Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-05-02
Biting Their Thumbs.

Alack and alas! The lord of Skibo
castle has fallen afoul of the wielder
in chief of the big stick and if he does
not keep both optics skinned is liable
indeed, quite likely-to be clapped into
the Ananias club or something equally
bad. Andrew Carnegie made bold at
the great peace powwow In New York
to take issue with President Roosevelt,
which is certainly a case of leze mai
esty and calls for condign punishment.
Now Andy and Colonel Roosevelt bite
their thumbs at each other as they
pass by. Too bad that these palpitat-
ing patriots should come to the parting
Of the ways. for were they not cheek
by jowl on the great and burning ques-
ton of simplifed spelling? On that
subject they were
Two souls with but a single thought,
Two hearts that beat as one.
No doubt it was Andy who inveigled
the president into issuing that celebrat-
ed order to the public printer which
the congress turned down good and
hard.
BY the way, the dove of peace did
not spread her wings to any consider
able extent over that New York assem-
blage in the interests of peace. Two
of the brethren came near to blows
because II of them in~terjected the
words Hot air." into the others ora
ton. The wind must have been in the
wrong quarter. Good DR.. Bartholdt of
st. Louis, who keeps a covetous eye
constantly fixed on the Nobel peace
prize and who always votes for every
appropriation for war, was there, but
he seems to have been in a pacific
frame of mind. The doctor Is for
peace, but he also likes pie. and he
knows full we'll that he would be
divorced from the pie counter without
ceremony and without delay should he
vote against any appropriation for wal
recommended by his great peace low
Ing friend in the White House.
A Strong Man.
Hon. Henry T. Rainey of Illinois has
been doing some investigating into
Panama canal matters on his own
hook and finds that the arrangements
for handling fresh meats are so sloven-
~ as to make 1t seem probable that
there will be an epidemic among the
diggers Of the big ditch. He remained
on the isthmus eight days and as he
went thither unheralded had a much
better chance to ascertain the truth
than did President Roosevelt or Uncle
JOe's bunch Of congressman.
Rainey is an able man and is rapidly
coming to the front in the house Of
representatives. He is q fine debater.
Nature did much for him. He has n
commanding presence and one of the
c]earest and most resonant voices I ever
heard. His manner is deliberate, and
he is an indefatigable student. He pos.
sesses the courage of his convictions and
is not afraid to speak out in meeting.
During the last congress he made
two remarkable speeches touching the
practice of the American Watch COM
pany in selling it's watches In foreign
lands at a price much below what 1t
sells them for to us Americans. His
first speech on the subject was q veri-
table bombshell among the Republic
ans. They set one Of their crack
speakers, Mr. Boutell Of Chicago, to
answer him. Several Of the smaller
fry also took a shot at the big ILL.,
noisan, but they never feazed him.
Notwithstanding Brother Boutell's
pleasing oratory and the answers of
the others, Rainey held his position
and in his second speech proved con-
c~lusively every charge and statement
he made in the first speech.
In the debate on the ship subsidy
among other things Rainey said:
Mr.. Chairman, the gentleman from Ne
braska (Mr. Pollard ~propounded this