressional district of
Texas. This district included
Uvalde, where young Garner
lived. In 1896, old william died
in washington and some one had
to be elected to fill his place.
10 Proxies in Pocket
So, down to Corpus Christi
went Judge Jack as delegate to
the convention. And in his pocket
he carried 10 proxies, in addition
to his own vote. Which, if you
know voting tactics, is the equiva-
lent of one good machine gun.
Conventions were social and
highly popular affairs in that
frontier section. No one was in
a hurry to get things settled.
There was a tie. For three days
they wrangled and otherwise con-
vened and consulted. On the
third day they got around to
settling things.
Judge James B. Wells was the
local political potentate. He IA
vored the nomination of Rudolph
Kleberg, of Cuero. He had not
anticipated any opposition and
his amazement grew as one ballot
after another-up to 70-proved
fruitless!
His amazement turned to indig-
nation when he found that a
comparatively unknown young
whippersnapper from Uvalde, by
name John Nance Garner, was
cumming up the program by
holding the deciding vote.
POmpOSity Yields
Something must be done. Some
thing was. Garner did it! He
said that he would swing the
votes to Kleberg if, in return, he
were given the Craftsmanship of
the district congressional cam
paign committee.
1t seemed a small request to
grant.
That, too, was typical.
Young Gamers requests always
seemed so simple-so natural.
How could one suspect this un-
pretentious, grinning, red-faced
youth OF guile? One couldn't.
Pompous overlords granted
what he asked with amiable con.
descenSion. Discovered. all too
late. that they had helped dig a
pit for their own pomposity!
50 Garner got that district
workmanship. A sop-thought
Judge James Wells. But young
Jack-duly grateful-knew it for
what it was. his first step
toward his own congressional
election.
Making a District
Now, before you can be a Rem
TeSentatiVe you must have a dis
tr1ct: But suppose you have no
dlstr1ct--Suppose the other. fel.
lows have beaten YOU to if
monopolized all the available
geography. '"'0
Then, if you're one kind of a
person, you give up. But if vou,re
a Garner kind of a person vo,,
40 something quite different
you make a district for your
Inc district in which Uvalde
was located was as large as the
State Of New York and we'll or,
ganized. No look in there. But
suppose. he cut that district in
two-and pre-empted the new dis.
trlct for his own?
You can't do things like that
however, unless you're in the
state Legislature. A wide.eyed
out resolute young wife clinging
70 one arm, a Growing baby tossed
over the other shoulder, away
they went to Austin.
Ears Support Derby
1t was in 1898. He was 30 years
old. He was skinny and red and
peeling, for he'd been riding
range again-campaigning this
time on a raw-boned nag-over
barbed wire fences. He wore a
long tailed, black, jimswinger
coat, a flowing tie and a derby.
The derby was too big. Only his
ears kept it from covering his
Adams apple.
Mrs. Garner felt something was
wrong. She didn't know exactly
what but she went out and bought
him soft brimmed felt and took
the derby away. He looked better
then. But not much. But what
Of 1t? He was headed toward
Congressman the Floradora cho-
rus.
Now how to get that district he
was after? No progress the first
term. Then in 1900 there was a
new shuttle and a lucky deal. The
census showed that the state was
entitled to more representatives.
Chnnnn Ar.n;rnnr