The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-16
FROM SHARON SPRINGS
BurtOn's Top at That Great PO-
Iitical Center.

The Sharon Springs correspondent of
! the New York Sun sends his paper a
thrilling article from that midsummer
political center of news, reading thus:
Now that William Allen White has
disclosed the great secret that President
Roosevelt does not regard Senator Bur
ton OF this state as his SlnCereSt friend
and most disinterested adviser, political
circles in Sharon Springs have felt at
liberty to discuss somewhat freely the
history of the past relations between the
president and the senator. 1t was al
Sharon Springs, two months ago, that
president and senator spent happy
Sunday, free from toll and strife. while
lesser lights in Kansas politics sat on
prairie dog mounds round about and
hoped for The worst.
Those on the prairie dog mounds had
notion that at any minute the re-
straints upon the two, quasiguest
and quasi-hOst, might be dissipated and
that they might witness the dissipation
Mr.. Whites vivid description of Mr.
Roosevelt's wrath when the discovery
of what Burton had done with the Jer
usalem letter was made caused the
greatest unhappiness here today.
THE ENTRY" OF THE TOP.
why, oh, why" moaned the sages
couldn't that have come off here?"
1t was at Sharon Springs that Burton
had his top-playing experience with the
president ana Senator Long, Senator
young anu KARLSRUHE COltSdS
The story of how the president and the
two senators played with that patent
top on the dining room table of the car
Elysian has been printed before, but in
the light of Mr.. Whites alleged Jerusa-
lem booming incident it takes on new
and touching significance.
There is a widespread opinion in
Sharon Springs that the reputed great
sagacity of Senator Long was LETT at
the post in the top episode For, by the
exercise of that peculiar ability which is
his beyond compare. Senator Burton got
Senator Long to present the top to the
president. 1t has been written: Per
suade thine enemy to write book. "
Senator Burton persuaded his'n to give
a top to the president
IT WAS A WONDERFUL TOP.
1t was a beautiful top. If it wasn't
solid gold, it was so gilded that it would
have taken an expert to tell the differ
ence. They have folk out here who can
gid most anything. not excepting the
humble building brick of commerce.
1t twas a wonderful top. 1t worked
without a string. Mr.. Long called the
presidents attention to this fact and
remarked jocularly that the top was
non-political top. 1t was made to spin
by thrusting a knifelike implement into
it's inwards. When Senator Long made
his comment on the tops non political
qualities, Senator Burton eyed that
knifelike implement in the tops in
wards and started to say something
and then. as a wise man often does, held
his peace and grinned under his flowing
mustache.
THE TOP WENT WRONG,
1t was a luxuriant top. The manu-
facturer had put it in a handsome
leather case, lined with glossy satin IN
the case besides was a polished slab OF
onyx, upon which the top was to be
spun. The slab. it was found, was so
slippery that it failed of its own ends;
the top wouldn't stay on it, no matter
how fast it whirled Nobody made any
comments on the political attributes OF
the onyx slab.
In recalling the matter now, Sharon
Springs politicians remember that it
was Senator Burton who especially
seemed to desire that the president
should make a trial of that top He
kept reminding Senator Long of it.
Long, he said, was not alive to the in
terests confided to him by constituents,
when he forgot to present TO the presl-
dent gifts which had been intrusted to
him. At last Senator Burton went and
got out the top himself.
AS has been explained, the slab was
too slippery for the top to spin on
Therefore the cloth on the dinner table
was cleared away and the top was spun
on the polished mahogany surface. 1t
spun poorly; all three of the eminent
statesmen took turns in spinning 1t. But
it did not live up to the high assertions
of its qualities which had been made
for it by the manufacturers, through
both senators.
The president, it is remembered. COM
mented scathingly upon this fact He
declared in his most exaggerated man
ner of jocular sarcasm that he thought
the top scandalously unworthy of the
attention of three so eminent public
officers. Senator Burton at once reach
ed into his pocket and produced an
other top. 1t was made of pastebOard
and was covered cheaply with litho-
graphed paper. Otherwise it was ex-
actly like the gilt model that had been
presented to the president
Both Mr.. Roosevelt and Senator Lone
began to comment playfully upon the
coincidence that Senator Burton should
be carrying around in his pockets sam
| pies of the manufactured products of
l Mr.. Longs friends. Mr.. Burton began