The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-08
Incidentally They Attempt to
Respond to TOasts.
MR.BOWERSOCK's PLAY
Second District Representative
Produces a Revolver.
Chester L. Long Talks Of His
Experiences.
Bright Talks and Witty SaIlies
Are Enjoyed.

Congressman Bowersock, in the role
of the man behind the gun, and Albert
Watkins with megaphCne faced down
the wild rioters Of the Saturday Night
club at the annual banquet last night
at the Copeland For once the savages
We're tanned. The club members were
good, partly because they wanted to be,
but mostly because they had to, like
the good little boys that never miss
Sunday school
As a usual thing the best speeches
that are made before the Saturday
Night club at their banquets are those
that are not made 1t is a game Of
bluff between the speakers and the
hearers, and honorS go to the ones that
bluff the hardest The speakers side
of the game had the best of the propo-
SitiOn last night
As Chester Long put it, "a speech be-
fore the Saturday Night club is a sort
of partnership affair between one gen
tleman who stands UP and NUMBER
of intelligent or apparently, by their
countenances, intelligent, gentlemen
who sit down" And" Tom Men cal
adds. its no silent partnership
There were three Kansas congress-
men as hOnored guests last night
They We're J. d. BOWersOck of the Sec
ond. A. NJ Jackson of the Third, and
Chester I. Long of the Seventh district
These gentlemen knew what they were
coming UP against, and they came pre-
pared The biggest surprise furnished
by the trio was BOwersOck. The Sat
1Irday Nighters whispered one to an
other how much fun they would have
with BOWersOck, because, they said, he
didn't have a single grain of the sense
of humor. BOwersock fooled the aggre-
cation to the top of their bent
There was at least one good story told
on each one of the congressman and his
campaigning methods. 1t so happened
A Harvey
Chester Long is my friend he said,
ever since the campaign last fall
When l was down in the Seventh dis
trlct Mr.. Long met n e. L asked him
why the meetings did not pan out as
big and enthusiastic as expected.
You talk like a Pop he replied very
promptly.
. That settles it From this hour you
and 1 are friends. I like candor-'
But III tell you on the square,,
Long confessed. It's Mark Hanna that
is doing it. He's heard of you and is
using money against you. Out here in
the country there are lots of farmers
working in the fields They don't want
to be there. They want to be here.
Mark is paying the farmers to stay in
the fields.
Bowersock had a number of efficient
spellbinders working with him in the
campaign last fall. One was a colored
orator OF no small repute When Har-
vey was campaigning in the Second dis
trict along with Bowersock's opponent,
the opponent cOmplimented Bower
SOCKS aStuteneSS IN these words: Ma
jor, BOwersOck has got a big niger go
ing around with him. but if you will
only stay with me I think III have an
even show
Congressman Jackson was the butt Of
the following tale: When Jackson went
into a certain town an old brother
sided up to him. I accidentally was
over to COffeyville to your meeting
there, and what we want is for you only
to make such a speech as that here
exactly like it, if you can-and Wen
have en-
Here" whispered the old brother
conddentially. drawing up close. He
slipped a dollar into Jackson's hand.
At the meeting Jackson sailed in,
pirOuetted through the figures of the
downtrodden Filipinos, told how the
constitution followed the flag hurled
anathemaS at the Overhanging shadow
of military despotism and generally
drove deep, hard and fast the argu-
ments expounded by the Nebraska
leader Jackson followed his Coffeyvilla
speech closely as most campaign
speakers do: but it was surprising to
the old brother
The old brother threw up his hat and
shouted:
Brethren. he's a wonderful man.
He's making that speech almost iden-
tically the same as he did in Coffey-
Vile"
WHAT'S more, gentlemen" Harvey
added on his own responsibility to the
story, he was elected. which proves that
he's a great and wonderful man.
But the congressman were not the
whole show at the Saturday Night club
banquet by any means The first man
on his feet after Tom AcNeaI as mag
lister epularum. was the man behind the
megaphone- It was on the cards to
howl down both McNeal and the next
speaker, although some attention was
to be paid to the congressman after
they had been pestered awhile. NcNeal
however succeeded in making the fol-
inc r1@- 1t
sentences between the cries for
''I.ouder!" and the scraping Of the
chairs;
This club IS composed of men who
seem to think they have some intellect
ual capacity. Many Of them are abor-
ing under a mental delusion. The men,
bers have done good work during the
past year But they don't know the diff
ference between the terms generation,
regeneration and degeneration They
do not recognize that they are degener-
ates. The club is progressing. however
In numbers and in intelligence.
Jonah could never be a member OF
this club Chorus of 'fWhys2'') Be
cause, according to the Scriptures
Jonah was down in the mouth. three
days at a time"
Albert Watkins had to answer tha
question: Am a Sucker?'' He soon
proved his affirmation OF the soft i'm
parchment by delivering his speech in
spite of the club. He got this far: Il
am sucker. began my daily round
Of toll in the grand old Sucker state
Then Chef Longs gentlemen who sat
down" bawIed and chorused like 4
pack OF bankers for a side-show. wat.
kins stepped back and reached for his
Snickersnee. 1t appeared in the shape
of a five-foot megaphone and he recits,i
mis- piece clear TO the end though the
gentlemen who sat down sang John
Browns Body and did everything else
rude in the clubs category Of awful