The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-12
The Shutting Down of Well
Known Joke Factory.

It seems safe to say that Senator
Chauncey M. Dcpew is not feeling par
ticularly humorous Just now. The loss
OF his post as legal adviser to the Eauit-
able was rather q damper on those
gambling spirits. That was q pleasant
berth, involving no other visible duties
than the trning bother Of depositing the
salary checks. The Equitable. doubtless
had plenty of law business, but another
fellow did It. Senator Depew looked on
and made the jokes. And in those years
his humor was so overbubbling that he
had good story to tell almost every
time anyone saw him.
The crash came and the policy-holders
wanted to know AS to the New York
Senator, they freely admitted his witt
ness in repartee, but they couldn't see
how this quality, admirable in It's way,
worked to the benefit Of the society In
regard to that salary of $4,000 per year,
they asked to be shown, Missouri-wise
The trustees met the Issue by callously
dropping the Senator from the payroll. II
was confidently believed that his resis-
nation from the directorate would be
promptly Forthcoming, no man in this
commecial age, being expected TO Joke
for nothing. Contrary to all expectations,
however, the Senator though payless and
jokeless alike, still hung on. Precisely
why, no one knows. 1t Is just possible,
though that this was but another nlanl-
festaton of that world famous sense Of
| humor. working along ways too subtle
for tho appreciation of the common or
| garden intellect. 1t may have heen, IN
! short merely one more Of Chauncey's lit
| tic jokes.
If this was the case, the policy-hod,
crs proved mpcnetrably dense Instead
of sa1llng, they have begun asking for
| Chauncey's resignation as an Equitable
| director. There seems, indeed, at the
| present moment ground for believing mat
gro long that mirth-provokng physos-
| nomy will be seen at directors meetings
| no more.
And so the prince Of jokcsmiths Is
temporarily retired from business, a
man who has lost almost In day q
| snug salary. n more or less honorable
dictatorship, and, We may possibly add
| a regulations can scarcely be expected tc
/. 20 on launching side-splitters as though
4. nothing whatever had happened. In time
no doubt, the Senator will again fee!
strong enough to tell n few good ones
/ but for the nonce those brilliant lips arr
| mute In tile words Of contemporary
/ pcpew has not as yet thought OF any
own case.
Tor our part. in this unhappy connec
zion, we are irresistbly reminded OF IN
words of the celebrated Dane; Alas
poor Yorlck! where be your gibes now
Your eambols? Your flashes Of merri
ment, that were wont to set the table o.
a roar?"
z-:==-=--,==-- --=--------=====S= -
MIR sL.awsons voice has failed him, an
he has been compelled to abandon hi
lecture tour in Kansas, lie Is now look
} ing out for remedy" for hlmsel
Perhaps the remedy which he offerc
I 10 the public In his Saturdays speec
for the evils of frenzied finance wa
$ 100 much even for L.awsons voice an
. caused the collapse, Mr., Lawson Is
, very interesting man and he has mac
y some Interesting disclosures, He he
q performed public service, and "
y eheettuly give MIN credit for all Il
+ good which he has done; but he HI
). now thoroughly discredited himself wi,
Y all discreet men IN proposing as u
+ remedy for the evils which no has e!
4. posed that the general public 80 in
Wall street and sell stocks while til,