davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

ment OF Hearst in the last g,ibernatoriai
campaign In New York was generally re-
garded as one of the most powerful po-
litical speeches heard In recent years. To
match him the democrats win have in
New York Bourke Cochran the famous
Irish-American orator. who returned to
their fold in 1900. Another clever demo-
cratic stumper OF the Empire state 10
Francis Burton Harrison. a sample OF
whose wit can be taken from his speech
on the diplomatic bill at the last session
when he said of one of our secretaries
of embassy abroad: while a very amia-
BILE gentleman. he reminds me frresistibly
OF the white rabbit In Alice in wonder
land and as he scuttles through the
London drawing rooms one can almost
picture him saying: oh. the duchess.
the duchess. Oh. my furs and whiskers.
Il shall be late""
Partisan vituperation Will. OF course. be
heard on the stump in this campaign. rs
IL has In every other. In fact. II was
heard before this campaign had begun.
and when Mr.. Bryan called Col. Guffey
of Pennsylvania a political boss" and
"bushwhacker." as also when Col. Cuff
fey. in reply, called the eloquent COM
moner a "self-convicted falsifer." "hyp,
ocrite," arrogant boss" and migrate"
And on the eve of the last presidential.
election President Roosevelt. answering
Judge Parker's charge that the republic
ans had levied blackmail on the trusts.
ous.' "monstrous." "unqualiiedly and
atrociously false" and "a wicked false
hood"
But If Mr. Hearst takes the stump In
this campaign the public may expect
from him the liveliest epithets in this par
ticuar line Of oratory. In his last cam
paign he called Judge Parker a political
cockroach." II. III. Rogers a rat" and
William Travers Jerome a political Gro
ton bug" And when he was in the House
Of Representatives he accused colleague
of aiding his father In committing Q
murder" in the latter's low saloon"
has called Joseph A. Choaue a 'servfle
lickspittle." Fulton Cutting O worthless
poodle" Attorney General Bonaparte
"cab horse" Gov Hughes an animated
feather buster" and President Roosevelt
"a fragrant tax dodger.''
JOHN ELFRETH WATKIN9.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
Representative John S. williams.

navy this last session, Williams. In one
of his witty speeches. was picturing our
future battles with airships, and Hobson
in reply. after picturing Williams as float
ing In war airship, Tin his own lofty alti-
tude. asked If the latter would not pre-
fer that his craft be superior to the other
fellows. otherwise. Hobson went on, II
Williams balloon were punctured there
than there is today
more than there is today" admitted
Williams. solemnly. but not more than
there was yesterday The day before
Hobson had made his long speech favor
ing four monster battleships.
On the stump, as in Congress. Williams
often convulses his hearers with poetry
Replying recently to an adversary VINO,
he complained. had politely Invited him
to go to the Internal regions, he said the
latter reminded him of this verse. which
a disappointed swain had dedicated to his
sweetheart:
When I asked my girl to marry me she said.
She knew that knew that her father dead:
She knew that knew what life he had led;
She knew that knew what she meant when she
Go 's to fatherr"
One of the best stump speakers whom
the republicans will have at work on the
Pacific coast is Representative Cushman
of Washington. Speaking of Williams
during the last days of the recent session.
he said in the House: Il sometimes Won
der how 1 can cherish as warm per-
sonal Keeling for a gentleman whose po-
litical policies inspire me chiefly with ap-
prehension and distrust. 1 am inclined to
think that it is largely by reason of SYM
pathy. Considering the showing he has
made with the material he has had to
work on, all of us ought to be kind to
him." And describing his meeting
farmers wife while he was stamping for
reelection as representative at-large from
Washington. he once said: when asked
her what were the political sentiments of
the neighborhood. she replied: II dunno
l don't go to political meetings. They
say there is congressman at large
around here and l think the safest thing
for women is to stay at home.
Uncle Joe Cannon will be the biggest
republican campaign gun Of the middle
west. despite Amos Cummings famous
sally in the House that the great Illinois
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

it i, be cut of" And with that the execu-
toner cut off the mans nose
The king then said: Those eyes OF
ton to you. They are guilty Ihey
should be put out And with that the
executioner did the gouging:
You have now heard with your ears
that 1t is not allowed to drink the KING $
beer. Your ears are of no good to you.
man was beaten within an inch OF ms
life. and he dragged himself away ana
died.
Stories Of Lobengula.
I understand that Lobengula was fond
of beer. He was accustomed to make
his white visitors drink with him. and
every one who called was expected to
take three cans of beer and to eat three
plates of grilled beef. The cans each
held a gallon and they were served be-
tween the plates. The king would not
drink champagne. and he gave all that
was presented to him to his wives. OF
whom he had a large number.
Lobengula was supposed to own all the
country. He had vast herds of cattle
He had control of the mines. and every
one was subject to him. After MS oeatn
the natives surrendered. and since then
they have been comparatively quiet, ex-
cept for the revolt of 1896. which was
caused by the witch doctors. Lobengula
himself claimed to be witch doctor He
said he could make rain. and he did TINS
by cooking a kind of DEVILS broth Of
crocodile livers. snake skins. frog toes
and hippopotamus fat. AS the steam or
this compound went up he petitioned the
gods to open the clouds, and the rain was
supposed to fall.
Speaking of rainmaking. shortly after
the statue of Rhodes was erected in Buia-
wayo there was a drought, and the ma
tives believed that the lack Of rain came
because Rhodes head was uncovered.
saying that the spirits would not onend
the great man in that way.
All of these South African natives be-
iieve In witchcraft and every tribe has
Its witch doctors. In coming here l trav-
eled for one day with the chief native
commissioner of Rhodesia, a man who
has charge Of all the negroes of Mashona-
land He tells me that the Mashonas
have trials by ordeals to detect witches.
One of the tests is heating a stone red
hot and making the accused lick it with
his tongue. II he is guilty his tongue
will blister. II not he is innocent. An
other test IA by certain medicines. II
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

the republicans will have on the stump
their famous radical. Senator La Fol-
lette of Wisconsin, who in the last ses-
sion broke all former congressional rec
ords for filibustering by talking eigh
teen hours and three-quarters without
assistance. his oratory being prolonged
throughout the night until 1880 in the
morning.
Senator Ben" Tillman and his pitch
fork are expected on the hustings late
in the autumn he being now abroad
recuperating from a nervous collapse
suffered in the early summer after
strenuous session of oratory, during
which he made the most bitter attack
upon President Roosevelt yet heard in
the halls Of Congress- But the most
sensational speech of this orator, who
drawing card of Congress- was that on
the Brownsville affair. during which he
likened the Senate to a minstrel show.
in which Senator Lodge was made to
appear as chameleon reproducing
White House colors. and Senator Stone
as Cum Shoe Bill from old Missouri"
dancing the Highland fling.
In this caste the fiery South Caro-
linian also billed Senator Culberson as
the Lone Star artist" who performs a
solo on the bones In praise Of the Presi-
dent" Senator Patterson as 1.-The dying
swan. Smiling Tom.'' and Senator
Spooner as IAN acrobat and juggler of
international reputation" Indeed, Till
man was at his best in this debate
which Senator Teller. fearing a per-
sonal encounter between Tillman and
the Infatuated Carmack. brought to an
abrupt close by moving that the doors
be closed
Davis Will Add to Gayety.
But even If Senator Tillman fails to
recover in time for the coming cam
paign. there will still be on hand the
equally sensational JEFF Davis. senator
from Arkansas, whose favorite appeal
on the stump is to express his willing
ness Ito meet face to face" any man
who will dare to impugn his personal
record. Indeed, there have been strenu-
Gus times. generally, when this orator
has taken the stump. In 1902 he had
fist fight with his rival candidate for
the governorship, and in 1908 he was
knocked off the speakers platform by
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
Representative Champ Clark.

an had been wrongly named and was
not a cannon, but a toy musket." This
will be Uncle Joe's nineteenth consecutive
campaign for election to the House and
his wit Is as scintillating today as ii has
been at any time within those thirty-six
years. In the last presidential campaign
he made long and strenuous tour. ad
dressing audiences in fifty doubtful con-
war horse who will ride rough shod over
the middle west is Gen. Grosvenor of
Ohio. who until his recent retirement
from the House was generally recognized
as the best all-around debater on the re-
publican side Of that body. Senator Dol
liver of Iowa. who while in the House
was generally regarded as it's crack ora
tor. will be another prominent figure on
the stump In the middle west as will be
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, who. in
the last campaign, covered the Mississ-
sippi valley and intermountain states.
drawing larger audiences among the
farmers than any other republican orator
ever sent among that element. His most
notable speech on this tour was at Wichi-
Ia. Kan. where $1,000 farmers turned out
to hear him. and this is believed to be the
record for American campaigning. out
side of big cities.
Some of the loudest democratic thunder
will be produced in the middle west by
Representative DeArmond of Missouri.
the most incisive democratic orator OF
the House; Mayor Tom Johnson of Cleve-
land. who will probably continue to stump
from mis- automobile: Gov. Johnson of
Minnesota. who won for himself a nation
al reputation for readiness at repartee
while attending the house of governors
assembled at the White House this sum-
mer to discuss the conservation Of nation
al resources. When censured by Gov.
Conner of Alabama. who complained that
"the governor of Minnesota talked about
the mining regions of the north and west.
but when he reached Alabama he
stopped" Gov. johnson, who was on his
feet in a moment. replied: ANY one who
enjoys real hospitality would have
stopped there. too"
Samples Of Vituperation.
About the strongest republican orator
who will be heard on the hustings in the
middle Atlantic states in this campaign
is Elihu Root, whose unsparing arraign-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

Judge, while the same year he was
about to fight an opponent who called
him a contemplate liar" when friends
jumped between the belligerents. Still
later. in 1908, he caned a Judge, while
last April he was fined $25 for cunning
on the streets of Little Rock for an
attorney with whom he had just had a
personal encounter. Late in the last
session of Congress. after he had gone
for Senator Foraker hammer and tOngs.
shouting at him in stentorian voice,
Foraker convulsed the Senate by re-
plying. THE Senator from Arkansas
ought to speak little louder. 1t Is diff
f1cult to hear him."
Chauncey Depew. now entirely rejuve-
mated by aid of vegetarianism and Null
doonism. Is preparing to enter upon his
hfty-second year as campaign orator,
his debut having been made at a republi
can mass meeting in New York state in
1856. just after his graduation from
Yale. Since that time he has never miss
ed campaign either state or national.
but his most strenuous work was done in
the first McKinley-Bryan campaign when,
on one occasion. he followed a route just
covered by Mr.. Bryan and made eighteen
speeches in a single day.
Senator Depew also has to his credit
the worlds record for ong-distance
speaking. he having In 1900 sat at the tele-
phone in his Washington mansion and
made an after-dinner speech to a ban
quet being held at the Manhattan Hotel,
New York.
In scintillation of wit no spellbinders
heard in this years campaign will excel the
two great democratic orators. Representa-
tive Champ Clark of Missouri and John
Sharp Williams. the newly elected senator
from Mississippi. Clark never speaks with
out convulsing his hearers, whether they
be in the political mass meeting or in the
House. and one of his wittiest speeches
was made in opposition to the annexation
Of our Pacific possessions. Tom Reed was
in the chair and Clark's peroration went
as follows:
I'm my minds eye see the gentleman
from the Fiji Islands rising in his place
on this floor and gazing on the Speaker
with watering mouth as something good
to eat"
Reeds rotundity at once bringing to
mind the favorite caricatures Of the mis-
sionary fattened for cannibal feast,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

the medicines make the man sick or
cause his death he Is supposed to be a
witch. If not. he is allowed to go free.
third test. used especially for
boiling water. The accused must take
this out with his bare hand. and If the
hand shows no sign of scalding the man
Is cleared. II his hand burns he is adj
judged thief and punishment follows.
The natives believe in the justice OF these
tests and submit to them A white trader
Of the Zambesi told me that he missed a
shirt not long ago and accused his native
was innocent. and the trader believed him.
The next day the boy came in with his
hand terribly scalded and confessed his
guilt In his cooking he had overturned IA
superstitiously thought that the burning
occurred on account of his theft.
Eaten by Ants.
One Of the punishments decreed by the
witch doctors in some regions is that the
witch must be eaten by ants. This is
done by taking the accused man out into
the wilds. smearing him with honey, and
tying him to tree. The honey attracts
the ants and they complete their work
by biting the flesh from the bones.
Another punishment is laying red-hot
stones on the bare stonachs of the guilty
ones. and among some of the tribes in
stances are known in which the witches
have been roasted over slow fires.
understand that the witch doctors are
by far the most important members of
the tribes. They are supposed to be d.
yirely appointed and especially au.
the tribe. Every witch doctor has to
undergo a course Of training before he
can practice. and he must exhibit certain
idiosyncracies which prove him fitted for
his job. He falls into frances and pre-
tends to have seen spirits. He has a
special headdress of fur and feathers.
and has charms Of many kinds about his
neck. He must be able to handle poison
Gus snakes. He must be a sleight-of-hand
performer and able to make the people
believe he has miraculous powers. AS q
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

club a tennis club and a race track
which is two miles around. The town
has now five or six thousand people
and its citizens need other exercise than
being chased by native black with a
spear in his hand.
Over there at the right is public libra
ry which has more than 5000 volumes.
and down the main street is an excellent
museum showing the mineral and agri-
cultural resources of the territory. with
its wild beasts and birds and all sorts of
things concerning the natives There are
four Masonic lodges. seven churches, a
musical and Grammatical society. a cham
Der of mines drill halls and markets. The
stores are large and the windows well
dressed. There are three large banking
corporations. a chamber of commerce,
several newspapers and all the accom-
paniments of a thriving community.
The assessed value of the town runs up
into the millions, and with the develop
ment of Rhodesia 1t will eventually be a
considerable city. In planning 1t abundant
no )rn has been allowed for growth: all the
land within four miles of the boundaries
has been reserved as a commonage. upon
which the town cows can pasture free OF
charge, but which cannot be sold as
farms 1t is upon this ground that the
cricket, bicycle and foot ball parks lie.
and there are held the races and other
amusements.
Rhodesia's Wonderful Progress.
This gives one some idea Of how Rho
desia is progressing. 1t is charged that
the development has been comparatively
slow. 1t is not so when one remembers
that this whole territory is only two dec
AIDES from absolute savagery. Twenty
year,. ago neither life nor property was
anywhere safe, and the country was
owned by negro tribes which were war
ring with one another. Today order is
everywhere kept. and the natives have
been reduced to peaceful subjects. The
country has now something like $500
miles OF railroads. and in southern Rho
desia alone there are more than 1900
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
Wives by the Courts.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

from her bare yellow heels to her shaved
black crown. and Is fully as lusty as the
old tyrant was In his prime. There are
many men here who knew Lobengula. He
was enormous He stood six feet tall and
weighed about 800 pounds. He was so
fat that when he squatted on his biscuit
box his flesh hung down in folds over his
hips and when he walked his elephantine
frame rolled from side to side. He had
bullying blood-shot eyes. thick lips and
was the personiication of cruelty. STAN
ley describes him as one of the blood
thirstiest of African kings, and Frank
Thompson of Natal. who negotiated the
mining rights Of Mashonaland Of him for
$5O0 d month. gives an incident Of how
he treated native warrior who had
drunk some Of his beer. It was at the
time Of great dance and Lobengula's
women were bringing the beer to him.
This man snatched gourd and took
sip. The o4ense was reported to the king
and the criminal was dragged before him.
AS he stood there Lobengula looked at
him and said:
''You drank the kings beer. That nose
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

miles Of wagon roads. In Matabeleland
and Newfoundland something like twenty
one million acres have been surveyed Dy
the government. and in addition there Is
a large amount of land which has been
surveyed by private owners. All along
the railroad towns have sprung up IN
which are government offices banks.
churches. hotels schools and pubic nora
ries There is fine hospital here at Bull
awayo and others at Salisbury, Umtali.
Victoria and Gwelo. There are cottage
hospitals in other towns.
The postal service has been extended
country. mails being sent by runners to
the borders Of Lake Tanganyika. In
southern Rhodesia there are seventeen
money order offices. and during the past
year something like million and a half
letters and post cards were sent to other
parts of South Africa. while half million
went over the seas. The post office rev.
enues last year were In the neighborhood
of hundred thousand dollars. Moreover,
southern Rhodesia has now post once
savings banks, and her deposits In them
already exceed three hundred thousand
dollars.
AS to telegraphs the rates are cheaper
here than in the United States. and one
can send messages to all the settled parts
of the country. There are about ninety
telegraph offices opened. and the tele-
graph wire In use is almost long enough
to reach through the earth at the equator.
received and dispatched. and the revenue
from the telegraphs and telephones ap-
proximated $15O,OO. AS to the railroad
service. will speak about that In the fu-
ture. 1t is excellent for a new country.
and one can travel here almost as COM
fortably as at home.
How Lobengula Ruled.
Indeed. 1t Is hard to realize that 1t IL
now only fifteen years since this was the
capital Of the Matabeles. I rode out to-
day to the government house. which
stands on the very site Of the great hut
in which Lobengula lived and ruled. 1t
Is reached by a wide drive shaded by
trees. which were planted at the direction
of Cecil Rhodes. 1t is on a hill, and in
the grounds is the very tree under which
this savage African king sat upon his
biscuit-bOk throne and gave forth his de-
crees Of life and death. Some of his
numerous family still live. and have
photograph before me Of his favorite
daughter. She measures feet IL inches
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
Copyright. 1908, by John Elfreth Watkins

Copyright, 1905 by John Elfreth watkins)
- fall the national committees
will spend several hundreds of
u thousands of dollars and the
state committees probably ten
fold more. Each political headquarters
will have its speakers bureau" and the
thousands of spellbinders will draw from
s25 to $3.50 per week. according to their
caliber. besides receiving the regulation
IS per diem for expenses. Residents of
far remote districts who have been una
BILE to journey to Washington and hear
the eloquence of the National capitals
best orators will have those masters of
eIoquence brought to them, and the en-
tire land will be effervescent with pun
gent wit and aflame with the electric
flashes of repartee. 1t will be a great
treat for the masses. The two great par
ties will go into the field with about
equal resources for maSterful Oratory
and their candidates for the presidency
will probably show equal disrespect for
the superstition that the best talker is
the poorest vote-getter.
One of the most picturesque figures on
the stump this year will be Thomas p.
Gore, democratic senator from the new
state of Oklahoma, who despite the fact
tnal q playmate acCluenldlly DllnOeQ one
of his eyes when he was eight and that
he blinded the other himself when eleven,
has in recent years made a career as a
whirlwind orator seldom equaled by an
other OF his age. Before coming to the
Senate last winter he held more than a
hundred and forty joint debates and in
the filibuster at the close of the recent
session of Congress he was conspic-
uous figure. In the middle of the most
memorable night of the fil.baster he
hurried to the Capitol without taking
time to remove his pajamas before slip
ping on his outer garments. This sum-
mer in the midst of a remarkable course
Of treatment. which was giving some
pre- mise of restoring his sight, he hurried
west to enter the campaign. and the peo-
pie who hear him speak this summer and
fall will have an oratorical treat, re-
CARELESS Of their politics.
AS a good match for this firebrand