The daily independent., 1937-07-19

hODlIlSOll ApSe Si6h VI AsoooS
velt; Congressional Wives
Scared BY His Death; Urg'
Husbands To Go Home; Bark
lev As New Leader OF Senat'
Would Be First New Dealer Ir
Post; Voting Record Liberia
Before 1888; Fought Horse
Crowd In Kentucky.
Washington-The last time
Senator Robinson saw the leader
for whom he fought, was on the
Sunday three days before he died
Robinson had spent the entirt
day down the Potomac indulgine
in his favorite paStime-fishing
He had gone out in a small boat
with Leslie Biffle, secretary to the
Senate majority, and with Rus
sell Arundel, former secretary tt
ex-senator Metcalf of Rhode Is
land.
Senator Robinson was a really
expert fisherman. 1t was not
question of luck with him. II
there were fish to be had any
where around him, he got them
And on this particular Sunday
his last day of fishing, he hauled
them in almost as fast as they
could bite. He caught about a
hundred Norfolks spots, throwing
the hardheads back into the wa
ter.
| Roosevelt, who also prideS him.
self on being a good fisherman, al
ways keeps the hardheadS, which
are easy to catch, and brings
them back to the White House.
Senator Robinson f1Shed al
day. The sun was hot, but he ap-
peared to be having a wonderful
time. His spirits were at thCil
highest. They were especially high
when at the close of the day he
saw Roosevlt's yacht, the Poto-
mac, sail by.
And from his small boat, the
Senator looked up at the chief
whom he served, and remarked:
I'll bet he's got nothing or
board but hardheadS."
New Senate Leader
Senator Alben Barkley. who in
all probability will succeed Joe
Robinson as Majorit Floor Lead
er of the Senate, would be the
first sympathetic New Dealer
Roosevelt has had in that posi-
ton.
Joe Robinson was a good sold
ier and died fighting. even
though he did not always have his
heart in the fight.
But Barkle has had his heart
in the fight since before the days
Of Roosevelt. He already had q
100 per cent liberal voting recorc
when Roosevelt came to Wash
ington. And when he ran fol
Governor of Kentucky in 1923, he
was bitterly opposed by the horse
racing crowd, which in Kentucky
is synonymous with big business
They defeated him.
But when he ran for the Sen
ate in 1926, they got behind him
for the sole and simple reason OF
keeping him out ofthe State.
Sharp Tongue
However, Barkley'S greatest as
set is that he is an excellent par
liamentary scrapper. He does not
go berSerk as Joe Robinson did on
occasions. He thinks on his feet,
as fast as lightning, and was the
only Senator who could knock the
ears off the late Huey Long.
One day Huey was holding forth
about the fact that he had had
only q fourth grade education,
when he was interrupted by the
Senator from Kentucky, who in
nocently inquired:
Did the Senator ever study
music?"
"A little" replied Huey mod
estly.
Then suppose" shot back
Barkley, 1.-The Senator sings for
us-a little"
Or again when Senator Tydings
of Maryland was demanding a
processing tax on shoddy, Sena-
tor Barkley interrupted with:
"The Senator ought to know
something about shoddy, since
that is something on which he is
an eXpert"-shoddy being, &C
cording to Wegster, IAN unfit per-
son or thing claiming superior
ity."
Note: According to Barkley'S
wife: "He doesn't mind bcinG a
grandfather, but he hates like the
devil to be married to a grand
mother"
Congressional Wives
There is one potent reason why
the present session of Congress
may come to an earlier close than
was anticipated.
It is Congressional wives.
Every wife Of a Senator over SIS
years old is now dinning him to
close the session and get home,
before the same thing happens to
him which happened to Senator
Robinson.
UndercOver Attack
A piece of evidence has fallen
into Administration hands indi-