| Show North Attleboro's Joe Martin e Leads Lends GOP Hopes H in Congress COll ress By Dy JOSEPH W W. LaBINE S SIlis His Ilis father was Scotch his mother was Irish and Joe Martin is a bachelor at 54 a shirt sleeve e executive whose smoke bears watching because he has been named Republican minority leader in inthe inthe inthe i the house of representatives Ordinarily a Republican minority minority minority mi mi- leader would be unimportant unimportant unimportant but anything can can can- and might might happen happen in the sev sev- sixth enty-sixth congress with its strengthened G G. G 0 O. O 1 P. P power and its growing number of independent Democrats Joe Martins Martin's Job is to cement and give voice to the Republican Republican Re Re- publican party's victories last fall The party's future may be staked on hl hU ability to handle this Job What's more hes he's now but one step removed removed removed re re- re- re moved from the coveted house now held by Rep Hep William Wil liam B. B Bankhead of Alabama Republicans like to think Joe Martin Mar tin typifies the new kind of party leadership just emerging from the holocaust of ot the past eight years Joe was the son of a North Attleboro Attle- Attle boro Mass blacksmith who began selling papers at the age of ot five graduated to night switchboard operator operator op op- in the local telephone office and ended up buying the towns town's towns daily dally paper at 24 2 lies lie's been In congress 14 years having started his political career In the Massachusetts legislature during the World war Joe Martins Martin's system is a thing of wonder and It probably accounts for his constant constant constant con con- stant success To every voter in his district he sends a circular announcing announcing announcing an an- the day he will be available available avail avail- able at the given c community's postoffice post postoffice postoffice office to hear complaints praise threats demands and coaxes It will be no surprise if Martin someday becomes a leading Republican Republican lican presidential possibility A lib lib- eral he belongs to the national committee com corn and was a member of the congressional campaign committee which contributed so much to last autumns autumn's victory lie He radiates per per- cuts through red tape and gets things done Short only 5 feet 4 inches he is nevertheless the biggest man in North Attleboro He lie has many hobbies hobbles greatest of which is his 77 year old invalid mother whom he visits almost every weekend week despite the pressure of duties at Washington With her his widowed eldest eldes' sister ter and her children children chil chil- dren he lives in ta t. unpretentious family home at North Attleboro One brother Charles manages the newspaper A nephew George W. W Kelley manages the congressman's large insurance business Baseballs Baseball's Another Hobby lies He's an ardent baseball fan rarely rarely rare ly Iy missing a professional game at Washington Among his close acquaintances acquaintances acquaintances ac ac- ac- ac are several members of ot the Senators and the Boston Red Sox Joe wasn't the least bit frightened when he came up for election re-election e t t x Joe Martin Marlin as s he be appeared at the opening session of this years year's con con- gress cress last faU fall against a strong Democratic Democrat Democrat- ic opponent In one of the states state's larg largest st industrial districts where heads of families were on sponsored government-sponsored payrolls he hewon hewon hewon won by plurality Both in 1932 and 1936 1938 the district gave President President Preal dent Roosevelt a huge plurality but that doesn't seem to affect Joe Martins Martin's Mar tins tilts popularity The reason for his tits success Probably Probably Probably ably it took root in his childhood days when the village blacksmith made his family toe the mark religiously re re- In those days Joe re rev recalls recalls calls he had to be home nightly at Next morning he had to getup with the lark to peddle pa pers At 12 be he went to w in a Jewelry store A few years later he was a star scholar in n high school Hard work and application lon to the job ob had cast a die Today's Joe Martin Is the result |
