The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-01
~uNCLE JoEv-No. 8.


hours of congress last Saturday night
wound up in a sort of blaze of glory
for President Roosevelt by the passage
during the last few weeks including on
the last day and especially during the
last week. large number of the
measures in which President Roosevelt
was vitality interested and for whose
enactment he urged through many
messages-in view of these things. it is
somewhat interesting to recall the pre-
diction in the first Uncle Joe" article,
printed in this paper on Tuesday, May
18th. two weeks ago tomorrow, refer
ring to the first of the numerous recent
conferences between President Roose-
welt and Speaker Cannon; pointing out
the fact that the two men were pulling
earnestly together to get things DONE"
This is the quotation from No. 1: AT
the closing hours of this session of the
congress a number of things are ap-
parently coming to pass resulting in
the measures that the President urged
in his message were necessary"
"Uncle joe is sly one and while
busy as bee he must have had a
wonderful amount of prime enjoy
ment during the last week.
Uncle Joe's" fine sense of humor
must save him many heartache over
trials and tribulations which come up
every day in the house. His keen APP
perciation of the humorous side of
things turns the corners of his big
mouth up like chopping bowl, in
stead of down like eroquet wicket.
a. 81 l.n
points and he must be liked by the
representatives who could make such
demonstration in his honor on the
closing night of the session last Sat-
urday.
A few days ago he got some of
those rabbit congressman on the
Goals and would have broiled them to
turn had not the representatives
sneaked to cover and prevented I'm
Gle joe from catching them. OF
course, before you can broil a hare
you must catch it and uncle Joe"
had a lot of these fellows by the cot
ton-tails, but they pulled away from
him.
Fortunately this paper has several
very good friends who have kept the
writer advised as to the situation in
Washington. There is no particular
reason why this paper should have
been advised. but the fact remains that
it was-and then, there is the Congress
sional Record.
Another fact; we have it straight
and will vouch for the truth, that
"Uncle Joe" had some other con-
gressmen ready to grill in great shape.
Less than a week ago and for
period of two or three days the speaker
served notice on a number of his col
leagues, who had been clamoring for
the recognition of certain bills, that
he had decided to recognize them.
Nothing but a bombshell could have
created greater CONSERVATION in the
ranks of those terrified but shifty
statesmen. They were badly scared;
it is said you could pick them out in
the hall of the house because their
hair had a pompadour look about 1t
that was striking and distinctive.
Several of these congressman had
been making considerable capital, pre-
tending to be very earnestly behind
their bills. but representing that the
speaker would not give them recogni-
ton. They were so confident that Mr..
Cannon would not recognize them that
they felt entirely safe in playing their
fine Italian hands onto the tables of
their constituents. in labor organiza-
tions. trying to win favors by advo-
eating legislation outside the capitol,
but making absolutely no effort what
ever to secure such legislation in the
proper place. on the floor of the house.
These statements are absolutely true,
from cold blooded facts, and the con-
gressmen who are lodging these re-
marks, knowing that they are aimed
in their direction, will not dare dis
pute the facts as here printed.
There are other facts that were as
certained on the Washington visit
last month
The writer did not intend to say
anything more about Uncle Joe." but
the two articles, strange as it may ap-
State Journal any circulation; in fact
there are number of new subscrib-
ers on the books.
All of this means. if 1t means any
thing. that the people of Kansas and
the west want square deal for every
man and they have apparently come
| to the writer's conclusion that "Uncle
Joe" was not given a fair deal
Now, "Uncle Joe" may be no par
agon of perfection. We do not say for
a minute that he is, but there is a
whole lot of good in "Uncle Joe" and
| it did not take over half an hour for
an observer to grasp that fart and ~
realize that lot of people were say
ing things about the speaker which
nave been happily characterized by
an eminent authority as defined by a
very short. but ugly word of four let
tiers beginning with ''l' and ending
with IS"