The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-01

vars ago was axed, de same as now.
to run fur de presidency on de Gull d Fl
man't ticket. I told yO' den. as must
tell yO now, dat it was impossible In
yo'r enthusiasm yo furgit sartin things r
an am carried away by yo'r own hopes
No Guild man viii eber lib long huff
to see one of his race in de White
House. 1t can't be. I has Sot down in
nggered it out on de fioah a hundred
times ober.
DE white man has bin on top in dis
kentry cher since de Pilgrim Fathers
landed, an he's gwine to stay right
dar till de end of de world. We got in
too late. He had eaten up de core an
left us de rind when we arrived lie
had de bulge on us, an not for one
mint mas he let 60 In dis kentry to-
day am about Is. 200, 600 white folks an E
100000 Guild. De odds am too big for
us. 1t hain't a question of what we
desarve to git. but it's a question OF
what we would git-nuffin' tail Speak
in in a gineral way, an from my OBJ
serVa lions an experiences of de last
fifty vars. I'm tellin yo' dat de Guild
man who runs fur president will spend
SIS or SIC an have muffin but defeat
an disappointment to show fur IT,
THE PROFESSOR TAKES A HAND
As the last words fell from Brother
Gardeners lips. there were signs and
grcans from every part of the hail.
and these We're followed Dy cans OF
/ Don't lay dOwnt" and You are
bound to win" After giving the pa
triots two minutes to prepare the way
! Professor johnson arose and made
a brief address He called attention
to Napoleon crossing the Alps; he
cited a dozen different instances where
the impossible had been made pos
sible; he stated that never in history
had the colored man been 50 enthusi-
astic and earnest, and from his stand
point Brother Gardner had only to
take the nomination to be elected by
an OVerWh Ginning majority. The en-
I broke
time the stovepipe came down and a
dozen panes of glass were broken
A FINAL DECLINATION.
Brother Gardner again came to the
front and there We're tears in his eyes.
and it was plain to see that his heart
was touched. He said that even the
Cardiff Giant could not help but feel
lifted up at the words of praise and
the honOrs intended. but still he must
answer as before If, by any posi-
bility he could be elected president,
then would come the question of his
leaving home and taking up his resi-
dence in the White House. He had
occupied his cabin for thirty years.
Every crevfce and knOthole and cock
roach was familiar to him. He had
just painted his front door yellow and
his gate blue, and the idea of leaving
them behind would make him i'll. As
he understood it, there was no truck
patch in rear of the White House and
without a chance to work among let
tuce, cucumbers and onions he would
And there was Mrs. Gardner to deal
with Shed want to go barefoot in
summer and have her feather bed in
winter, and at least once a week shed
want to set out and look for roots and
barks She'd cling to JOhnnycakez
and bacon, and it would be impossible
at her age to teach h er to use a fork
or to stop her from smoking a corn
cob pipe He'd figured it out and
thought il over and measured it on all
sides with a tape line, and while he
hated to disaDpOint the cOlOred race
of America ne had fully and firmly
made up his mind he could not accept
the nomination.
Speeches were made by half a
dozen different individuals. all fun OF
fire and enthusiasm. and all piedEiug
support and predicting victory. but
the old patriarch could not be moved
from his resolution. and at a late hour
the meeting broke in two and the
mem bers dispersed. It is possible that
Brother Jones may take second place
on the ticket IL one is put in the field,
and his name will be depended on to.
win out, but IL must be understood
from this time on that Brother Card
ner is out of the field and will sell
summer squashes and early rose pO-
tatoes at the usual price Orders for
the same, and for whitewashing in all
its branch es.-t together with backing
and putting up stoves and beating
carpets in the most thorough manner,
will be received at the usual place and
promptly attended to. Terms. cash on
the nail.-( Copyright, 1904, by T. c.
AIcClure-)