Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-02-20

man, took the house by storm
one day recently. He made
speech on trusts which compelled In.
tensest attention on both sides of the
chamber and which has received uni.
versal praise. Mr.. Sheppard is serving
out the une4pired term of his honored
father. He 10 also elected a member of
the Fifty eighth congress. IL he lives
up to the golden promise of his youth,
he will rank with those Texas worthless
who have shed lmperishable luster on
the Lone Star State.
The promotion of Hon. Il. L. Henry
of Texas from the committee on insu-
lar affairs to the committee on the ju.
dietary is applauded by every one,
Democrat and Republican, who knows
anything about congressional affairs,
for Bob Henry is a prime favorite in
the house. He is handsome, cour.
ageous, capable young Democrat.
There is no more studious man in pub.
lie life than this stalwart young Texan,
who has grown in influence and in
the good graces of his fellow mem.
bers ever since he began his congress
sional career. He maintains the best
/, traditions of the state of old Sam
Houston.
| The old adage Better be born lucky
! than rich" Is illustrated in the case Of
Hon. Page Morris of Minnesota. He
declined to run again for congress on
the grounds that lie wanted to practice
law to make some money. Now con-
gress creates new circuit judgeship,
and Brother Morris is to be the judge.
He is good looking intelligent vir-
ginian; nothing bad about him except
his politics.
Redhot.
The fight is redhot, and it's to the
finish : the fight betwixt President
Roosevelt and Senator Marcus A. Han.
ma for the Republican presidential
nomination. All the signs portend
tremendous struggle. Until quite re-
Gently the wiseacres thought that Colo
mel Roosevelt had bagged the southern
delegates by dining Booker Washing
ton, by inviting certain more or less
distinguished Afro-Americans to the
White House receptions and by sundry
| other things he has said and done as to
the colored man and brother, but Mar
Gus has raised the president at his own
| game by introducing bill to pension
the eX-slaves, a caper which bids fair
| to give the Ohioan all the delegates
| eouth of the Potomac and the Ohio in
q bunch. Perhaps there was never
such cheap trick performed before.
body else one penny. for congress has
no more idea of passing such law
than it has of replacing America under
the dominion of King Edward VII. On
reflection I must modify that state
ment, for 1t will cost ignorant and gull
lible colored folks many a good dollar.
for they will be skinned and heeced by
IN army of swindlers who ought to be
in the penitentiary; but the colored
folks will not discover that they are
f1eeced until after they have delivered
the southern delegates to Marcus Alon-
20. and after that he will not care a
baubee what they discover or fail to
discover. Senator Hanna was careful
to introduce his bill "by request" so
that when Republican taxpayers up
north jump him for his proposed eX-
travagance he can explain to them pri-
vately that he is not in favor of 1t at
ALL In this way he can work the cred.
ulous negroes down south, where
mouths are watering for pensions. and
at the same time work the economical
taxpayers up north who object to such
wicked and wanton waste.
Another Richmond.
Colonel John A. Knott, editor of the
Hannibal Daily Journal and railroad
commissioner of the state Of Missouri,
does not propose to be left in the mat.
ter of Democratic presidential candi-
dates. Colonel John has solemnly and
deliberately nominated Governor Alex
ander Monroe Dockery for president
in the editorial columns of the Journal,
and he assures the public that he has
taken this important step ''unbe-
knownst' to the governor. Whether
his excellency is pleased with Colonel
Knotts action is not known here in
Washington. So far he has not fol-
lowed the famous example of Caius
julius Cesar In declining the crown
when offered to him three times by
one Mark Antony. 1t is an ancient
saying that "silence gives consent"
and unless the governor very soon
seizes an occasion to decline the high
commission rendered him by Colonel
Knott the public may Jump to the con.
clusion that "Barkis Is willin'." When
witty son Of the Emerald Isle was
asked II he would imbibe. he answered
with the inquiry, "Wad duck swim ?"
Governor Dockery Is now In the third
year Of his gubernatorlai term and has
therefore somewhat familiarlxed him.
self with executive duties. Just as his
sixteen years In congress famlliarized
him with legislative duties. He is an
ablebodied statesman in the prime Of
life, and the Globe Democrat once char
acterized him as 'the most pulchritu.
dlnous member Of the Missouri dele.
CATION" The public is anxiously await.
Ing Governor DockVry's acceptance or
declination Of Colonel Knots nomina.
tion.' 90 =. ~
Astounding.
The Republican greed for seats in
congress is absolutely astounding. Last
fall in the Asheville district of North
Caroline Mr.. Gudger, Democrat, de-
feated Mr.. Meoay. Republican. by a
small majority. alr. Moody promptly
instituted contest. He died Oh Feb.
5. and to a reasonable man it would
appear that the contest would have