The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-15

his poetry When the, two met Mr-
Roosevelt quoted couplet from
| .'Ironquill's'' best known poem, The
Washerwoman's song Later Mr.
Ware was called to Washington on
| business and visited the president, re-
manning at Mr.. Roosevelt's request to
| luncheon. The evening paper that day
contained an announcement that Eu-
gene Ware had been appointed as a
! member of the board of visitors to the
west Point academy for that year
| C9O2) The announcement was a
surprise to Mr.. Ware.
Since his appointment Mr.. Ware has
had his philosophical rhymes flung
back at him in numerous kilograms
and letters The day President Roose-
welt announced his selection one of the
Kansas delegation in the White House
automatically limiting at the difficult
| ties which would greet the new COM
missioner when he'took up the task OF
pleasing ], 100000 pensioners and their
friends, wired to Ware the following
line: Face the wind. but close your
Jaw This bit of advice was taken
from "IronquilFs" humorous piece-in
which he describes the experience OF
a brass eyed bird pup" who met
kansas zephyr with open mouth
and who was thus turned UPSIDE
down and inside out
Representative Calderhead simply
sent a couplet taken from ware
Jingle on Dewey at Manila bay, ana
do not think we dew This was a
delicate intimation that after all the
contest for this Office of pension COM
missioner Kansas had come out on
top.
After leaving the army, Mr.. Ware
became a journalist. his work being
on the Burlington Hawkeye. This
was before Bob Burdette, the humor-
list, was connected with the paper
which give him a national reputation,
but many of Mr.. Wares Hawkeye eff
fusions are still quoted. In 1867 he
moved to Kansas, and, his health nav
ing given way. he spent some time on
farm. He landed in that state in
the same financial condition that so
many of her citizens now wefl-to-do
have gone through. He was practi-
cally broke" but on the recovery of
his health started to work out his
fortune and destiny. For while he
edited the Fort Scott Monitor, at the
same time studying law. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1871
Nearly all of his poetry can be
classed as fugitive and spontaneous.
His ''Washerwoman's Song which is
so widely known. is said to have been
penned in half an hour to help a
newspaper reporter fill space on dull
day. The reporter visited Mr.. Wares
law office in search of news and de-
clared: "Gene, you simply must help
me out today; there is not scrap of
news on my route"
well, come back in a half hour, ="
said Mr.. Ware, land [ may give you
something"
The reporter returned in the time
specified and Mr.. Ware gave him the
verses that have made him famous
and which are quoted with those early
lines of Secretary of State Hay on
Little Breeches'' and lin Bludsoe."
Mr.. Ware has had a love for politics
all his life and has been a great factor
in the Republican party in Kansas.
He was an intense admirer of the
greatest genius of Kansas, John J.
Ingalls,. In the last presidential cam
paign of 1900 one of the most effective
documents circulated in Mr.. Wares
state was that prepared by him under
the title of "Since ingalls, Fell" In
it he described all the ills that had be-
fallen bleeding Kansas since In
gals had left the United State senate.