Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 157, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 17, 1926 Page: 3 of 52
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PART ONE26 WICHITA DAILY TIMES
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EADERSHIP IN HOUSE COMES ONLY THROUGH EFFICIENT WORK
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SUNDAY. ocrOBEn 17. UN
Congressman Ogden Mills Cited As
Example What May Be Achieved By
Combination Ability and Energy
By MARK SULLIVAN
Political Correspondent of New York Tribune and Wichita Daily Times
(Copyright, 1926, New York Tribune)
The process of rising to distinction within congress hardly ever
varies. Practically always it takes place on the floor of congress and
in the committee rooms nearby—and no place else.
Aptcte There is a popular legend that it may be helped or
even wholly achieved in other ways. One form of the
content legend is that a man can make a great reputation in
Gut some other part of the country, either in politics or
Caneohta in some other line; can bring that reputation with
# 7 him to Washington, and can begin at once to build
eniti upon his previous accumulations. In rare cases that
pirnis can happen in the senate, but I cannot recall one ex-
Saati ception of its happening in the lower house.
Every man who has leadership in congress today
I began at the bottom within congress and made all his
s reputation on the floor of congress and in the com-
1 mittee rooms.
Another legend is that a man can rise to dis-
‘Main tinction in congress through speech-making ability.
. TSULVAn In the sense in which this legend is popularly held, it
fa never true. It is true that ability to state facts clearly fa a help if.
and only if, the man has the other form of ability which shows itself
in committee rooms and in the regular work of congress. As for the
legend that a man can achieve distinction in congress through a single
great speech, so-called, that never happens. It does sometimes hap-
pen that some one speech marks the ending of the procees by which a
congressman comes to recognition by his fellows, composes ths final
A ripening in the process by which he has attracted the approving atten-
I • tion of other congressmen and of observers. But the speech from
which you can sometimes date the assured distinction of a congressman
is never an isolated exercise of talent for public speaking. It is never
an oration.
On the rare occasions when a po- •-
confronted. If Mr. Mills to nominat-
ed Governor Smith will have an op-
ponent this time who talks about
the issues. ... Mr. Mills. if nominat-
ed, proposes to debate: as a debater
he to formidable and as a person
be is likable. The World' does not
underrate him. It pledges itself to
an open-minded discussion of the
questions he raises."
The other paseago to from "The
New York Republic." In The ordi-
nary classification of periodicals and
public men on the basis of their
political and economic theories, "The
New Republic" to at the farthoot and
of the spectrum from Mr. Mills. But
“The New Republic” said:
“Representative Mills holds
number of views from which the
The New Republic dissents; and
with most of the planks in the Re-
publican platform it disagrees. At
the earns time it to glad to accord
Mr. Milla the credit he deserves for
accepting a candidacy which means
a serious personal loss to himself,
but which also means that the Re-
publican party will give Governor
Smith the most serious and respec-
table opposition of which it to capa-
ble. If mere men were willing to
give battle against such heavy odds
American politics would be both
more interesting and more genuine."
I suspect that at the beginning
one cause for this particular qual-
ity in the attitude of other congress-
moa toward Mr. Mills was his
wealth. The combination of a very
rich man and a very hard-working
congressman excited an initial curi-
osity. Here was one of the richest
men In America working much hard-
er than most men work whose bread
and butter depend upon their labor.
Here was a rich man who drudged
more closely and more effectively
at politics and at legislation than
almost any other member.
Roosevelt or Governor Smith. For
his progress be must depend on his
possession of the more solid quail-
ties of a politician in an extreme
degree
The lack of all the arts of po-
litical "hokum" or "bunk" may
make Mills’s path a little longer
as respects the great public au-
dience, but it is no handicap to
him in congress. Even when lack of
the cheaper arts of conciliation
goes to the point of intellectual
arrogance, it does a man no harm
in congress provided, and only pro-
vided, he has “the goods.” Uncle
Joe Cannon and Thomas B. Rood
were actually arrogant, in the in.
tellectual senses but congress loved
them ' and made them speakers
- Mills with all his masterful exact-
" ness of information and forceful-
* ness of logic, has a manner which
in its way has the offset of a win-
ning tolerance. To fight fair, to
obey the rules of the game, is a
cult with him. Ma has good follow-
ship. too. I have heard he plays
a card game in which the essential
arts are an Instantaneous Insight
Into your adversary's mind and an
equally instantaneous mobilisation
of your own intellectual powers
Ho plays it successfully. With his
mind he would.
sition of leadership is associated
with a political speech, the speech
is merely the concluding step In a
long association with some pending
item of legislation.' Ths recognition
by other congressmen comes not
through the speech but through
their observing over a period of
months or years that this one con-
sressman has been making himself
master of dome one field, or has re-
peatedly shown sustained talent and
dependable devotion to the work of
congress as a whole. The recogni-
, tion is always the fruit of a long
period of approving observation of
,the man's daily work on the floor
of congress and in the’ committee
"Distinction within congress comes
in one way and one way only. It
consists of making good day after
day before the eyes of 434 other
men, many of them pretty hard-
boiled, most of them exacting in
their tests of manliness. A member
of congress, in the circles outside
of congress, may be popular, or con-
spicuous, or what not. That repu-
tation outside of congress may or
may not coincide with the same
man’s reputation within congreea.
The process by which a man
oomes to recognised elevation with-
in congress usually begins with the
way he acts about his work on com-
mittees. If he attends hie commit-
tee meetings regularly and does ble
share of the work faithfully, that
is the first step. The committee
work is frightfully wearing. On
4 most committees it involves dealing
with vast masses of statistics,
grasping them and being able to
make accurate deductions from
them. To attend faithfully to the
business Of committees in congreea
in: far harder work than most men
give to their private business.
Therefore, in the process of a eon-
4 gressman’s rise to distinction. It is
observed by the older congressmen
that he shows intelligence. They
notice that he docan't apeak unless
he has something Important to say.
They observe a series of incidents
showing common sense and the
quality men call judgment. There
must be no striking lapses from
common sense and good Judgment,
for variability of judgment, any
kind of temperamental instability
or whimsicalness is fatal to a man’s
that when this man is speaking
word goes out to the press room
and ths correspondents drop their
cigarettes and their gossiping to go
in to the gallery, on the likelihood
that something important may bap*
Pen.
I think my own awareness that a
comparatively young congressman
from New York city had come to a
unique elevation in congress arose
from noticing off-hand allusions to
him in the debates and In private
conversation by other congressmen,
especially by congressmen belong-
Inr to the opposition party.
Again and again one heard or saw
in the debates a Democratic con-
gressman saying, In effect: ‘I am
going to vote contrary to the posi-
tion of the gentleman from New
York, but I accept his facts because
I recognize he has given more" work
to the question than any other mem-
ber,’* or, "I ought not to conclude
without expressing my respect for
the candor and clarity of the argu-
ment made by the gentleman from
New York, Mr. Mills."
I can accurately illustrate the
spirit with which Congressman Og-
den Mills was regarded by his
Democratic opponents in ths bouse
by quoting literally two brief pas-
sages that have been printed since
he became the Republican candidate
for governor of New York. One ap-
peared in “The New York World"
the day after Mills made his key-
note speech. “The World" is the
leading Democratic paper of New
York and the principal journalistic
reliance of those who hope to make
Alfred Smith governor again and
president later. But of Mills “The
World" said:
- “Mr. Mills’s speech may be set
down as the ablest challenge with
which Governor Smith has been
I suspect many a congressman
compared Mills with himself and
asked himself whether he would
work as hard at the impersonal
drudgery of congressic al routine
if he had Congressman Milla's com-
mand of every sort of leisure or
diversion the world commands.
Congressman Mills could divest
himself of every material responsi-
bility, could achieve absolute leis-
ure, and could follow the seasons
from Florida to the Riviera and
back again. I suspect many a coun-
ty seat lawyer serving in congress
partly for the salary and partly for
help to his future legal career, oom-
pared himself with Milla, asked him-
self whether he would work that
hard if he did not have to, was
compelled to answer “No” and paid
a quiet mental tribute to the man
whose only incentive must be some
inner urge.
That would account for the touch
of grave respect in all the things
that other congressmen say about
Milla. There is liking in their trib-
utes, too, but the tributes are dis-
tinguished from the more express
slons of good sportsmanship that
political opponents often utter to
each other and about each other
when their personal relations are
those of a "kidding" good fellow-
ship. The standing of Mills with
other congressmen and with news-
paper men is unique I have never
heard a congressman or a news-
paper man speak of Mills except
with some glow of admiration, yet
every congressman and newspaper
man feels that Mills never takes a
conscientious step to conciliate any-
body anywhere, indeed, absence of
the ordinary political Arts of pla-
cation from Mills's make-up is so
obvious that politicians of the older
school wonder if it may be a handi-
cap to him. Mills lacks the personal
political arts of other Governor
But Mills does not give much
time to diversion. In the years he
has been in congress I have seen
him at just one private dinner. The
outstanding qualities that Washing,
ton observes in Mills are his Intel-
lectual viror and his industry, no
invincible combination of intelli-
gence plus doggedness, or what-
ever puzzling trait of personality
may be the reason. Mills shuns ease
as he would shun disease.
Men who have been associated
with Mills since he was a youth
say he was always that way. When
he was a practicing lawyer he
sweated and dur and ground at
mortgages and briefs as he now
does at legislation and polities.
Some of Me intimates ascribe It to
conscience and some to an instinct
of sportsmanship. They debate
‘among themselves ‘as to which it
is. Possibly another philosophy
might say Mills works just as an
eagle flies or a door rune or a Cas
ruso sings. Certain tis qualities are
there, and they function spontane
eously. Speculation about what la-
ser urge it to that makes Mills the
man be to supplies a good deal of
the conversation of Washington. He
to a very attention-arresting per-
son. There to no one else like him.
A good many superlatives can be
used about Mills. He has been in
congreea five years, and be has
come forward faster than any other
man. In the debates on the extreme-
ly intricate taxation measure last
winter, he bore at least half the
burden of Republican leadership
and he was one of not more than
three who knew most about the
subject. Speaker Longworth went
further than I, declaring that "Mills
has the best knowledge of the fun-
damentals of taxation of any man
in either house." The amount of pa-
tient work and intellectual vigor In-
volved in that preeminence to al-
most Incalculable. Many a man in
private life has become an out*
standing business success and made
an immense fortune with less ex-
penditure of energy in an entire
lifetime than Mills put into mas-
tering 'taxation.
Mills at forty-two years of ago
is the ablest of the younger men
in congreea Of all the men in
American public life who are be-
low the age of forty-five. Mills to
one of about four who give most
promise st providing America with
its higher political leadership dur-
ing the next generation. If you
could merge Mills with one other
young New York Republican: Col-
onel Bill Donovan, you would have
a reasonably complete duplicate of
Theodore Roosevelt. Mills, although
he to counted a conservative, has
Roosevelt’s one most indispensable
quality, and has It in as great de-
gree as Roosevelt himself—that is.
a steady personal concern, almost
A passion, is see that this nation
is managed worthily, and a willing-
ness is take any degree of trouble
about it.
Mills is an orthodox Republican,
but is as far as possible from mere
standpat inertia. Mills may yet give
the stand-patters a shock. At forty*
two he is no more conservative than
Roosevelt was at the same age.
When Mills was in ths New York
with legislation of the Roosevelt
type, workmen's compensation,
widows' pensions, a parole commis-
stats senate he occupied himself
sion for prisoners, the settlor up
of separate children's courts and
domestic relations courts, the bud-
pet system.
Mule's conservatism is partly an
intellectual bent derived from study
of the older political economists at
Harvard college, and study of the
older constitutional authorities at
the Harvard law school. He thinks
alone to a testimonial in this fierce-
ly competitive Democracy, where
only 89 families among more than
100.000,000 people have kept their
grip on family businesses for an
much as 100 years.
Mills' wealth has been a handicap
to his political career. It has given
his opponents the opening to im-
pute motives to him. Mills has ac-
cepted the handicap with a smiling
candor that has deprived it of its
force. One of the more radical
Democrats. Rainey, of Illinois,
sneaking in the debate on taxation,
illustrated at once the regard that
Io felt for Mills and the political
disadvantage hid wealth is:
"I like the gentleman from New
York, Ogden Mills. He is perfectly
frank and consistent in the positions
he takes. . .. . I want to say be to
absolutely frank in his leadership.
He represents here on this floor ths
association of multimillionaires of
thle country and he does not care
who knows it."
This was humorous badinage, of
course. Everybody smiled with Rai-
ney. but leea than 20 voted with
him. Actually, as everybody kowa,
the entire body of Democrats ex-
cept a small handful accepted the
principles of taxation that Mills ex-
pounded and voted for the bill he
supported.
Mills is a native of New York
City. He graduated as Harvard col-
lege and the Harvard Law school
For eight years he practiced law
with that old Democratic firm, Stet,
son, Jennings and Russell, of which
Grover Cleveland was a former
member and John W. Davis is a
the business of the United States,
and of the state of New York should
be run according to accept’d prin-
ciples, "pay as you go," "spend less
than you collect," “avoid centrali-
sation of government."
Partly Mills' conversation is an
instinct for the durable, a tempera-
meatal affection for solid quality.
His personal fortune was founded
by his grandfather Darius O. Mills,
a California forty-niner. On the
walls of young Mr. Mills' Nsw York
office there are faded pictures of
old time ships in Ban Francisco har-
bor, 1 think, though 1 have little
information about It, they are a
family who like to hold on to the
old, who have a high sense of the
obligation of continued loyalty to
Institutions and associates. They
are clearly a strongly marked ease
of outstanding vigor of intellect
and personality sustained through
present member. In 1912 he ran
for congress unsuccessfully. In
1914 and 1916 he ran for the New
York state senate, successfully.
In 1918 he got into the uniform of
a captain of Infantry In the Ar-
gonne, after a long period in a
training camp and a long and char-
acteristically dogged fight to com-
three generations. And that fact pel the military authorities to ad-
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END
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4.
M
prospect of leadership. The other
congressmen may come to be fond
of such a member; they may accord
him what to called popularity, but
they will not entrust him with the
responsibility of leadership.
After a congressman has shown
industry and common sense the word
goes about that he is capable of a
hard and important job. Some such
job to given him. He becomes a
master of some one subject When-
ever that subject gets into the de-
bates the congressman familiar, with
it to given the work of stating and
defending the position his commit-
tee has agreed upon. . By and by
you notice that when this man to
“peeking the other members leave
eloak room and stroll on to the
floor to listen. They judge him by —
his information, by the common
sense of his argument and by his
clearness of statement. In propor-
tion as they have grown to accord
him respect they refrain from inter-
rupting him, except to ask for fur-
ther information or to ask his judg-
ment about alternative views. The
greally big men in congress rarely
involve themselves or are involved
by others in more exchanges of par-
tisan repartee,——-
On some occasion or other, when
some emergency calls for it, the
acolyte shows courags and candor.
These qualities complete the crown
of leadership. Finally you notice
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No longer need sufferers from
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That remedy is "Gordon's" for
the stomach and bowels—an in-
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"Gordon’s" is sold by good drug-
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receipt of price to G. M. Gordon
Drug Co., Dallas, Texas $1.50 for
’ 64 doses—less than t cents a dose
Ask your drugrist "A* “Gerann’s."
-AL
Made Great Struggle
“winai I began taking Cardui I was chk
in bed,” says Mrs. Mabel Lindsey King,
of Batavia, Ohio. "I had made a great strug-
gle against ill health, but no medicine seemed «
to help me. I tried several things, but I con-
tinued weak and listless.
- "A friend told my mother to give me Cardul,
which she did. After I had taken it for never-
al weeks, 1 began to feel lots better. ‘I looked
like a different person, too. I continued tab-
inf Cardui for over a year, and at the end of
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has been good ever since. -
“I have told other girls and mothers about
it, and several of my friends have been very *
much benefited after taking Cardui.
"I think Cardui is a fine medicine, and an
glad to recommend it. I no longer have back-
ache, or headache, and am not troubled with
spells of weakness as I was before I took
Cardui."
Good results have been reported in thous-
ands of other cases in which suffering women
had taken Cardui.
For
ill drug
rely Vegetable Tonic
n Use by Women
for 45 Years as
mit that his defective vision was
not an insuperable bar. la 1920
he was elected to congress.
Last month the Republicans nomi-
nated him to run for governor of
New York against Al Smith. That
to a real battle of giants. In im-
portance and taleroat and la future
consequence it exceeds all the other
political events of the year com-
bined Persona commonly speak of
Smith's role in the fight as looking
to the presidency. They overtook
the fact that the role of Mills neces-
sarily corresponds to that of Smith.
If Mills should beat a man with
Governor Smith's remarkable fec-
ord, both as campaigner and as goy-
ernor—In that event you can bet
practically anything you please on
Mills' future If Mills loses but
makes a strikingly 'stronger cam.
paign against Smith than previous
Republican contenders — in that
event also he will have measurably
increased hla elevation.
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service, Frank R. Coates of New.
York, president of the American
Electric Railway. association, told
Ita convention here today.
"The street railway has shown
itself to be a necessity, but it is
the duty of electric railway man-
agements to use the bus in render:
Ing the best form of coordinated
service," he said.
Mr. Coates predicted that in the
future street railway and bus rid-
era would pay In fares only the
actual cost or carrying passengers.
Expenditures for plant and depre-
ciation, he said, would ba met by.
taxes levied on property owners
whose holdings were made more
valuable by the presence of trans-
portation lines. •
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Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 157, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 17, 1926, newspaper, October 17, 1926; Wichita Falls, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1680236/m1/3/: accessed June 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Library and Archives Commission.