The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-23
LONG is CHOSEN
Continued from First Page

| agricultural sections of the district, from
formers whose interest in the personal
element of politics is small.
Later the district added to its convic-.
ton about Long this: Late on the after
roon of February 2 i. 1890, in the house OF
I representatives, Long arose to speak on
the Porto Rican tariff bill 1t had been
a tiresome afternoon; the maddening
monotony of speeches had spread the
plague of emptiness throughout the deep
semi-circle, and when the Kansas man
began, a dozen more ear-vexed congress
men got to their feet ard dragged them
selves to the door.
A good thing is never lost A tired con-
gresham paused behind the screen at one
Of the doors. listened, heard something.
some new historical allusion, some new
application of an old one, turned and
ambled back to his seat. Another dropped
into the cloak room and told a group OF
smokers that something was doing No
one left now Members began strolling in
On the power to impose tariff duties on
an appurtenant territory. Long was pour
ing out a plentitude of precedents and set
ting forth an array of historical tenden-
cies and former administrative designs
necessity of opposing. For the opposi-
ton began to hurl questions at the young
man, and, as ever in debate. this was fire
TO high buestem. The young congress
man came back with the answers he had
found for himself in his researches He
was loaded as they say out in the
Seventh. He silenced his questioners.
More congressman dropped in. There was
applause.
The Kansas man had done a great
thing-he had overcome the coma of an
over-talked veteran audience. When he
bad concluded. his colleagues. headed by
the speaker, flushed to him with their
congratulations.
Two days later, President Mckinley
said TO "Uncle Joe" Cannon: THAT was
a good speech of yours on the Porto
Rican tariff, Joe, but it wasn't good
as Longs; Longs was the best made
Fifteen months later when Justice
Brown delivered the opinion of the SUI
preme court on the great constitutional
question involved, those who had read
Longs speech found he had anticipated
infinitely the decision of the chief tribunal
of the nation.
How did Long get into politics? He was
born on October u. 1860. in Perry county,
Pa, to Abraham and Mary Long. being
the youngest of a family of six brothers
and three sisters. Three of the boys were
old enough to go to war; two were wound
ed, one died. After the war the family |
came west, settling in 1865 near Gallatin. |
Mo. The youngest child went through |
the country schools, extracting from thu
s,rI <or-
them none of the affection he did for
the rostrum in the country school when
ii was turned over to the country de-
batting society. His mental hunger was
Tor this. When school days passed, and
at 16. he was teaching a room full of
he never missed debate. and
took part. In 1879, he moved to
Paola, Kan, entering the Normal school
there, completing the course there, and
again in the vicinity.
Now, George r. Peck, once of Kansas. |
had faculty which is placed by philoso-
/ hers above genius. This is the faculty |
of recognizing genius. I don't know
PeclS's means of divination, but one day |
n 1888, the Paola school teacher entered |
the law offices of Peck. Johnson e. Nc
at Topeka Nor do / know the |
source of Peck inspiration, which. when
Long had completed his studies and had
been admitted, counseled settlement in
Medicine Lodge, Zoiling then with conflict
ing political ambitions. ambitions so
strenuous and persistent that the county
in Oklahoma today which hasn't a for
merly Barber county man in office is the
exception. In addition to these the county
has furnished the Oklahoma congress |
man. Flynn. territorial officers, a con-
gresham from Indiana. Overstreet, and
others, including. of course, Jerry Simp-
son.
No politics. speaking OF politics as
fine art, in Kansas has ever attained the
degree of strategy. reached in the boom
days in the Medicine Lodge senatorial
district. The county was congested with
quick witted men who had come West TO
find or found a fortune The interest in I
inflated realty values passing. political
came along as diversions. The
imported political methods of Indiana, Ill |
inois. Iowa, New York, added to the basic |
native Kansas method, put out a cam
paign for IA nomination which provoked
the activity of the last brain cell availa- |
BILE. And the impact was so terrific in
the convention that many of the wounds |
never healed.
The other day an Oklahoma citizen said /
ADJUSTMENTS