The Topeka state journal., 1908-08-05

actIy aff1uent circumstances. After
public schools, the young man some way
or other got through Baker university,
| Baldwin, Kan, a Methodist institution
n which has turned r out many bright
| tow, are: The Rev. DR.. w. A. Quayle,
now of Indianapolis, formerly of Kan
| sas City, a pulpit orator and writer of
| renown; Representative Philip Pitt
| Campbell of the Third Kansas district;
Henry j. Allen of Ottawa, editor, poll
| tician, wit and orator, who is now con-
| tending for a congressional nomination
in the Second Kansas district.
! Got Into Politics Early.
"Bristow got into politics at an early
| age. He was elected clerk of the dis
| trict court in Douglas county, Kan,
in the eighties. He served two terms,
| and then went to Salina. where he
| bought a small paper. which he turned
| into daily. In 1894 Kansas Republi-
cans set about to rid the state of Pop
year an aggressive preliminary cam
| paign. Bristow contended with VIM.
A. Calderhead of Marysville for the
| congressional nomination in the Fifth
district He lost 1T by one vote, which
| is interesting. One vote in a precinct
| of the city of Concordia gave Calder
head and precinct, which gave him the
ward, which gave him the city, which
gave him Cloud county. which nomi-
mated him. 1t was hard luck, but
! Bristow only smiled.
This contest excited attention to
| the young editor, and later. when
| Cyrus Leland was made chairman of
the Republican state central COM
mittee. and needed a first class secre-
tary, ]. l.. Bristow of Salina was
| chosen. All through that campaign,
| with never-fiagging zeal, and bear
| ing the hardships incident to the posi-
| ton he filed Bristow worked for his
party at Topeka. When it was all
over and Major E. N. Morrill, of
| Hiawatha, former representative in
congress from the First district, was
elected governor, he made the secre-
| tary of the state committee his secre-
| tary.
Great Energy a Characteristic.
"The writer hereof was a young re-
porter and correspondent at the state
| house at Topeka in these early days of
| 1895 when Morrill, was governor and
| Bristow was secretary to the COVER
nor. He has not seen since such
energy and application as Bristow
gave to the work before him. 1t was
amazing in the extreme. And when
came on, with the presidential race,
| and with Morrill, a candidate for re-
election, with Populists and Demo-
| Gratis exultant and united in Kansas,
Bristow divided his duties and became
| again secretary Of the state COM
! mittee. All through that long siege
and nowhere was the campaign more
| bitterly fought out than in kansas
his was the energy and force that d.
rected and pushed it forward.
I'm 1897, Cyrus Leland. who had
| been national committeeman from
Kansas since 1884. and who was a
| member of the executive committee
| and close to President Mckinley and
Chairman Hanna, went to Washing
| ton. The state generally did not know
| just what he was up to, but one day
| came back to the state the informa
| tion that the president had nominated
| Joseph L. Bristow of Kansas to be
fourth assistant postmaster general.
Amazement in Washington.
"In Washington this caused some
| amazement. The bureau of the fourth
| assistant postmaster general was a
most important one. 1t was the ap
| pointment, the inspection, and, in a
| measure, the executive, branch of the
| postoffice department. What manner
| of man was this brought out from the
west to be placed in charge Of it? In
| Kansas even, where BristoW had be-
| importance of the bureau was not
properly estimated it was wondered
whether Bristow would be big enough
to fill the place.
! Takes a MOnStrOuS Job.
! "Bristow went to Washington. He
| took hold of his monStrouS job as
though he were at his newspaper
| desk, or the desk of the secretary to
! the governor of Kansas. He applied
| himself to his task, and he set about
it to know a little more about what
was going on in the department than
anyone else-and he soon did. He
| mastered details and inaugurated re-
| forms. He became rigid taskmas
ter and disciplinarian, but for the pub
| lies good. He reorganized the bu-
| reau, but more especially the inspec-
] tion division. His trained corps of
young men was soon ferreting out all
| manner of wrongdoings. small though
| they were. His appointment division
| handled the enormous work of ap-
| pointing and commissioning thousands
! of new postmasters all over the coun-
| try, with consummate skill and in
credible facility. He came in touch
with the president and the then post
| master general, Charles Emory Smith.
and possessed their condolences to the
| highest degree.
| When His Opportunity Came.
But it was not until 1900 that Bris-
| tow's opportunity really came. The
Cuban postal scandals began to be q
| source of embarrassment, and the ad
m1nistration decided to air them. The
president and the postmaster general
| picked on Bristow for the job. He went
| to Cuba and for three months, night
and day, overturned everything, sift-
| ing here, sitting there, until he had
| performed the task given him. His
! succinct and clear report afterward
was one of the finest bits of official
| work which has been given publicity
! in many years. His suggestions were
| acted upon. His advice was taken. The
evils were righted. Cuban postal SER
vice was placed on a clean and busi-
| ness-like basis. The execrations Of
Neely and Rathbone and their friends
| and political hackers ever since 1900
are a standing monument to Bristow's
| meritorious labors.
I'm 1902 the 'get-rich-quick' scheme