The Triumphant Life of Theodore Roosevelt edited by J. Martin Miller

312 BIOGRAPHY OF HON. CHARLES W. FAIRBANKS
is almost as famous. His suave manner and remarkable self-
possession were matters of comment during the three days of
the recent Republican convention.
But these are the externals. It maybe stated that Senator
Fairbanks' heart is in the right place, and fashioned accord-
ing to approved style. But you cannot be sure of this after a
first interview. You must know the Senator, or at least must
have met him on a number of occasions. In the Senate he
is popular, and that is a good recommendation for any man,
however famous his personal attraction.
DIGNITY OF THOUGHT AND ACTION
What stands out all over Senator Fairbanks, so to speak,
is his dignity. He is dignified not only in his courteous
manner, but in his habit of thought.
The Republican politicians who endeavored to smoke him
out at the Chicago convention made the discovery that
Senator Fairbanks was under all conditions absolutely
imperturbable. He is never afraid to meet any man and be
questioned on any subject, though it is a fact that few men
have more secrets than Senator Fairbanks. His closest
friends often claim to know no more about the Senator's views
than is known to the general public, and probably their claim
is correct.
The Senator's forbears fought under Cromwell, came to
New England with the original Puritans, helped found the
town of Dedham, Massachusetts, and did not leave New
England till the generation of the father of the present
Senator, who emigrated to Ohio with the intention of engag-
ing in his trade of wagon making, with a farming business on
the side. The Senator's mother was of a family which
emigrated to Ohio from New York, and was related to th.e