The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31
COCKRELL OF MISSOURI.
THE SENATOR VINO Is ETERFBODr,s
FRIEND ~ mrs STA TIE.
Has Wore Acquaintance Than bod, rise
In Stissouri-Hls Letters to Constituencies
ncndtnesS To no FhNors-Iomeiy wnys
That Take with tho Farmers Ho visits.

In Missouri-lIis Letters to Constituents
Headlines to 10 ~FnNors-Homeiy wnya
That Take with tho Farmers $40 Visits.
ST. Louis, oct. 80. Francis Marion Cockrcll
of Missouri, senior senator on tho Democratic
side, is a candidate for reelection. Gen. Cockrcll
is not losing any sleep over the outcome Of HE
candidacy, because there is nobody in the i'm.
pcrial state OF Missouri, rs the friends OF that
commonwealth call II. who intends to be a can
didnto against him. Tho reason for this is that
Cockrcll has u mighty hold upon his people.
The man who has never seen tho senior Sena-
tor from Missouri ought to know something
about CoCkrclls personality. for his physical
qualities have inuch in common with his char
actcr. Gen. Cockrcll is tall. lilo is slightly
stopped of shoulders, and has no sign of super.
fiuous tissue, front, back, or side. lie is rather
stumbling Ms TO gait, and his wearing apparel
is never within three seasons OF tho mode. All
of the summer that lust ended he went about
the state with n loose alpaca coat that was
nowhere n TT. His trousers were baggy at all
points and his waistcoat was not wholly but
toned. His head was always carried quite n bit
in advance of his shoulders, and his sparse beard,
more luxurinnt at the chin than elsewhere. was
not any ncatcr in arrangement than the locks
that stood awry on the top Of his broad head.
The General talked n great deal, but when he
was not talking or smoking he stood about with
his mouth open, very much after the fashion Of
the youth from the country at his first circus.
This description may bring tho reader who 10
not fully informed rs to tho General to the be-
lief that the senior senator from Missouri is not
a prcrosscssng individual. Tho man who
knows the Senator well will recognize all tho
points of description. but will hasten to show
how They are redeemed by almost uncountabla
good Qua~litics-aualitics that have placed the
General where he is and kept him there.
There i no member of the upper house Of
Congress who has Kept 80 close to his people
through u long term OF years as this Senator.
For twenty-five years he has lived at Washing
ton as the senator from Missouri. In all of that
time lac has not failed to keep in touch with tho
big men u' Missouri. and he has continued his
acquaintance with the plain people. lie has
brondcncd that acquaintance year by year until
it II i, doubtful If there is a man in Missouri
who has a larger personal acquaintance with
the mon Of the state anu their families.
Much of this acquaintance has been developed
by II series of personal letters. IL John Brown
ofrcNts couuty-thc largest county in Missouri
wrote to the senator for IA package OF Sccis or
n report on some obscure subject the senator
not only supplied the constituents demands.
but followed it up with a letter worth more TO
the recipient than all the documents at the
national capital. The Senator would not only
say. in his own handwriting no doubt, that no
had complied with the request, but he would
branch OF into a discussion OF topics of national
interest and wind up with regards To The family.
Later til" same man would send for some
thing else. Another letter would 20 out. In
the meantime the senator had been back
to Missouri and TO Texas county and had
struck up n personal acquaintance with John
Brown. Therefore. with the coming OF the Sec
ond letter he had something moro to say. He
not only referred 10 the first letter, but he also
spoke OF the good time N" had had in Texas
county. of the good crop prospects. and of the
work that the county, representative was doing
in the Legislature. Then there was something
more about national issue. and last. and best OF
all. he wanted to he remembered to John. Jr.. n
tow headed boy about the farm. aud to Jane. tho
pretty daughter. who was Just bloseominG out
in her first long dresses.
Again is it ncccs AIRY TO do some explaining for
Cockrcll personally. Let it be understood that
no word of the Senator'S letters was affected or
calculating. He actually had . good time down
about John, Jr., and the pretty Jane. and be was
E Eame %n 5%rsh to tha me A% Hni I ,hc OF s,ra tn"l ao go as , 10 re-
in Texas county when he envelope from Wash.
I"WS of TiIh f9e JOIN SGn"I BrnMn ran" sIcs SS Mer re 1@s
the only ones that looked over the letter that it
S Snd Wbsn nr EvGry I,n man IN Fl hiI Inc ho, p"S h. " nH6fh Snw X K
to the family and to everybody who came for
the month that followed.
Friends of the Senator who know all about his
way of getting ncNt TO the people who vote and
make things out West, tell Il story that serves 10
49,, - ~ N'N'' '"s = '''"s'' " y. -.
in behalf Of Missourians. \ man in one OF the
northern counties was desirOnS of getting a bit
Of information that could not he had outside OF
Washington and even then not without some
effort on the part Of some one al the capital with
mcnts. lie wrote lightly about it to his Con
ErGismam' expecting an Immediate HnsweT
weeks went by and there was no reply. Then
the Missomrian: thinking tina, his lcti"r
|arY informed the plaiH ci,izcm thai both letters
had been received. but that il was not possible.
without he loss OF il great deal OF valuable Com
grcssionnl TING. for The busy representative TO
he plain citizen, who, for The moment, began 10
doubt his own Judgment because II had per-
,n' Irifin min sG to h,E ! Ry i'c thanGa he sh TO PSdd'G ,ho
private sccrctnry note to an old citizen.
CoCkrcli and hen fiX YOU out"
But he is the senator and | don't know
mn, snid ne otm%r man. HMG he iooS r rnii 9LL
the infornIation. In less than u week he had a
full Rp had Gq;mTlTy y~I ' u s%o5 ! To- nj h df iimgn ,Ti s1 The
research. bur the senator mad ACCOMPLISHED IL.
Further than TINT, Gen. .t"rSrcll branchci or
from the main subject before concluding his lot
tcr. ANA asked hi, correspondent if he was not the
son of 20 and so, who had been in the same COM
pany with the senator at TIE beginning of the
war. II turned out that the senator had made
no mistake. There was one man in Tint Con:
gr"SSiunal district who did not think so much OF
hi, Congressman after thi- incident. .
When Senator Cockrcl! talks TO the people out
in Missouri hc goes AZ them in simple language.
with old.fhohionci arguments that never for u
minute give way 10 nippancy ur local difficulties.
lie talks national issues IN u popular way. After
r III" spccchInuking he stands around near tho
plat, orm with the farmers, and looks like one
OF them in his %ncctinG, clothes. There is no
$ rushing away 10 a hotel III town, no jumping
, INFO u CARR ,ge before the crowd had
broken up. He shakes hands with every
body. tClls This man that he knew his
' father, reminds hi; one of something
j.. WAR; n ni ],itsT most 81 of The iliH,rtc'nSSSrs I have go no.
+, h" sits on II stump and talks T." tn" principal
. men OF the r"mihlIty unliI II : NM t"r 'NHrh'
. lDIN 10 90 home. He smokes tIl tlE lrE " llHn
= he can get ho! of them, and when thcv are all
ont hr reaches down ia the deep pocket OF his
n long tOti and iislun ont u pipe. which he MS
:, with very strong tobacco. This he smokes until
u he gets ready 10 20 TO Ted, which usually "A, n
, Nc"y late hour.
Gen. Cuckrcll Is never so interesting TO tho
student OF hi- peculiar and successful mcthot1
ms when he il on one OF his tours among ina
o people. He has been at il for several months
now and VIII continue to mix around among
i the voters nm II the Legislature meets, not ihtt
"a il j. at all necessary, On account of the absence
|. Of compositions, but because il is the regular time