Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-07-08
10 MCDILL'S MUSINGS.
BOODLERS AND REFORMERS.

When reformation principles seemed to pre-
vailSin Issael in the days of the existence OF
that nation, the reformers, or prophets, were
won't to exclam, "There is God in Israel. {"
II is SO rare thing to have a God in Ameri.
ca, nowadays, from the standpoint of reforma-
ton, that we may be pardoned for exclaiming,
There is a God in 'poor old Missouri" Mis-
souri, had her boodling ring politicians, and she
also had her Folk. 1t was Folk who forced to
the front the God of reformation.
Preachers are supposed to lead in reforma-
tiens, but preachers nowadays have no spinal
column to speak of; or, to say the least, their
spinal column is so snake-like that the most
that can be said for them is that they do lot
of wrigglng.
Folk is lawyer, but he is doing some good
work for Christ, for Christianity and boodliug
cannot live in the same community and both
thrive. The man who attacks any evil works
for Christ, and the more vigorous the attack,
the better the indication of Christian spirit.
In Is,ael, in olden times, reforms came
through the prophets, or men OF God, and
there was not prophet of note who was not
also politician. The way those old graybeards
went after the corrupt judges and kings was
good to see, and possibly the best men of the
dav were cast in the mouds fashioned thou
sands OF years ago.
The life of the human race flows in one con-
tinuous stream, and so we may infer that Folk
is descendant of Elijah, who, in order to
stamp out the worship of Baal, did not hesitate
to put to death about four hundred Baal priests.
Folk saw his way clear to send boodlers to
the penitentiary, which is about as harsh to
ring politicians nowadays as killing Baal priests
in the days of Israel. 1t looked for a while as
if "iechnicalities" would set the bOOdlers all
free. Even the supreme court OF Missouri was
set on "technicalitles, and was SO iuclined to
sit on that kind of bench that it took wave
of indignation from the common people to
bring the Judges down to law and facts. Tech
uicaities and unconstitutionalities are the
stock in trade of the defenders of villainy.
1t may be said that Folk has won not only
the first victory over boodlers, but also the first
victory over "technicalities." Corrupt infu-
euces run the courts, and technicalities were
the DUST tuIOWH III people eyes ~ was uot
all the lawyers work. The people were and
are behind the LAWYER
Missouri people are patriotic, and believe in
clean government, and the outlook now is that
Folk will be rewarded with the high Office of
cover ror in the state that leads in reformation
that is so badly needed in all the states as 10
call for double-dose remedy of Roosevelt
strenuosity.
Now, if only some one would rise up in Kan
sas who would whip the boodlers into the pen.
itentiary and whip "techncalities" out of the
courts, the people might be stirred, even in do
cile Kansas, into something like an animated
reform, and possibly she might regain her old
time standing when she fought the border ruff
fan war.
Missouri can only crow over her beginning.
Boodlers are like den of rats. You may tear
up ,bt den and kill part of the rats, and think
the work is done. The rats that are killed will
fo,m new de,,, multiply, and the work is all
to d. ov,r. The only way to get rid of rats is
To XIII all the rats. The only way to get rid of
puoders is to put all the boodlers in the peni-