The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-30
SAW IT DONE.
Speaker Steve Osborn Visits
House of Commons.
Saw English Lawmakers on
Duty.
HE LEARNED LITTLE.
They Were Not Such Great Mem
as He Expected.
Only Excel Kansans in Rever-
enee For Presiding officer.
ain.t SUCH not stufr...

0Q from an unsuccessful search IN Eng
land for a fortune alleged to have been
left to a Mcpherson minister.
Judge Osborn strolled into Republican
headquarters yesterday and was greeted
by Tom Kelly, secretary Of the state
committee, who said
There was no money, reckon, Steve.
or you would have got it,
That's what they say" said Osborn
shaking hands with a group of friends
who were chatting with Kelly when the
ex-speaker of the house of representa-
dveS arrived.
The judge took a chair and proceeded
to answer the questions of his friends
who seemed much interested in the re-
cent visit to England made by Mr.. Os-
born on official business.
''Of course England is a long ways
from Kansas" said Osborn after light
ing cigar, but the Kansas man was
on the spot. Bill Rice who lives at Fort
Scott Is in London on government bust
ness and he was among the first men
I saw. called him by name; he was
ploughing along in the slush when said
something about Bill Rice from Rour-
bon. He recognized me and on the pub
lie street wheeled around and threw his
arms around my neck.
Thank God" we both exclaimed, "a
familiar face and the voice of an Amer
lean"
Judge Osborn proceeded to tell of his
visit to the house of commons.
Il had complied with all the red tape
provisions necessary to get into the gall
leries; that's as close as you can get to
where could plainly see the great law
making power of England in operation
THE speaker, or whatever he is, sits
in an elaborate, canopy-coVered concern
He wears his wig and gown and pre-
sents to westerner ludicrous appear
ance.
There is one thing especially notice.
able, that official is respected by the
body over which he presides.
Different from Kansas, them" ven
tured some one of the auditors to sug-
YES, sir" replied Osborn with much
emphasis as he recalled some of the in
cidents of his own experiences in Topeka
two years ago when the house OF repre-
sentatives had spasms and freaks of
running off with the speaker.
YES" said Osborn again, for the mo-
ment lost in reflection.
LAS I was saying" he resumed, having
torn from his mind the memories of the
Kansas house, 1.-The house of commons
is a great body. The members are great
on clothes and style. The members,
some of them tottering with age, look
like they would drop off the earth at any
minute, but they wear fine clothes and
put on lots of style. They are very de-
liberate and it seemed to me that the
desultory manner in which they trans
acted business would permit the millen-
MUM to come and find them still consid-
ering the subject before them the day
I sat in the gallery. Compared with the
enthusiastic, rip-snOrting Kansas leg1S-
lator there is apparent the loss OF
memory on every subject but the one
pending, to an observer, was the charac-
teristic of the statesman on the floor OF
the house of commons.
I'm my opinion the Kansas legisla tors,
divided as they are by party lines ana
exercised by local quarrels, can any day
give the English lawmakers pointers on
every phase of the business
ST saw the English law being made;
I saw the English statesmen, great and
small; saw the English people at home;
on the streets; in their carriages; on |
fact L
have concluded that they amt such hot |
stuff.
minister Abbey continued Judge Osborn, |
gazing at the dust on the marble col |
umns which I presume have been in this |
condition for a thousand years. was |
alone. The stiffness and gloom of tomb |
pervaded the atmosphere. OF course, the |
beauty of the abbey is something Won |
derful and its historic association would |
inspire a man under ordinary circum- |
stances but when an American citizen |
gets lonesome there's nothing on earth |
that will inspire him.
'sGoing over there were Kansas people |
on the boat and we had very pleasant
visit but after I landed in London had
not exchanged word with an American
for a week.
while in this condition I landed il
the abbey. Looking around for some
thing exciting 1 heard voices which
sounded like home The persons who
were speaking were some distance from
me but advanced in the direction from
which the sounds came and turned cor
ner plump into a crowd of American
women.
Il suppose did act like crazy man."
said Osborn, rejecting over the incident,
but I wasn't far from that state of
mind for a fact.
sure but yanked off my hat and spoke
to them. I apologized at length ana
begged their pardon for the informality
which I had thrust upon them but I
l@o1 Of Viz.
women were quieted and seemed to ap-
preciate my condition I said to them:
s. L want to see if I can talk to you.
haven't had word with American
citizen for a week and I want to see if
I've lost my powers of speech Then
they laughed and invited me to tell
where I was from. I puffed up a. good
deal, 1 guess said Osborn, land an
nounced that I was from Kansas. There
was a fiutter among them. They lost
their freezing dignity in a minute and
apolis-'
II told them Salina had an Indianap-
oils preacher. Those women knew him.
That's a mark of responsibility,
your acquaintance with a preacher. SO
we are not afraid, because we are lone
women school teachers from Indiana on
a tour said one.
That's pretty well out west compared
with London commented Osborn, so
we shook hands all around.
Il was so glad to see an American cit
izen, even a woman, that told the girls |
I had a notion to hug each Of them once
apiece If they had been from Kansas
would have surely taken the liberty
said Osborn.
"One of them said she was from Mis-
souri,, but I didn't discover till I was
half way across the ocean coming home
what she meant
Little slow. judge?'' whispered Tom
Kelly.
Yes. to be sure said Osborn. but