The champion. (Arcadia, Fla.) 1895-1911, 1908-11-12
a promInent PolItIcInn

Sibley as citizen in winter time. HI
owns the finest residence in the city an,
is In other ways identified with its growtl
and prosperity. A little of the Honor
able gentleman's public history is re
called by vandella Varnum Thomas In
the Pensacola Journal, of last Sunday
1t is interesting reading, we reproduce,
Congressman Sibley, Of Standard
Oil, has been receiving goodly bit Of
unpaid for attention of late, but he Is
not Of kind to be awake nights over it.
Some Of us know him fairly well. He
and Senator Spooner, of Wisconsin,
married sisters and couple of his
brother-in-laws were the star gallants at
my old college. Aside from this happy
union he was knit in the holy bonds Ia
the Standard Oil company early in life,
down in Franklin county, Pennsylvania,
where the company was coy and in
nocent. It was then that he and Charles
Miller, of Baptist fame, ran the big
refinery and represented the conpany's
interests at that point, and also the
moral life of the community. They were
prohibitionists. This was before politics
got its foot on prohibition and the cold
water people pdrred around them as the
inoguls high of the great and good. At
last we nominated Mr. Miller for COVER
nor of Pennsylvania, but somehow he
felt best not to run. Then Mr.. Sibley,
in course Of time, was nominated for
congressman, by the Prohibition party.
He accepted and Immediately the Popu-
lists who, at that time we're something
TO reckon with, endorsed him, and then
we heard of things happening, l. e., un-
heard of in the north, the democratic
party endorsed the candidate of the
Prohibition party. suppose after that
thrilling act the Democrats must have
gone and taken something pretty strong.
AT any rate the Honorable Joseph Sibley
was launched into politics with three
parties Of varying strength and respecta-
bility behind him, only the Prohibition
lists claimed the right hand seat. Then
again the unheard of happened He
won. The Republicans were defeated.
Actually a prohi-pop-dem, was sent from
that district that hitherto had known
only the straight and narrow way that
leadth unto. Then the Prohibition
party sat UP nights framing prohibition
bills that were to be introduced by their
representative. Days came
and went, but nary bill came in sight. |
Speeches tickled the house and held the
galleries spellbound pamphlets hied here
and thither like leaves of autumn, but
not one referred to the theme embraced
by the platform on which he first made
his acceptance speech. Dear me, the
guileless prohi's could not understand.
They do now, and they did very soon,
aud when in two years the Democrats
him they did it alone. Mr..
Sibley was then fuli-hedged Democrat,
The only congressman OF that stripe in
all western Pennsylvania. How proud
he party was OF THAR silver-tongued
representative. His speeches fairly flew
,yer the state and found resting place
N the parlor table beside the family
bible.
AT last there came good old Repub-
lean bill before the house on good old
republican hobby, and Mr.. Sibley rose
0 the occasion, took flying leap and
anded right in the court of honor by
he side of the high tariff magnates.
he next time the Republican party
emit him back and he has ever since
TODD without hitching beside the gray
eaded policies Of the Keystone state.
The reader will pardon me for recount
ig so much history, but it all comes
ack fresh with these Archbold-SibleyI
'tters. Some one says he doesn't object \
} evolution if man is only going the
ght way from the monkey. So no one
IN object to man changing his opinion. !
e ought to If it represents growth,
rogress, but heading toward the
onkey is another proposition" :
+ 4. L