George Norris Goes to Dinner

The little old white-haired man at the head table looked embarrassed, his eyebrows arched with a sort of "Ain't this a hell of a thing?" curve. He wore the old familiar black suit, black string tie knotted carelessly in a bow. His hair was neatly plastered down, his spectacles freshly shined.

He passed up the Martinis and Manhattans before the dinner. Senator George W. Norris does not drink. The old man seemed mystified that so many men of consequence should turn out to give him a testimonial dinner just before he left the Senate, where he had served for 30 years. Why do this for George Norris? He had only done his duty. Why all the fanfare and dinner? Other Senators were leaving too.

The dinner was a brain child of Joseph F. Guffey of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. Guffey did himself proud. He hired the richly ornate Chinese room at the Mayflower Hotel and then went out and collared all of Norris' friends in the high places of Washington.

Seated between Guffey and Vice President Henry A. Wallace, the old man looked sort of sheepish. He seemed more bashful than ever when Guffey opened up with a speech of thunderous praise. Then Guffey turned things over to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, who as toastmaster heaped on more praise. From Henry Wallace, Archibald MacLeish, the Senate's Alben Barkley came more panegyrics, more acclaim.

Occasionally the old man shook his head slightly, as if to say, "What the heck, I can't be that good." Everybody expected him to break down emotionally when he was called upon for a speech. But George Norris surprised them. His eyes were a little watery but his voice was stout.

He made a fighting speech; decried the lagging steps the U.S. has taken toward preparing for the peace. Turning to Britain's Ambassador, Lord Halifax, he said that the U.S. will have to go far and fast before it catches up on social progress, social reform and the common understanding and working partnership between the richer and poorer classes which has been England's by-product of the war. Then Norris very simply thanked Guffey and all who "have said so many nice things about me" and sat down. He wasn't crying. He was more determined than ever.

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