Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-09-19
THE NoFTZGER-BURToN FIzzLE.

There were lot of profane republi.
cans in Medicine Lodge last Tuesday
night when the widely advertised Bur-
ton NottZger meeting was pulled of.
1t was intended that Burton was to be
the principal speaker OF the evening
but on account of mismanagement Tom
NoftZger, the republican candidate tor
state senator, was introduced first and
he consumed two hours and a half in
firing the audience and saying nothing.
1t was late when the meeting was call
ed to order and hence the Hon. J.
Ralph Burton was practically shut out.
It was sight to see the faithful as
NoftZger was paving the air. They
were very nervous. couldn't sit quietly
in their seats, some of them got up
and left while others were out in
the hall blessing their speaker with
such epithets as fool, chump, I have
all that l want, / could beat that N.Y.
SELF" and kindred EXPLANATIONS. Sew
eral of them yelled "time, ring off >"
but they didn't ''phaze" Tom. He
went on and on until nearly all of his
audience had left and those who re-
NAMED were asleep. When he quit, Mr..
Burton was introduced. He first roasted
Noftzger in an indirect way for firing
the people and then requested the audi
ence to rise to wake up and get the
''kinks'' out Of their weary bones and
muscles. 1t could easily be seen that
Burton was provoked. He had come
all the way from Abilene to make big
speech and was choked off by 2x4 pet.
tifogger who never did and never could
make speech. 1t was probably the
first time that Burton was so cruelty
crucified in all his oratorical expert
ence. But he had to take his medicine.
He expects vote from Noftzger for U.
S. senator, if elected. and he did not
dare to openly humiliate him.
Mr.. Burton spoke only a half hour,
but during that brief space of time he
ably defended his championship belt as
the monumental political liar west of
the Mississippi river. One of his glar-
ing falsehoods was that the money of
the country is always in the hands of
the poor and middle classes. All these
million dollar shipments which are al
most continuously taking place be.
tween New York and London, accord.
ing to Burton, are from the poor men
of the country. His speech was deyot-
ed principally to abusing J'opulists
and democrats, but he did take wipe
or two at the republicans. He said the
republicans of this state were wrong
up to this time, but now they are right.
He did not say, however, why they are
not the same humans now that they
were from go to the present time.
We give Mr.. Burton credit for being
a brilliant orator but he is utterly de-
void of craftsmanship. He is simply
political siren with sufficient tact to
give falsehood the outward appearance
of responsibility. He may succeed in
decelving some ignorant people, but he
cannot mislead those who can think for
themselves and read history as 1t is
written.
Mr.. Burton and his admirers felt and
said that the meeting was failure. Of
course, he was put to every disadvan.
tage by Noftzger and had nothing but
empty chairs and few worn out PEG.
pie to talk to. If he had talked a half
hour longer there would not have been
ten people left at the conclusion of
his speech.