Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-10-02
connected with it. And why l should
vote against it

ID Ia ES -
TON.
Now, fellow citizens, 1 just want to
say one thing. Whenever you II
me voting against a matter of that sort,
when we get down to the bottom facts
of it, if [ have ever done such a thing,
YOU will find | was actuated by the
best and most patriotic reasons.
1t has been suggested to me, fellow
citizens, that l should say something
here tonight abont what has now,
greatly to my surprise and beyond any
desire on my part, become the celebra-
ed opinion | rendered when on the
supreme court commission IN the Long
case. Now, L have so much respect
tor the judiciary of my state, ano the
judiciary everywhere, that l am ex-
ceedingly 10th to discuss the history OF
this in connection with politics. lap
.plause.1 A Judge on the bench does
not always get the credit from the PEG,
pie he deserves for being honest and
irving to do his duty. 1t is a hard
place to fill. And l just wish to say
here in brief, and that is all l propose
to say about it now, for it does look to
me very much out of place for q law
yer to stand before a public audience
and discuss nice questions OF law, as
we lawyers call it, dicta, and all that
sort of thing. The whole truth of the
is that this was a suit brought
TO take a poor mans farm away from
him. They were trying to take 1t
away from him, in my honest oplnion'
law, justice, right and common
honesty. And the outrage they were
irving to perpetrate against a humble
was SO great that l confess that in
the opinion l entered into 1t
with a great deal of vigor. l discuss
ed only the points that were in the
1t has been represented tina
1 went outside of the record to hunt up
obsolete, old statute, and to re-em-
it and re-galvanize it Simply LOT
the purpose of driving out foreign
from the state. Stuff! Non
1t was the defense made in
the case. 1t was pleaded in the
answer. 1t was the only question
discussed by the supreme court. ills
true, as has been stated, that 1t was Ill
the record, and we were asked to con-
slider it and asked to review it. 1t has
been my unbroken policy and course
the bench, as every lawyer Will
bear me witness, when l get hold OF q
case 1 don't smear over it, but go to
the very bottom of it. And never,
fellow citizens, did l stop to consider
for one moment the question whether
the view 1 took of the law would affect
anybody's money. And that is the
view that every honest judge ought
TO take, what is right and what Is law.
Applause Whenever any Judge sets
up for himself any other standard ny
which he is to be controlled on n
bench, l tell you u civilization will
rot to the bone. I tell you that the
great need of this country to-day
in it's public life and its pub
lie officers is a new breed OF
men who have the courage OF their
convictions and will stand for them,
and for the law and Justice against the
bowling mob of hypocrites. AS
stood, a few years ago, upon the ruins
of the palaces of the C9sars n look,
ed upon the Appian way toward
Jupiter's mount-that way from which
the Roman legions LOO years ago
marched with Haunting banners and
perched eagles to conquests, spoils and
glory, | said to a gentleman standing
by me, in my humble opinion that the
greatest man this world ever saw, out
side of Him of Nazareth, was the
Apostle Paul, for l recalled the fac
that solitary and alone he stood upon
this same Jupiter's mount and looked
down this same Appian way upon the
millions of teeming Rome; with hfs
sore eyes, with his graduated eyes
he stood there alone and looked upoI
the city of pagans, and he resolved
alone, come life or death, veal or woe
I will 60 down among those people ant
proclaim what 1 believe to be the
truth. [Great applause.
Well, the next most serious charge
they have preferred against me, ant
when I think about it [ always thinl
of the western poet who said:
ssSome men bait their hook with tiger tails,
Aud sit on a rock and bob for whales:
Aud some bait their hooks with mites {
cheese,
And sit on a single and bob for fleas."
Now we have got just such politica
fishermen in this community. The
saw that 1 am a new conner. That l ar
fresh in this country. That they don
know me. Some of them say I al
cold. But
WILL MAKE IT RED o
for them before 1 get through wit,
them. [Applause.l Yes, fello w-citi
zens, 1 AIN a new conner in this coun
try. Long before this was q state m
father, with no fortune but two horse
and a wagon, with no reliance but hi
rifle, his strong right arm and a brav
heart, with no one to protect an
cherish him but the little woman VIII
afterwards became my mother, pitche
his tent among the solitudes OF tn
forests of Boone county. There b
builded a little home and felled tt
forest and let in the sunlight of HEAVIER
and marked out n of the pathway
which lead to the present civilization
of this state. There he lived and die
on the generous bosom of the state
And there beneath her benignant skie
I was reared. 1 claim no honor for ii
no credit. l heard Bob Stewart in hi
race with Jim Rollins for governor
when it was urged against him that
was born IN Pennsylvania or Ney
York, say that the reason of that ws
because his mother just happened I
be there at that time. [Great laugh
ter.
was born here because could NJ
help myself; L was never cOnsulte
about it. Renewed laughter [ hay
no regrets for it. For thirty years c
NV life [ have lived within 100 miles
this town. For a quarter of a centul
l have mingled at the bar OF publ
life, in business circles and i'll soci
ways with nearly all the leading me
of Jackson county, l have know
them, and loved many of them. l
not feel that l am a stranger amol
5 you. Two counties of the three cor
posing this congressional district we
in my congressional district when
was in congress. There are my co
stituents, and | don't know of a
S better evidence of how we'll l serv
= them than the fact that they want
me to serve them again. l came hi
to Kansas City four and a half we,
l. ago. gave up the home where l b
y lived for thirty years, associations Il
were so pleasant and dear to me, a
J., brought with me all my earthly poss
d sions. l came here simply because
II was attracted by the growth, prosp
L ity and promise of this wonderful c
h of the Kaw. [Applause.] Here l hi
N builded me a home to live, and her
e expect to live and to die, and l h;
come, as Ben Hill said when he
E. back to the congress of the Uni
States, Il have come here to sts
g. CGreat applause.l And, fellow-citize
st if every man who came here in the
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