Chapter I: Introduction

VICE-PRESIDENT’S CHAMBER,
WASHINGTON, D. C.

Because carping Pilot asked “What is truth” and did not stay for an answer, the world has thought that question to be the one unsolved riddle. Yet there are many other attributes to which answers have been given that are almost, if not altogether, as great riddles.

What constitutes greatness has received as many answers as there have been men to express them. It all depends upon the mental process of a man as to whether his fellow man has attained unto greatness. The paladin of finance would consider it a joke to be told that an Egyptologist was a great man; the doer of deeds can never think of greatness as an attribute to the dreamer of dreams; and thus it is that the estimate by one man of another will only pass current with those of like mind.

For me, it has been needful that brain and heart should work in unison in the life of a man in order to render his story worthy of being embalmed in a biography. Mere intellect is not sufficient; mere emotion unsatisfactory. For thirty years I knew all about and I also knew John Worth Kern. Heaven molded him with a clear and analytic mind--a mind capable of grasping and elucidating the great problems of state--and then Heaven further endowed him with a tender and loving heart, so that much as he believed in the principles for which he stood and the faith which he avowed, he had that large-hearted and generous judgment of his fellow men which mark, to my mind, true greatness.

It is the measure of a little man to be cocksure, to be eternally and everlastingly right, to be quite certain that Jehovah gave into his hands all knowledge, all goodness and all power. It is the measure of a really great man to walk with certainty and yet to walk humbly in his public life, granting to other men the right to think, to speak, to act freely.

This was the grade of man John Worth Kern was. He showed it in his brilliant services at the bar, in his forceful presentation of his party’s principles on the stump and in that kindly, loveable leadership which, when he left the Senate of the United States, made it the supreme desire of political friend and foe alike to do something for him as the shadows of night began to gather around his head. To my mind he was one of Indiana’s great and illustrious citizens whose life, when read by the schoolboy of to-day, will help to sweeten, glorify and adorn the public service of to-morrow.

It were impious here to speak of his beautiful home life. He was great in the counsels of his party but in his home he transcended the common mortal and became a demigod of love and good will. The Indianian will know him and love him even more, if possible, when this biography is read and it is remembered that it is the free-will offering of a man who saw our dear, dead statesman and citizen in his hours of exultation, in his moments of depression, when his soul was bare to the inspection of a man who knew when he saw what he saw.

THOMAS R. MARSHALL.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

I--CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH 1

The wilderness physician--Alto--Birth of Kern--Playing
doctor--Life in Iowa--The partisan of 1860--Kokomo
Academy--The equestrian orator--The pedagogue--Alto
society--A temperance speech--The actor in “The Demon
of the Glass”--The boy orator--Ann Arbor days--Letters
to Morrow--Visit to Canada--The slate-maker of 1868--Views
on Indiana politics--Hears Gough, Philips and
Whipple--Work in the Douglas Society--His reconstruction
views--Hears Zack Chandler--His thesis--Graduation--Taken
for a maniac.

II--KOKOMO DAYS--LAWYER AND CITIZEN 27

“Tipton no place for a LL. D.”--Opens office in Kokomo--Anna
Hazzard calls--Prospects--Office loafers--The
“boys”--His popularity--Considered a genius--C. C. Shirley’s
recollections--Eloquence before juries--Pranks in
court--Buys a $30 cake--Marriage--Takes first rank as
criminal lawyer--Battle with Hendricks and Gordon--Hendricks
predicts brilliant future--The Hawkins case--Court
battle with Voorhees--Voorhees’ tribute--The Kokomo
of the seventies--The community orator.

III--AS DEMOCRATIC LEADER IN HOWARD, 1870-1884 47

County convention of 1870--Kern writes resolutions--Nominated
at twenty for legislature--Brilliant campaign--Pays
election bet--Helps establish Democratic paper--Writes
for papers--Democratic convention of 1872--Establishes
a Greeley paper--Rides in political processions--Makes
reform fight in 1874--The McGill machine--Active
in ’76--His keynote--Addresses “hack drivers on Indiana
avenue”--Phillipic against Worden--His regrets--Opposed
to Tilden’s nomination--“I’m a liar”--Attacked in
the press--A Scurrilous story--Campaign of ’82--His
views on money in elections--The faith of his followers.

IV--REPORTER OF THE SUPREME COURT, 1884-1889 68

Seeks nomination for reporter of Supreme Court--The
great convention of ’84--Nominated--A spirited campaign--Wins
state reputation--Challenges Holstein to debate--Considered
gubernatorial timber--Recollections of his
campaign of ’84--His retorts--Evenings with ballads--Work
as reporter--Joke on Judge Niblack--Extends acquaintance--A
day of conviviality--Defeated in 1888--Marriage
to Miss Cooper--The Indianapolis lawyer.

V--LEADER IN THE INDIANA SENATE, ’93 AND ’95 88

Elected to state senate--Conceded leadership--His appearance--Nominated
Turpie--Espouses an unpopular cause--Relations
with labor organizations--Leads fight to legalize
unions--His speech for Deery bill--Attracts national
notice--Unpopularity of labor--Leads senate fight for employers’
liability law--Dramatic incidents--A signal triumph--Fights
for child labor law--Leads minority in 1895--Fights
Republican gerrymander--Excoriates Republican legislative
record--The Nicholson law--Kern’s part--Estimate of
colleague.

VI--EUROPE AND THE CAMPAIGN OF ’96 114

Rest in Europe--Meets Alton B. Parker--General Collins--Paris
days with Morss--The silver pre-convention debate--The
English opera house meeting--Kern’s speech--The
convention--Kern enters campaign--Effect of developments
on him.

VII--GUBERNATORIAL BATTLES 126

Political conditions in 1900--Kern declines to run for governor--The
Morss dinner--Accepts at midnight--Frank
B. Burke--Kern nominated--The campaign--Defeat--Speech
at Bryan birthday dinner--Recognized as Bryan’s
Indiana lieutenant--Keynote speech in 1902--The battle of
1904--Kern supports Parker--Refuses nomination for governor--Consents
on plea of Parker--Parker’s verification--Defeat.

VIII--EUROPE AND ASHEVILLE: AN INTERLUDE 144

Europe for rest--Green Smith--Incongruous tourists--Joke
on Smith--Catches cold in campaign of 1906--Forced
to Asheville--Life there--Letters to John, Jr.--Recovers.

IX--RUNNING WITH BRYAN 156

Kern and the vice-presidency--Pleads poverty--Bryan offers
room in White House--Letter to _Indianapolis News_--En
route to Denver--With Bryan at Lincoln--Vice-presidency
not discussed--Discussed in Denver--Boom dinner
at the Savoy--Kern’s silence--Indiana delegation organizes
to push him--His only words to delegation--Selected by
the leaders--Marshall’s nominating speech--Nominated--Hero
of the hour--Stops at Lincoln--Town “Kern-mad”--Meets
with Bryan and the committee--Publicity of contributions
before elections--Embarrassment in the enemy’s
camp--Reaches home--Non-partisan reception--Kern’s
speech--Tribute of Kokomo--At Bryan notification meeting--Kern
notified--His southern tour--Meets Sherman at
Chicago--John, Jr., stricken--Kern’s eastern tour--John,
Jr., worse--Cancels dates--Indiana tour--Election night--Kern’s
affection for Sherman.

X--BATTLE FOR THE SENATE 188

Kern announces candidacy for senate--Opposed by the
breweries--The other candidates--Lamb’s warning against
secret ballot--Scenes at the Denison--At the state house--Analysis
of vote--Defeated--Alibis--The famous Morrow
interview--Convention of 1910--“The Governor’s
Plan”--The fight--Kern’s attempt to refuse the nomination--Meredith
Nicholson’s comment--Nominated--Beveridge’s
position--Kern’s keynote--Views on the speech--Fight
for progressive Democrat votes--Kern’s attacks--“Mary
of the vine-clad cottage”--Roosevelt, Bryan and
Parker--Victory.

XI--KERN’S FIRST CONGRESS 209

Demoralization of Republicans in congress--New Democratic
senators--Their progressive trend--They rally about
Kern--Kern leads fight for reorganization--Nominates
Shively for leader--Named on Steering committee--On
Finance committee--Favors Shively for the place--Relations
with Shively--A famous pension speech--Canadian
reciprocity--The “Farmer’s lobby”--The Lawrence strike--Position
in Stephenson case--The Archibald impeachment.

XII--KERN’S FIGHT AGAINST LORIMERISM 226

The Lorimer election--His vindication--A new investigation--Kern
on committee--Scenes at the hearings--The
sinister atmosphere--The committee division--Lea and
Kenyon--Affectionate relations of the three--Kern’s base
of operations--Scurrilous letters--Kern’s cross-examination--The
Blumenberg incident--The girl telegrapher--Attempts
to postpone committee report--Kern’s insistence--The
committee fight--The minority report--Kern the dominating
figure--Kenyon’s estimate--Lea’s--John Callan
O’Loughlin--Kern’s speech--Challenges Lorimer’s supporters--Lorimer
attacks Kern--Why Kern did not reply--Lorimer
expelled.

XIII--KERN’S POSITION AT THE BALTIMORE CONVENTION 252

Kern hears of fight on Parker--His embarrassment--Refuses
temporary chairmanship--Bryan’s reasons for not
being a candidate--Bryan decides on Kern--Efforts to dissuade
Bryan--Bryan’s testimony on the subject--A sleepless
night--Kern plans his appeal to Parker--Tells Mrs.
Kern--The convention scene--Bryan nominates Kern--Kern’s
dramatic appeal--The effect on the public--A surprise
to Bryan--Bryan’s delight--His description of Kern’s
speech--Kern chairman Platform committee--Kern the
dark horse--His pre-convention attitude--Bryan’s knowledge
of his embarrassment--“Testing sentiment for Kern”--“Wilson
or Kern”--Luke Lea--Kern loyal to Marshall--Important
states ready to go to Kern--If Kern had given
consent--Reasons for refusal--Bryan’s attitude--Kern’s
influence on result.

XIV--ELECTION TO LEADERSHIP OF THE SENATE 282

A Democratic senate--The grave responsibility--Ugly memories--New
Democratic senators--Reorganization movement--Kern
absent from conferences--A telegram--Conferences
at Luke Lea’s home--Kern chosen by progressives
for leader--His special qualifications--Elected unanimously--His
conciliatory policy--Revolution in committees--Changes
in rules--The country’s interpretation of
the revolution.

XV--KERN’S FIGHT AGAINST FEUDALISM IN WEST
VIRGINIA 296

Feudalism in West Virginia coal fields--The system--The
horrors of Cabin Creek--Reign of the gun-men--War of
1912--Unionism outlawed--Ernest Gaujot the King Guard--Outrages
on women and children--“I don’t hear my
baby calling me now”--Battle of Mucklow--Mother
Jones--Leads miners to governor--Gun-men must go--Mother
Jones organizes men--Governor appoints investigating
committee--Its report--Armored train shoots up miner’s
camp--Murder of Estep--Martial law--Mother Jones arrested--System
enforces silence--The public wonders--Mrs.
Freemont Older--Magazine exposes--Constitutional
rights denied--Civil courts ignored--Mockery of trials--Kern
presents resolution--Powerful interests alarmed--Pressure
on Kern--Sinister fight on resolution--Kern
hears from people--Mrs. Older sees him--“Will see you in
hell first”--Bitter attack on Kern--Mother Jones smuggles
telegram to him--A dramatic incident--Effect of telegram--Mother
Jones released--Goes to Washington--Her work
there--Kern’s first speech--Demands light--Kern’s second
speech--Warns of social injustice--States rights--Wins the
fight--Result of investigation.

XVI--SENATORIAL BATTLES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE 328

Industrial Relations Commission--Kern’s interest--Attempt
to cut its appropriation--Kern’s successful protest--The
Seamen’s bill--Slavery of the sea--Andrew Furseth--His
appeal to Kern--Kern’s attitude--Accompanies Furseth
to the president--Furseth’s anniversary letter to Kern--The
Kern Workman’s Compensation Act--The Child
Labor Bill--Kern’s part--His fight in caucus--Vardaman
drops the curtain--Kern leads fight in senate--Excoriates
a preacher--His effective use of President Eliot’s letter.

XVII--IN THE ROLE OF SENATE LEADER 349

Responsibility of leadership--On guard--Conciliation--The
absentees--A jocular rebuke--Threatens slacker with
denunciation--Summer of 1914--Temper of congress--Work
in caucus and conferences--The one revolt--Smokes
Penrose out--The president’s program--Kern’s tact and
temper--Why he did not speak--Relations with the president--Opinion
of him--Night conference in capitol basement--Strike
conference in Kern’s room--Letter to Mrs.
Kern--Concern over international situation--White House
conference on Germany--Relations with Bryan, McAdoo,
Daniels and Wilson--Opinion of Lane--Estimates of Senators
Thomas, O’Gorman and Saulsbury--Relations with
Republicans.

XVIII--THE LAST BATTLE 377

Indiana campaign of 1916--Comedy and tragedy--Blunders
of national leaders--Lack of money and organization--Speakers
refused--Kern’s advice ignored--His plan--His
illness--Handicaps of campaign--Mother Jones reports--Last
campaign speech--Philosophical in defeat.

XIX--THE CLOSING OF A CAREER 389

Last session--Retains leadership--Failing health--Shadows
of war--Kern’s distress--The President’s senate speech--Kern
delighted--On arming merchant ships--Kern’s valedictorian--Henry
Cabot Lodge’s response--Hoke
Smith’s--Watson’s--Stone’s--Thomas’--Testimonial of Democratic
senators--Vice-president’s note.

XX--THE REAL KERN: A COMPOSITE PORTRAIT 403

The Kern of the closet--Solving problems in solitude--Powers
of concentration--Patience--Patience under attack--Tireless
letter writer--Art of his letters--Manner of
preparing speeches--Religious nature--Rebukes a minister--Letter
on death of a child--Personal appearance--The
companion--Reminiscences and stories of Henry Barnhart,
Ludlow and Blodgett--Leon Bailey’s picture.

XXI--AT KERNCLIFFE 453

Kerncliffe--Mrs. Strauss on “The House that Araminta
Built”--Kern’s hope for rest--Failing health--At Asheville--Lecture
tour--Breakdown--Ordered back to Asheville--Letters
to sons--Last days--Death--The burial at Kerncliffe--Memorial
meeting at Indianapolis--Senate action--Secretary
of Labor Wilson’s tribute.

LIFE OF JOHN W. KERN