The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-14
THAT PLACE
LOOKS LIKE A
REAL HOODOO
Many Men Wouldn't Have
Oklahoma GovernorShip.
NO END TO ANN0YANCES
1t Brings the Poor Man Who
Takes II.

Guthrie. 0. T April IS.-Everybody con-
cedes that no matter who is appointed
governor he VIII have q difficult task
That has been the history of every cover
nor Of Oklahoma and for that reason
there are many men in the territory who
would not accept the place. Jacob Ad-
mire of Kingfsher is one Of them. He
says: we wonder why on earth a
man wants to be governor. The salary
isn't a fraction Of the expense, that at
taches to such an Office. Hence no poor
man. with a good average Of self respect
has any business there. 1t throws him
iuto an atmosphere that is not only hol-
low, but foreign to his tastes. Those
who hang about him with smiling obsei-
sance have never shown him the slightest
hint Of recognition before. lie must
know that they 90 him homage for a
purpose, and that not an exalted one. He
must reflect, too that when his brief
hour in the executive mansion is over,
that they viii no longer know him.
He is continually between two fires,
One lot Of politicians, backed by their
constituents, with banners, buttons. bo-
quets and-possibIy-bribe viii exert
themselves to sway him toward their IA
vorite bin or scheme. The opposing fac
ton with no less of insistence, viii al
most move heaven and earth to get the
governor to favor their job. He can {
comply with the wishes Of both. If he
decides on altruistic lines he viii get no
more credit from the defeated ones than
the veriest salary grabber, and they will
forthwith begin to lay the wires TO enc
his political career.
He is the grand Mecca toward which
all begging solicitors wend tbei- devious
way. He is importUned to give To this
scheme and that grab game, and woe to
him inf he gives not ready ear and
some cash to each and every one.
After his dear friends. the enemy.
have decided that the good of the people
or the party-demand his retirement
from that exalted position he is prac-
tically done for. There are men on every
hand whose plans have not carried be-
cause Of some action Of the governors s,
and they VIII see to it that he is kept
down and out
If he has made his fortune in other
fields and can stand the social drain on
his pocketbook, Wen and good. He may
be willin gto pay for a brief season Of
pre-eminence for his family. and consid-
er that he got value received. In pri-
vate life he may have schooled himself
against the importunings of solicitors for
societies. But let him exercise that pre-
rogative at the head of great common
wealth, and he is heraIded far and near,
as mean old thing
ITO be required to steer a clear course
between the impenetraDle wall of preju-
dice and the sheer precipice of public
opinion requires a genius of very high
order. And a genius of this sort, is not
only rare, hut may be a decidedly imprac-
ticable man in the hard matter-of-fact
affairs of business. What the people
need is very plain, practical business
man. but such an official would last
about as long as Jonah's gourd in a bake
oven. The people who do not have much
TO do with the making of a governor,
may have q dim notion of what kind of
man he ought to be, but the fellows
with a pull, or who are trying 70 get a
pun, VIII measure that official by their
success in enlisting him with their fac
ton.
rs the picture TOO comber? Does it
partake too much of the hue of burnt
lumber? Tt is nevertheless politics. pure
and simple and to verify il. you may so
to the capital city during a legislative
session. place yourself in touch with the
powers that be. and you viii come away
convinced If not satisfied"