The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1877-09-06
annals OF BIG HAN ME.
In which the Bright Jewel, Consistently
Glitters ON Every Page.

ANNALS OF BIG NAN ME-.
In which the Bright Jewel, Consistency,
Glitters ON Every Pa9e.
Pursuant to the promise made last week. VIC
now proceed to give few episodes in the poiit'-
cal life of the pompons editor OF the Troy Bs'fehH'
who is just now ensagel in the fH7naa'ie un'
dertaking of running both the political parties
in Douiphan County, besides whooping mp the
straee,ers who run loose from all parties. We
propose to show, from his own career, that he
has been true TO no party or principle, and can
not be trusted by any; and that his past life Of
fers no indncement for any party to follow his
dictation. unless that party has got 50 nearly
out of capital that its highest ambition Is to ca
ter to his personal interest.
Our knowledge Of the earliest political position
of this great statesman was obtained accident
slly-ws might say, Proyidentialy. We were
shown, some time since, q couple of leaves from
what appeared to bc diary and journal Of conf
positious Of the brilliant editor of the Bulletin.
about the time he was closing his school days,
and arriving at the age Of manhood, in Iowa,
about the year 1855. It was in the form of
composition. OF its style we need say nothing,
except that it was more finished and elegant
than anything ever produced by Addison, Gold
smith, or Macaulay. We are sorry we did not
retain copy of it, but it is sufficiently impress
ed upon our mind to remember its substance.
1t seemed, from this composition, that he had
written previous one, in which he had advo-
Gated or justified slavery, and given the negro
an overhaulng; and that bis composition had
been criticised and denounced, in that anti
slavery region, and that his teacher had rebnked
him for it, and asked for some explanation. lie
goes on to give his views of the negro question,
calculating, "God forbid that Iowa should ever
become second Africa" He urged that colored
men should be prohibited by law from emigrat-
fnR to Iowa, prophesying that if they did come,
amalgamation would be the Inevitable result,
and in twenty years the races would be 80 badly
mixed that it would be impossible to tell what
race anybody in the State belonged to! We dis
tinetIy recollsct his windiug-up. He said that
he respected his teacher, but the latter had no
right 70 interfere with his political views, which
were 90 firmly fixed that they could never be
changed, closing with this emphatic aud origin
al declaratiou alive or die, sink or swim, sur
vivs or perish, AM A DEMOCRAT"
Here, then, we find him starting out Demo
crat, with principles so fixed that they never
could be changed; and, after the good old Dem
oerstic fashou, kicking the poor negro, bound
in fsttsrsi II 10 almost twenty years since the
rebellion started negro migration into Iowa,
and yet, from the best information we have been
able to obtain, close observer is able to distin-
guish what race majority of the Inhabitants
belong to.
An interval of about ten years here occurs, in
which, unfortunately, We have no record of our
subject. He next comes into Wow shortly after
the close Of the war, editor Of little newspa-
per at Grant City, Missouri. He did not create
. sensation there; and in the Fall of 1868, seeing
q Communication in st. Joseph paper from an
old blow-hard who formerly resided at Troy,
that o paper was badly needed here, he respond
ed, and succeeded in finding persons to assist
him in purchasing An ofice-which said persons
he has since rewarded principally with kicks.
Why he did not bring his Grant City Office here,
deponent saith not. His first paper appeared
the week after the Presidential election, and
was red-hot Republican. When he first came,
he remarked to y prominent citizen: ~ find that
there arc two factions in the Republican party
that / take, will succeed. If you want Office, 60
with me-" To several others, he impaired the
information that his destination was Congress,
and that the newspaper business was merely an
entering wedge to give him influence aud popu-
larity. It seems that the wedge was like the
wedges of wood-choppers in timbered countries
often get, in q cross grained butt-it entered so
deeply that the log had to be cut open to get it
out.
At the very first election after locating in this
COunty-that of l569-he bolted the Republican
ticket, or the principal part of it, aud did all in
his power to. defeat it. One Of the independent
candidates was elected, and the Great Am I'M
agined that he had done it, and soon got most bit
terly down on that officer, because he presumed
to run his own machine.
The next year, 1870, be took the contract to
re-elect Sid. Clarke to Congress. He actually
made Clarke believe that the entire Doniphan
County delegation would be chosen for any man
he named, and got Q promise of $1,000 FROM
Clarke, for his i.f2eaes. Clarke sent him 500,
with speech of his to publish, to be followed
soon by the other $500. But in the meantime,
Clafke got information that he was investing iu
big bladder of wind, and the $500 never came.
Mr.. Big Man Me then set about defeating the
Clarke delegates. In the Troy District, where
he did his work, the Clarke men were chosen al
most unanimously; while in the other Districts,
anti Clarke men were chosen.
In the Spring of 1871, his entering wedge, the
Doniphan County Repsblicas, slipped ont of his
hands, but It did not close him out of politics.
He devoted all his energies to defeating his "old
frisnd." Bayl. Campbell, for County Treasurer.
majority of the ticket, that year, suited him;
but be assisted to defeat the Republican candi-
date for Representative in this District, aud tried
his bese to defeat Henry Steele for Commissioner.
In 1917, there was split in the Republican
party. There were two Republican County
tickets, but only one Republican candidate for
Representative In this District. On election day,
he directed his principal work to getting votes
for the Democratic candidate against A. Low,
the Republican nominee, who was defeated.
In 1879, there was scrub race all around, and
very few stuck to any regular ticket. But in
1874, Mr.. Bridges announced to his friends that
be desired to be elected to the State Senate, and
set about arranging to secure delegates. Not a
single delegate was chosen for him, and of course
he did not come before the Convention. A few