The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-03-06
THE WISE OLD OWL OF MICH
Continued from page y

| come uOWn TO studying the Orn
theology of the senate, the first elias!
ification is wise old owls. Uncle Ju
ius completes for leading honors /
this classification with Uncle Willial
B. Allison, of Iowa. The two of thei
have all the rest of the senate crowd
ed off the perch for soft, silent, sc
cretive wisdom. They think G
things six months before you get
flash at them.
At the risk of being called a ma
ture faker, it is necessary to say tina
Uncle julius Caesar is, also, a ST.
old fox. He goes padding aroun,
beaming on everybody, sitting 70
hours in his seat without saying
word, but keeping tab so closet.
that he can tell what is going tt
| happen before most of the othe
statesmen know what has been pro
posed From time to time, colleague.
with his duties, but whenever there
| was anything suggested that rar
counter to his ideas Uncle Julius
was found to be as wide awake as
the passengers on a Sound steam
boat on foggy night with the siren
going.
There was that time, a few years
back, when We were stirred to our
depths by the question Of Cuban
reciprocity. 1t appeared then that
the country must go out of business,
that we must smash to smithereens
if the loud demands of Cuban recip-
rocity were not needed. 1t was a
parlous occasional the time; and
the statesmen ran around in circles
like sandpipers, uttering nervous
cheep-cheeps-all but Uncle julius
Caesar. Instead, he corraled a band
of anti-reciprocity persons in his
committee room, made them prick
their thumbs and sign their names
in blood that they would do nothing
without consulting him-using a
good brand of red ink for those who
had no blood-and then walked
down into the forum and asked mild
ly, what are you going to do about
it?"
They couldn't do anything about
it, because there was nothing to be
done. The mild and soft-spoken
julius Caesar had suddenly run up
the jolly Roger, and he commanded
a piratical crew, sure enough. After
the excitement had subsidized, which
is always the case, he resumed his
padding around, noiseless as rubber
ber-tired buggy on an asphalt pave
ment. He went out of the insur-
gent business as quietly as he went
in, but not until he had announced
the immortal doctrine on which reci-
procity, as it appeals to our states
men, is based.
1t came about in this way: Henry
Cabot Lodge, senator from Massa-
was willing there should be
reciprocity on Cuban sugar, for
produces no sugar
Mr.. Lodge was making quite a stir
about it. He was holding up our
duty to the Cubans, dangling it be-
fore our eyes, and asking, in impas-
stoned tones, If the great United
States of America, having pulled
Cuba out of the fire, intended to de-
;ert her now in the hour Of her direst
need!
mot So" said Uncle julius Caesar,
Not so, by long shot. The Unit
ID States is never recreant to respon-
,ibilities, however incurred. fully
igree with the senator from Massa-
,husetts that we must do something
or Cuba. l am aware that the State
IF Michigan, which I have the honor
n part. to represent in this body
now unworthily none knows better
han myself-produces beet sugar.
It is a great and growing industry.
With millions of capital Invested. II
cannot conscientiously, with the in
erests of my constituents at heart, |
consent to any tampering with sug-
If. but I can and will do something. |
am in favor OF the freest and fullest
with Cuba on that mag
lificent staple of food, the salt
At this precise moment Henry Ca
Dot Lodge blew up like a bottle Of
soda pop. "No, Mr.. President" he |
shouted; "No, am not in favor of
hat. object. l protest. I demand,
ieny, deprecate and declare"
And Uncle julius Caesar padded
'ut of the senate, for you see, Mas
iachusetts does produce salt macker-
H. He had Henry Cabot Lodge
to pulp, and he knew 1t, |
or Mr.. Lodge is in favor of recip- |
'ocity on goods not produced in his |
,wn state, that being the usual at
itude of all reciprocity persons. AL
80 he had added another tag of COM
to the doctrine of the late |
Scott Hancock, who said |
he tariff is a local issue, thereby |
truth that was scoffed |
1t at the time, but has since won out |
as all truth must, so |
ye are informed
Tn his early days. when he was
younger, Uncle julius Caesar was
me OF the star orators of the con-
sress. In the house he made the big |
speeches for his party He has a |
'oice that is as deep and resonant |
~ tho heavy tones of an organ and