The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-12

$50 many young fellows. who really
give promise of amounting to some
thing if they escape disease and pesti-
lence, are getting the political bug so
firmly in their systems that I think
there ought to be a public dip some
where for the cure of this disease"
said Ananias Fisher. Its worse than
| blackleg and it spreads like a plague.
There's a young fellow over in my
end of town who was getting along
well. He lived through babyhood with
out collie. He got through infancy
without passing in his checks on ac-
count of measles. scarlet fever, whoop-
| ing cough, or mumps. He lived through
the smoking cigarette period and
played football a season without losing
rib nor an arm. He started in on a
mercantile career. Just think of it!
Wasn't burned to death in infancy.
Didn't drown while boy. and after
weathering all these things he's going
into politicsi
HE might still be a good citizen and
a respected member of the community
II he hadn't, while young man, Joined
| a lyceum. III tell you, these lyceumS
have ruined more young men than any
one thing outside of drink and dime
novels that know of.
This young fellow joined a lyceuA
and delivered the Sink or Swim. Live
or Die Grafton. He got through it
/ without being scared off the platform,
/ and he Immediately decided that he
ought to go into politics.
He went to two politicians and ask
1 ed them what requirements a fellow
had to have to be a good politician.
| Foresight and discretion said the
! first. 'Youp don't possess these qualities.
He went to another and he said: 1t
take gall and lots of it to make a
politician and you've got more than
you're share of. it That decided the
fellow. He went into politics. The first
plunge wasn't bad. He only got his
feet wet He served on a central com
Inittee. He spoke the truth in those
days. Now he lies like trooper. The
fellow who told him it took gall to
make a politician and that he had plen-
| ty of it is sorry he spoke. This fellow
crowded him clear off the platform at
the Wichita convention.
Call Why he tells congressman
what to do and directs state officers in
what they should do political
when he goes into a campaign he
| is on both sides of every question. He
| tells one crowd that he is going 10
spend a barrel of money and that ther-
| is no bottom to his barrel. He tells
| the other faction, with whimper, that
his wife is sick, that there's mort
| gage due on his home and that he
must have the office in order to pay his
| bills. He tells the vets that he's SO
| wet that he feels like a flood. He tells
| the dry crowd that he is kiln dried and
ready to crack open. He goes to eight
! different churches, doesn't believe in
| any of them, and he can talk high taxes
| or low taxes and never miss note.
"Now some day he'll be found out
and then he'll joint a boss busters
union and berate the present day poll
ticians as being scoundrels who use
undetermined methods. He'll talk about
honesty in office. He'll make that
Sink or Swim speech again and say
that sink or swim, live or die. survive
or perish he'll always cast his vote
for an honest man no matter in what
party he is classed. But, so long as he
was running for office he cracked the
party whip until it made the voters
dance.
Think of it, Grown up to be a man
and now he is to be cut down in the
prime of his career by the political cut
worm. He'll never be good for any
thing again. He'll never work for a
living He is past that The only thing
between him and the poor house is a
political job Better get the political
dip ready and kill off the bug"