The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-30

Perhaps those members of the State
Bar association who opposed Judge t.
F. Garver's motion to dispense with ex-
hilarating liquors at the annual bar
banquets did so for the reason that
there should be something bright and
sparkling at a solemn and heavy bar
risters' banquet. Perhaps some thought
that punch is SO closely related with
bars that the two could not be di-
vorced. IF these two reasons were adj
Vanced those who favored the motion
should have required the obiectionistS
to separately state the two clauses in
the motion to duash.
There was at least one state bar ban
quet in the past which was enliVened
by the punch bowl and the application
OF Mother Goose to law. 1t took place
i've or six years ago. The banquet
board was spread in the confines of
Copeland county. The table was well
filled with banqueters and with viands.
me programme was well filled with
speakers; there must have been a
dozen or fourteen. The speakers were
Well filled with cold, hard, dry and we'll
seasoned legal ideas which they meant
TO PROFOUND. Over at one side of the
room was the punch bowl, and to be in
perfect keeping with the rest of the
arrangements and participants, it was
Wen filled Sir Richard F. Hodgins,
| Master of the Craft, presided at the
boWl, and although he did not stir the
mixture with the sword that would fit
| a swashbuckler knight of old, he stirred
1t, and he stirred it well and diligently.
There was one particular newspaper
reporter, who has since withstood the
| rigors of Kansas City and St Louis
4 banquets, assigned to report the ban
quet Tor morning paper. He was a
| jolly sort of fellow, who was in his
element at a Saturday Night club
| stampede or who would have fun galore
| at an Elks' social. But at a lawyers
gatherlng, where Blackstone and torts
We're to be discussed. class legisla ton
be threShed over, the right of apDear'
| TO be pounded, and the ethics of the
profession" to be whipped around the
| stump. he wasn't particularly at home
BESIDES that he was a confirmed bach
elor dyspeDtic.
The banquet began at about eight
o'clock and by $3.50 the punch, cigars
and speeches had been reached. The
first speaker set the pace with a long.
dry, We'll seasoned and kiln-cured trea-
tlse on some technical point. The re-
porter for the morning paper looked at
the punch bowl and at Sir Richard
/ Faraday Hodgfns.
| do you know who the guy is that's
guarding the punch?' asked the visit
full reporter of another of the clan.
Yep, Dick Hodgins," was the answer
| well, if there is anything / hate it's
this soapy water punch that they shove
at you when you go to Kansas ban
quets. Lemo would be a heap better
Say, if you know the punch bow
guardian ask him to please put a lit
tie of the real stuff that jollifies into
the punch he sends to me- said the re-
porter for the morning paper
| The reporter who knew Sir Hodgins
sent him a brief note, by one of the
walters, to the effect that the other
reporter at the end of the table would
like to have a little extra spike put
in his punch Hodgins read the note
and nodded.
When the reporter who wrote the
note for the other member of the clan
tasted his punch as it came straight
from the bowl without extra spiking
he wondered how the reporter for tho
morning paper would get on with his
spiked punch.
They came pretty regularly and be
: fore long the morning reporter said h
guessed he'd go out and telephone the
city editor. He was gone long enough
to walk around the block. He came
back and went after few more spiked
punches. Along about midnight ht
reckoned he'd go out and telephone the
city editor again. He was gone longer
that time; about long enough to wall
twice around the block in the cold
night air.
After he returned he tossed off
couple more punches and said "Gsh II
have to write sumsin bout banquet,
and he left.
Twenty minutes later another repre-
sentative of the morning paper rushet
in and surveyed the scene 1t was :
solemn gathering. A lawyer was max
ing a long winded talk about corpora
ton law. Such stuff had been talke,
of for three hours. The Representative,
of the paper borrowed some speaker
manuscript, a programme, asked for :
bill of fare, grabbed a couple of cigar
! and said:
mo wonder he's paralyzed. This kin,
, of Il banquet would drive anyone L
drink. Guess I'll not stop" and ava,
} he went.
What did you put in that fellow
! punch when you spiked it?'' was aslze
. of Sir Hodgins.
Just what he asked for" was tn
answer.
81 thought the straight stuff withou
being spiked was pretty stiff" wa.
the comment.
, at was" said the guardian of tn
punch bowl, land after 1t was spiket
it must have been 90 proof. You know
it was champagne punch to begil
with
Poor fellow, his spiked punch was to-
much for him and he wasn't on hand L
hear the only interesting speech of tn
banquet; that made by Silas Porter, 0
, Kansas City on THE Relations O
Mother Goose to Law"
HOW SHE TAKES HER REST