The Saint Paul globe., 1899-06-30
HighRSpnn
washington time q P. m. St. Paul..
BIRCH BARK BEDE. NJ. c.

If Minnesota has not yet eXpiated in
full measure its sins of stupidity; if the
sins of its stolid majority must continue
TO be visited upon all its people in
continuance Of congressional representa-
ton by Republicans then let US Demo
the birch bark pants may win the nomi-
nation and election in the Sixth, for then
the misery of Misrepresentation will have
some mitigation, some slight compensa-
other Republican representative or sena-
tor ever yet did for his suffering state;
he would contribute to che jollity of the
state and nation. He would not only
add luster to his state and relieve the
gloom of the dullness of it's delegation,
but he would snatch from Mississippi and
since John Allen sat in congress, and
Sunset COX's sun set in the grave. =.
Bede's sense of humor is of the keenest.
In sober truth we believe that it was
the humor in the representation by him
as a Republican of Republican district
that spurred him to announce his candi-
dacy. 1t may be that he was lured by
the absurdly humorous spectacle of these
seven gentlemen now In the house pos
ing as statesmen. AS he sized up the
loquacious and bounding Tawney, or
listened to the droning speeches that
Eddy made to the empty chairs of a
Friday, or saw the nimble Fletcher fit
ting to and fro amcng the departments
appointing clerks. or noted the grave,
sedate, judicial bearing of the man from
the head of the lake, so evidently i'm
pressed with the value of looking wise,
or witnessed the display of financial
genius shown by Stevens In the manage
ment of a bank on the one hand and
the solution of the financial problems
of the nation on the other, is it to be
wondered at that the comicality of it all
struck the joker of the Budget, and in
spired him to join the gang and show
them what a real humorist could do
there?
We have never had a man in congress
in either house who had sufficient humor
In his makeup even to appreciate the
richness of the joke of his own posing as
a statesman. The nearest any of them
ever came to it was Nelson, when he got
off that little tariff speech of his in 1889.
After the declaration of the Republican
national convention that it would rather
abolish all the internal taxes than abate
one jOt or little of the policy Of protec-
ton. it was a delightful bit of humor
for Nelson to declare that he would rather
give the people cheaper fuel, clothing.
food and shelter than free whisky or beer.
But Nelson never again bubbled over.
True there is a strong suspicion that
Davis was chuckling under his vest when
he reported from the committee on for
eign affairs that resolution that declar-
el that Cuba was and of right should ba
free and Independent, but if so no thrust
of tongue in cheek or SLY winking of
the eye betrayed him. There is a oueer
kind of humor that never senses itself.
that is wondrously funny and never
knows it; that believes itself the most
serious thing on earth, and does the most
grotesque things without the slieb+os+
conception of their delicious absurd;tv
What for illustration, was ever quite 60
side-splitting as Tawney fighting for
tax to foster chicory and roaring against
food adulteration? And he was as inn
permeable to its humor as would be bis
abandoned anvil.
So, if It must be, If the fates and furias
are still unsated. if poor humanity must
still bear the burdens that flow from
Republicanisrn, McI<inIeyism. Algerism
and all the other congIomerated isms
for merciful heavens sake let 1t be ac-
companied with something that will re-
lieve woe and misery with now and then
; laugh. Let ]. Adams birch bark pants
lnclose his legs while he. upon his feet.