The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1904-06-29
POLITICS WITH THE LID OFF,
Old Governor Bill Bradley Opens
the Door Of His Experience
and Tells Things.
A Fascinating and Timely Book for
Plain People is Forrest Crissy's
"TattIings of q Retired
Politician"

William Jennings Bryan is prob
ably right in his estimate of the lead
ing character in Forrest Crissey's
new book ''Tattlings of a Retired
Politician" After commencing the
book most highly in a letter to the
author, Mr.. Bryan adds, "Your
politician retired too sOOn."
When a book with such a title is
given to the public in a presidential
year at a time when the men. at least.
are all immersed in politics, it is not
surprising that it should be received
with instant and emphatic favor by
the people at large. That it should
provoke hearty expressions of apprO-
val from Mr.. Bryan, who is some
thing of a retired politician himself,
various state governors and other
politicians of national reputation,
seems quite natural to one who has
read the book. The title alone at
tracts.
The word ''Tattling'' was happily
conceived by Mr.. Crissey in cOnnec
ton with the title of his book. 1t has
a pleasing sound and makes the
reader at the outset feel as if he was
to be taken behind the scenes and
RECALLED with secrets never intended
for the public ear. When a retired
politician begins to tattle w are all
willing and anxious to listen, and
certain active politicians no doubt are
quite ready to tremble.
In this case, the ''tattling" is done
by old Gov. William Bradley" a
purely fictitious character, in all
probability, but in his stories and
anecdotes he ''cuts close to the bone"
and beneath a thinly disguised identity
he reveals some mighty interesting
political secrets. The reader is given
politics with the lid off" in most
fascinating detail.
A politician who has worked his
way up to the United States Senate,
serving successfully in the state
legislature, as member of Congress
and as Governor, naturally knows
something of what has been going O.
in the country. Such q man is Will
liam Bradley, the sturdy old politi-
clan of this book, who Mr.. Bryan
says ''retired too sOOn."
81 have kept my hands clean," says
the Governor, ''but, like the boy in
the story, l have had to bandage
them and tie them to the bedpost a
good many times to do it,
After serving in the United States
Senate, the old Governor concludes
that BrOkenstraw Ranch is the best
spot on earth for him and retires to
spend his remaining years there.
But he continues to keep a keen eye
on politics. Back in the old district a
young protege, Ned, is at the begin
ming of a political career and the book
has been given in the form of q series
of lively letters of counsel written by
the Governor out of the wealth of his
experience to his young friend.
Like Lincoln, Gov. Bradley is con-
stantly reminded of a story. The
political maxims and epigrams and
warnings are driven home with q
series of stories, so full of humor and
life and revelation that the general
reader is loath to lay the book down
and the politician is simply fascinated.
These stories relate actual expert
ences of real men. There has been an
attempt to disguise the identity of
these men, but it is evident from the
start that the, old Governor is really
tattling and knows whereof he speaks.
In the opening chapter with the
interesting caption "Still Hunts and
Stolen Marches" it would seem that
the Governor mean to speak to q
wider constituency than his friend
Ned who has written that he has q
cinch on reelection to the legislature,