The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-22

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only half an inch in width. but when
the janitor prizes it up he leaves a
yaWning chasm, an impossible hole be-
tween some man and his hope, between
some statesman and his ambition. Or
they may, this tack-hammer, janitor
and destiny, put one down that shall
serve as a broad bridge to the White
House. Around this table sit the COM
mitteemen, the engineers, watching the
gauge, and studying the coal situation.
For the cry is: Coal" All the govern
ment is pulling at the steam; the war
department, the navy department and
the others, ali are pulling away for
dear life at the trembling needle of
the gauge. And the engineers look at
one another and remark: Goal: more
coal" And then they set about to find
coal, to determine where they shall get
it, how and from whom.
Now out in the short grass country
section of Kansas, where the buffalo
grass kinks in the sunshine, in q town
that emerges from the fioorfiat prairie
like a yellow ghost. it is primary day.
II most of the United States the ele-
ment of the most potentlahty in prl-
mary politics is the negative element
of public indifference. The ward eau
Gus finds practicability for its plan,
only because a few concern themselves
with the selection of delegations to
county conventions, however enthusias-
tically all may turn out election day
In the short grass country there is no
indifference. Every man IS alert. Ev-
cry other man has a political aspira-
ton and the man between has friend
who has aspiration. The contest is OF
mental skill There are no advantages
through opponents errors. no false
moves through want of intimate knOWl-
edge of the situation. Ambitions CLASH
and the sun goes down on battlefield
of VengeanceS Wreaked, aspirations
wrecked. purposes side-tracked. over
which Eternal Compromise, with
blackened eye and a few scalp wounds,
limps in the grim qualification of vic
tory For while states in the Tenth
ward of Chicago may be craven in
granite, they are pencilled on wet It's
sue paper in Medicine Lodge.
( This is the curious thing in the career
( of Chester I. Iong-that the short grass
primary has produced a man to watch
down in Washington that steam
gauge: that an atmosphere Of extreme
" personal politics should open to any
one a path to station of extremely
impersonal policies.
And noting that it is more curious
that such enterprise should prosper III
the environment.
Longs character explains it, in this
wise: He has a passion for the study OF
public questions, of governmental pol
icies and the thoroughness in examining
them of an analytical chemist and
having through eager search informed
himself of the facts. an analytical
chemists decisiveness in maintaining
his assertions Testimony to this effect
can be obtained from any one who re-
sisted him ever in debate or interrupted
him in a speech.
Long IS q man whose mind will find
recreation in a department report, or
detect pleasing continuity IN a sheet Of
tariff schedules In his study of meas
ures his mental process, probably, Is
to assail every affirmation. TO hold It
this way. and chat to subject it to a
thousand tests to try to break it. dis
solve it. corrode it. If it's fact. its
gold When questioneF IN the audience
asks a t.paralyzer,' he will discover that
Long put the identical question to him
self long before, and found its answer
After which. the Man with the InterrO-
cation when he has had the oile-driver
removed from his form, Will feel that he
should have tackled Long on some sub
/ ject that had not been treated by his
winnowing research
In the beginning the Seventh congress
sional district was curious about Long.
A man who would greedily devour the
resolutions adopted by a county cOnven-
tion and afterward incidentally look al
the names Of the men nominated. was
out of the ordinary in the Seventh
Likewise it was singular that when Tom
/ Bolts and Bill Wuggins were having a
I death struggle for ascendency in Sun
county, any man could be 50 Indifferent
as to overlook it. to puzzle himself about
am ice-cOld governmental policy. There
/ has been a change in the Seventies at
/ titude. There's a story in the change
AilC CAdiiSc " GllQt III lAo N0h1A5 SOA
/ gresham and Willingness to back him
against the world.
For in this district of intensely prac-
teal politics, Long has proved his worth
in an intensely practical way Jerry
Simpson had a deal to do with 1t. Slmp-
son is a master in personal politics. His
ability to mix TO see people, shake
their hands, please them with witty
phrases, to convulse q crowd with an
adroitly turned phrase, was remarkable
He was idolized by his followers. Sinp-
son had been elected to congress in 1890
The next time Long was his opponent
and lost, In 1924 Long won. In 1896
Simpson and Long were both renOml-
mated Since their first campaign there
had been talk of a Joint debate. The
debate had never developed. This yeal
it was arranged. The issue was coin
age. The contest was desperate. And
more important. it was solemn. The
voter wanted to know" The joint de-
bates began. One side Of the hall. il
each instance. was occupied by Pop
ulists the other side by Republicans
Simpson was az adrOit as ever, as sharp
as incisive During his speech the Pop
ulists cheered him loudly. Long poured
cut his stream of facts. clear hard
bright facts. The Republicans cheereo
him wildly. Next day the Republican
papers said that Long ate Simpson up
the Populist papers said Simpson didn
leave grease spot of Long. What hap
Dened was this. The Republicans lef1
the hall flushed and talking loudly; ths
Pooulists went out solemnly and II
silence. In nearly all of them some ont
of Longs facts had lodged and wa:
hanging on The PoDulists were think
ing. They were unaware that this ques
ton of money metals had two sides
Many Of them had not permitted them
selves for years to hear an opposition
orator. They went out on the street anC
declared that Simpson Won the debate
but they kept gnawing on some O
Lorgs facts. Instantly the Re
publicans in the district detected th'
flaw in their opponents enthusiasm
and from that moment you could fnl
men in the Seventh who used emohat
ically and sincerely in connection witt
Long the designation statesman"
word scarcely ever used in western
I Kansas except ironically. These mei
had come uDon the fact that a studen
of governmental policies had mighty
practical uses. And at the same timl
the district statisticians discovered tha