Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1938-07-08
BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH OF Sen.
DAVID ]. LEWIS

of David J. Lewis, long conspicuous
f;o7,re in Maryland politics, is pub
1;shed as a mere item of news, and IN
no way is it intended as an approval
or endorsement of his candidacy Dy
the Democrat"
David John Lewis was born on May
1st. 1869, and has lived in Cumoer-
land, Maryland since a youth Oh TO-
His birthplace was log cabin IN Cen
ter County, Pa, near Osceola Mills
At the age of he went to work in
a coal mine, continuing this work I'M
til he was %. In the main, Mr.. Lewis
is self-taught, studying at night after
long hours spent n a coal mine. He
learned to read IN Sunday School, Dor
rowing or buying all the books IN ms
little community so as to further ms
education. He was early fired with
the determination to study law with
eventual election to Congress, as his
innermost dream.
Known as "Davey" and "The Kid"
to the miners with whom he toiled,
he was looked up to because OF his am
bition to have "book learning" After
an impromptu speech ne made at a
miners gathering, a newspaperman
suggested that he should study law.
This further fired the young miners
zeal and, with the help of minister
he learned Latin With other help
from interested parties he advanced
rapidly and was admitted to the Bar
in 1892, then being % years of age.
He later established his own law Of
flee and continued practice until he
entered Congress in 1911. Prior to
that, however, he served in the Mary
land State Senate in 1902-04.
During his first term in the House
in 1912. Mr.. Lewis introduced and
saw enacted the Parcel Post law. he
is known as the Father of the Par
eel Post" In 1916 he was candi-
date for Senator, but was defeated by
Senator France. The following year
he was appointed by President Wilson
as a member of the Tariff Commits
sion, on which he served with dis
tinction until 1925. He is recognized
as an outstanding expert on Sugar
tariffs.
During the World War, President
Wilson appointed Mr.. Lewis to take
over direction of the telephone and
telegraph companies due to his init
mate knowledge of transportation and
communications problems.
Mr.. Lewis was again elected to
Congress in 1880 and later was made
a member of the all-important Ways
and Means Committee in recognition
of his studies on taxation and all
phases of tariff work.
Outside of the vast work made
necessary by the Ways and Means
problems, Mr.. Lewis now was direct
ing searching inquiry and intensive
study of unemployment matters and
particularly as they applied to the
sterilization Of the coal industry. He
went abroad in 1881, studying Brit
ish and German systems. Upon re-
turning, he introduced a bill provid-
ing for sterilization of the coal min
ing industry, the greater portion of
its provisions being embodied in the
present National Bituminous Coal Act
known as the Guffey Coal Act.
Upon the election of President
Roosevelt, Mr.. Lewis collaborated
with Senators Wagner and LaFollette
and as a result introduced in the
House and secured the passage of the
so-called Lewis-Wagner Relief Bill,
providing for the original Federal Re-
lief Administration and which carried
an appropriation of $500,0O0,OO0.
In 1884 the cause of the unemploy-
ed and the unfortunate again filled
Mr.. Lewis public interests and activi-
ties. It was in 1884 that he introduce
ed the Administration Bill providing
for Unemployment Insurance. He was
Chairman of the subcommittee of the
Ways and Means Committee which
conducted hearings on this important
bill. This later became what is now
known as the Social Security Act, and
Mr.. Lewis introduced this bill in the
House during the 74th Congress.
In his long public service Mr.. Lewis
has taken his high office seriously,
striving always to get to the core of