Evening star., 1937-07-11
Norris Still Looks to Future,
Marking 10th Birthday Today
Nebraskan to Celebrate
Quietly in Naual
Hospital.

B. the Associated Press.
Senator Norris of Nebraska will be
76 today, but still is thinking about
the future.
The veteran legislator will spend his
birthday anniversary quietly at Naval
Hospital, where he has been recovering
from an attack of indigestion. Al
though recuperating, physicians have
advised him to take things quietly.
Within the next few days he will
leave the hospital, and Washington, for
the hot months. just were he will go
has not been definitely decided, but
It probably will not be Nebraska be-
rause that State is a little warm, too,
right now
At rs, Norris is probably the most
successful legislative advocate of po-
litical change. For 35 years he has
been going about the solving of ma
tional problems as a member of
either the House or the Senate. Ten
years he served in the House; for the
last IS in the Senate.
Likes to Walk Hatless.
His shoulders are a little stopped
now and his hair is white. but he
still likes to walk hatless across the
concourse from the Senate to the
office building.
And, in spite of his accomplishments
IN the Senate, he looks back to those
days In the House, a quarter of a
century ago, to find his most interest
ing experience. That was in the fight
which he led to strip the late Speaker
Cannon of the virtually autocratic
power he exercised over legislation in
the House.
That victory for a principle marked
turning point for the better" Norris
says. "We can see the gains from it
operating today.
We are making headway for other
important principles today. Now and
again some gains are impaired but In
the long run our gains more than
make up for what is lost along the
way.
However this dispute over the
courts powers be settled. I believe it
must and will be settled in way to
make possible a more equitable dis
tribution of wealth"
In broad sense of the word, Norris
has been an independent in politics
for a long time. Although for many
years his name carried the Republican n
party label in the Congressional Di-
rectory, he long ago stepped out of
the party ranks to blaze his own
trails. He put his feelings this way:
"Of all the evils of government
the one that's greater than any other
is partisanship. Political jobs have
been the ruination of many great
statesmen"
Opposed War on Germany.
He is the only one remaining Of
the six Senators who voted in 1917
against the declaration of war on
Germany-and still thinks that vote
was right
Il said then that we were surren-
dering the policy of the country to
the money power and putting the
dollar sign above the flag" he says.
And I have never seen any reason
to withdraw the statement, but, on
tlle contrary, much evidence that
confirmed it as the years have passed
Many things have written back
Of his name since he set out as a
iarm boy in Ohio. He was born in
that State in 1861. His only brother
vas killed in the Civil War. His
father died soon after he was born.
He helped his mother as a chore
boy on farms, earned his education
by teaching and working as a farm
hand, won admission to the bar in
1888 In 1885 he went to McCook,
Nebr, where he has lived since. There
he served as prosecuting attorney and
district Judge until elected to Con-
Eress just after the turn of the
century.
In Washington, he is best known as
father Of the T. V. A." and author
Of the constitutional amendment