The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-25

HARRY L. GORDON.
$1,000 g ~ ~ ],

| state senator is Harry Gordon. In tbs
state senate of Kansas Sedgwick county
has always been fortunate because ths
senatorial district Is included in the coun
/ ~ lines solely. and the representative OF
that district is enabled to know precisely
the sentiment CT his constituency. and i:
very rarely hampered with the conflicting
claims of differert communities, for Sedg
wick county, when left to itself, is a unit
on ali questions.
| Harry Gordon will be the next state
senator from Sedgwick county. There
! are several req sons why he Will be- The
/ chief reason Is that he is particularly fit
| ted for the position. The state senate IS
small body. Its powers are equal &c
those Of the house OF representatives
| The house of representatives can pass no
bill by itself and the state senate can pass
no bill by itself. But the effective work
is done in the smaller body,-the senate.
There. where the members are few. the
personality of a man soon comes to light
and his abilities are recognized and his
work rewarded by desired results. A
brilliant man IN the house of representa-
tives might wait an eternity to impress
himself, while score of spouters mangled
time in saying nothing. as they often do
in the Kansas house Of representatives.
But let a man of emptiness or veFhosity
force himself into the senate and he is
voted a nuisance at once, and he turns
out to be an injury rather than benefit
to his constituency, misrepresentation
rather than a representative. The best
community has. in push. vigor, and in
tellectuality should have an exemplar In
the state senate. The fact that United
States senators are found in the state
senate so often is because the state senate
soonest shows all that is good and sub
stantial in a man If he IS that, and all the
dross and worthlessness in q man If he
is that.
Leavenworth county sent a Lucien
Baker to the state senate and got a United
States senator. If Lucien Baker had
been a snarler. a pessimist, and not
broad-mFnded, liberal man, he would Still
be Leavenworth county politician.
The same elements that hoisted Lucien
Baker from a great crowd OF aspirants.
are found in Harry Gordon. He is young
and strong in heart and mind. No young
man in this part of Kansas. or in the state
of Kansas, can excel Harry Gordon in
his eloquent warmth before an audience.
His speech is direct and virile. He only
calls the flowers of oratory into play
when simplicity fails of its point. His
very appearance on the rostrum or stage
wins him friends He has dignity with
out austerity; eloquence without bonn
bast, and earnestness without ostenta-
ton. No man can hear him speak and
doubt his character or question his mo-
tives. It is the spirit of the old colonial
American, born and bred in continental
Virginia and now transported to another
the spirit of 1Te. which with earnest dig
nifty but ferocious independence broke
the shaclSles Of England and declared it.
self free. For Harry Gordon's great
great grandfather, William Gordon, was a
Virginian, who fought in cooked hat and
saffron homespun for his country. Again
In 1872 another William Gordon, while
struggling against the British foe, fell
dead, pierced with the oppressor's lead.
Another Gordon died on the battlefield in
Mexico. And his relatives fought for
their country in the late civil war.
Harry Gordon. like the typical Ameri-
can that he is. rsdfcules the pride of an
cestry, but his character speaks the rich
old American blood that Is in him, the
blood that flushed to the cry Of freedom
in '7s; the blood that avenged British in
suit in II, the blood that punished Mexi-
can insolence in II. the blood that burned
with patriotism in 81. The spirit of that
wings, to be his own master, the moul9er
of his own fortune, and the builder of his
own character brought him to Kansas.
Born August z. 1860. in Metamoro,
Franklin county, Indiana, where his
father had located in 1907, he worked on
a farm which he had rented when ne was
II years of age. When he was IS he Went
to Depauw university, and was graduated
from that institution in 1889, taking first
honors in mathematics. He went up to
Indianapolis then and buckied into law.
He was taken in as a clerk by the promi-
nert law firm Of Mcdonald & Butler. the
former having been once the United
States senator from Indiana. It was small
work for one of his ambitions. For
long time he copied papers and writs and
transcripts around the Office. Then he
was made a clerk of some pretensions and
his laborious duty was in keeping track
of motions and nosing aroung among
10 He.aA N'arly
Of the Office, and a few months later pro-
NOTED TO take charge Of the Western
Union Telegraph company'S legal bust
ness all through the state of Indiana
Still he wasn't satisfied HIS advance
had been RAPID and his recognition OF full
measure. But the old spirit Of indepen-
dence worked within him. He was under
a great law firm. His actions were d.
rected by older and wiser heads AL
successes were meagre in his mind be-
cause of counsel. without which he might
have failed So. throwing up his success
ard his prospects he decided 10 clear away |
and. without shield or help. TO throw him |
self into a new country where his merits |
Il he really had them. would gain W. |
questioned reward. In 1887 he came 20 |
Wichita He had not reckoned without |
his hosts. His success was marked. HIS |
practice grew apace. he came 20 be re- |
cognized in local politics almost iniE,e- |
distely as a shrewi. careful, Aonest, |
partisan In few
years he was city attorney. And ne |
made master stroke when, with the |
help OF Messrs. yer-nll.on ard Dyer. he |
ran down the evidence in the case aid /
forced the JaSper.te Paving company out I
D. it, pr-sumptious a1f unjust demands