The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-22
PERSONAL SIDE OF THE GREAT
OPENING RALLY AT SEDALlA,
What Some of the Leading Men Present Said and DdGood
Stories, Political and Otherwise.

REPUBLIC STAFF CORRESPONDENT.
Sedalia. Mo. Aug. 2l-The county OF
Johnson. sometimes called the home OF
statesmen in Missouri, was very proud of
the thousand and more men It brought ~
the big meeting to-day. The crowd was
headed. of course, by Senator Cockreil. who
is said 10 be in better health than ne has
ever been. which means that lie is simply
rolling in physical vigor. The Senator
spent much of the early part of the day in
the corridor of the Hotel fIuckins. where tie
renewed acquaintance with hundreds of
constituents. The feeling displayed by
some of the old-tiners as they pressed the
hand of their venerable Senator was all but
touching. Some of them would crowd about
him rs he chatte6 or told stories. holding
him by the hand for minutes at a time.
Old fellows called him Frank and there
was never time that the Senator did not
come back with the "Bill' and the Tom
in the right place.
He was in capital hurior. He laughed
heartily rs the gossip went along, and there
was never n minute in which he was not
keeniy interested in ell that went on about
him. He took particular interest in the
youngsters presented to him by fondly
proud fathers. holding the youngsters while
he studied out some facial resemblance to
this or that well-known member of the
family.
The haircut which the Senator has on
view this moment is worth a paragraph
all TO itself. 1t is of the old-fashioned sort,
the kind that may be had by putting 4
bowl down over the Uranium and cutting
was to-day well dampened, which means
thar 1t hung about his head in the straight
est possible fashion. The Senator's head
dress looked. therefore, as II It might have
come from an ou painting OF another time.
Then there was wide eXpanse of white
shirt front that kept very white and very
stiff throughout all OF the heat. and in
this white front there WIS a row of steel
gold buttons. lust as neat and precise as
you please. Indeed. the delightfully."- popular
and always engaging Senator was quite
dressed up.
There were other Cockrells on the
ground. OF these the most interesting was
Ewing Cocllrell. who is now practicing law
over at WaIrensburg
Mr.. Cockreli may be % years of age and
he may be 40. He has one of those faces
that are so rich in expression that they
give you nsw ideas about their owners :
every glance. Nr. Cockreli bears som ="
semblance 10 his father He would att Z jt
attention anywhere. He is the sort OF man
that you would turn around TO look at Il
you met him in the street. and if he came
into the room while your back was turned
You would feel sure that some one was
there. He wears 4 slouch hat. a boiled
shirt likewise 4 boiled suit Of linen, and
q very black tie with loose ends.
His face is smooth-shaved and his hair
IS long and somewhat streaked with gray.
He has a slight lisp, a good many ideas
about politics. but says that at present he
is without political ambition. Mr.. Cockreil
will some day have this political ambition.
and what Is more, he will satisfy it. Please
note the prediction.
II suppose you newspaper fellows are
looking about for folks who have atmos-
phere,' he said. Atmosphere is SO much
better in the meaning II conveys than the
expression Interesting people, and the
significance is the same. / might para
phrase and say that some men are born
with atmosphere, some achieve It and 9TH
ers have it thrust upon them"
Any one meeting Mr.. Cockren would say
that he has an atmosphere OF his own and
that he was born with it.
He is a university or Virginia man.
Uncle Tom Caldwell Of warrensburg.
one Of the old-line Democrats, was one
of the Johnson County crowd that was glad
to see Uncle Frunk' Cockrell. Mr.. Cald-
well was in Cockrell's brigade in the civil
war and has been q Democrat all Of his
life. He marched in the hot sun to-day
with as much liveiness as he marched in
the troublous days of the early sixties.
Another old-timer from Johnson County
was NJ. J. Staley, who, although IS years of
age, morched over the entire course of to-
days procession 1t made some of the young
e%a IL, Co ,6n
carriages, feel ashamed of themselves.
While the subject of johnson County's
hosts is up let us not forget Senator" Pete
Rowan. one of the noblest Romans of them
all. Pete is the chief engineer of the Court
house of Johnson County, and the rallies
in this State that he has not attended are
not worth mentioning. He carried a red,
day and shouted for Bryan and Dockery,
with an occasional outburst for Cockrell,
every step Of the way.
Arch c. RoBards, the young Mayor Of
Hannibal, was one of the guests of the city,
Mr.. RoBards was elected not long ago, after
a hard fight. He is the son of John L.
RoBards. who is one of the pillars of the
community. Colonel RoBards, the elder,
went to Hannibal when it was a mere VIII
lage. He is a lawyer Of eminence and one
of the wealthiest men in the northern rart
of the State. Colonel RoBards was 4 school
fellow of Mark Twain, and at one time went
TO Sunday school with him. The celebrated
humorist did not, however, spend much
time at either place. Mayor Ro8ards wen.
out in search of the Mayor of Sedalia TO-
day. He said that he wanted to exchange
ideas with the executive of city some
thing of the size of his own. He searched
high and low for his Honor Of Sedalia, but
he was not to be found. Doctor Crawford,
the Mayor, Is a Republican and this was
not his day.
There is a new hotel in Sedalia-the
Il has tiled floors and a good
piano in the parlor. There are other i'm
provements that stamp it a place Of the
best class. 1t was a sadly-needed enter
prise. Not the least interesting feature
Of the hotel is an admonition to the dining
room walters. 1t Is to be found printed
In plain type at the bottom OF the bill of
fare, and 1t runs like this:
IF guest kicks, let him-he pays for the
privilege, and feels better. If he is wrong,
he hasn't hurt you, and il he is right he
Is doing you a favor"
This inscription has a good effect, for
the guest invariably laughs at it when he
reads it for the first time, and when be sub
makes complaint the girl with
the tray usually grirs and points &C the
line with her finger. And SO the troubles
are forgotten. Such is the value of the
Buckins philosophy.