The Washington herald., 1908-02-23
Ry GEoRGE c. nENNINa.

committees were all made UP.
It was customary to give chairman
ship OF q committee 10 each member Of
the dominant party. So a committee was
made for him on Womens Rights and
Privileges.
The old gentleman was fond of repeat
Ing There's a penny in my purse, John
Brown" a poem I have never met with.
But the chief and only subject of his
conversation was the subject entertained
by his committee. We had frequent dis
ousslons on womens privileges, resulting
as such discussions usually result-where
they commenced.
On one occasion, several ladies being
present. he said to me abruptly:
Can you give me good reason why
women shouldn't voter
"RealIy. Senator" / replied. you viii
navo 70 excuse me. cannot be so un-
gallant las to enter into an argument Of
that sort IN the presence Of ladies'"
The matter passed OF with q laugh.
Conversation drifted into other channels.
Perhaps I was not so ingenious as my
reply might indicate. l was thinking. Ike
the blacksmith that Proctor Knott told
about when he was canvassing Kentucky
Tor the governorship.
This blacksmith had been recommended
20 him as q man OF local influence. While
DE was talking 20 NIr. Knott a barsfooted
boy with one "gaIlus" came up leading a
hound dog by string.
Pap says he wants you TO tell him
what you think OF this ere houn.'
"Go away. boy, I'm talking TO Mr..
Knott"
The impatient boy several times inter
fupted the conversation by repeating the
question Pap says he wants you 10 tell
what you think of this ere hOun'," with
the same result.
Go away boy, I'm talking to MI
Knott" the blacksmith, making motion
each time with his hand as II to push the
boy away.
All the time he was talking, however,
he was taking IN the points OF the hound.
Without a break in the conversation he
turned rapidly 10 the boy and criticized
the nose. eyes. ears. and legs OF the
hound. and concluded, his tail curls
over his back like a borrel hoop and he
amt wurth a d-n. Go away boy I'm
talking 10 Mr.. Knott"
But to return to the Senator.
As our conversation progressed the SUBJ
5ect OF a new building for the Library OF
Congress came up. The House OF Repre-
sentatiyes had laid a bill for that purpose
on the table that day.
pose at the proper time and my request
explained Il. I remarked that I thought
It good plan
Yes. yes" he said. '1t has the merit
of being useful. If not ornamental"
Then, Senator" said you VIII have
TO have your plan adopted before you
give women the right to vote"
How so? How so?" said he
Because they invariably reverse that
process and put the ornamental before
the useful. Since I come TO think OF II.
that IS the best reason why women
shouldn't vote"
That was the last argument he had on
that subject
AIr. Lapham was OF Quaker descent.
Hence his proclivites for women's rights.
In the Quaker household women are often
supreme.
When Senator Vest made a notable
speech in the Senate on women's suffrage
he became a mark to be bombarded by
the numerous lady suffragists then in the
city. in the form Of communications,
anonymous and otherwise In one of
these letters, after stigmatizing him in
choice vernacular the woman writer
1Found up; You remnant. a vost"
Another woman sent him statuette,
representing a woman washing a boy.
with the inscription. You dirty boy
Mr.. Vest was a little reticent about his
Edvil war experiences. remember, how
ever, stories OF his military campaign.
One member Of his regiment snored so
zoudly that the other men of his company
complained to his captain that they
couldn't sleep because OF H. The man
was sent TO sleep by himself down by
marsh
When he got 20 snoring all the frogs
stopped. They thought the king frog
had come. At least ;hat was the story
his comrades made up They plagued
the poor fellow so much about the frogs
that he deserted
The other story was Of the occasion
when he was on e foraging expedition
n the Boston mountains in Arkansas i
and stopped at a small house for the
night. He said the mistress was the
largest woman he ever saw and tho hus-
band quite the opposite.
She cooked some salaratus biscuits and
Tried some chicken. They all sat down
70 supper, the wife az one end OF the
table and the husband at the other.
She helped each one 20 biscuits out
OF the pan In which they had been cooked, |
tossing them over the table with the
remark; Mankind, take biscuit"
AS the supper proceeded, she was in
Qrisltive from whence they came without
asking the direct question When her
1nQuisitiveness got the better OF her DIS
erection, she said
Mankind. where be you urs from?"
We are from Missouri. madam" said |
Mr.. Vest
'Phu" said she, "I haven't much opin- |
ion of that ere kentry. He's from thar"
pointing at her husband
After supper she took them upstsirs
10 bed. She drew out a trundIe bed for
Mr. Vest. the smallest OF the party. wait
ed fo- him TO undress and get in. when /
she wheeled him under the other bed.
THE Democratic party is In bad
way" said Mr. Vest one day. ut has
no leaders
Senator" said L Il think you mistake
the situation. It lacks principle"
What is Senator Blank doing over
, fhere?" asked brother Senator one day.
Vest.
be tells the story that Oscar Wilde was
IN the gallery one day when a motion /
was made to clear the galleries. Wilde /
said 10 some one near him, he didn't see |
how II could be done with so MANY
people. He was told that all thew had |
10 do was to get Senator Blank to make
a speech and the galleries cleared at
once
Mr.. Vest told this story.
There was IN the town of Sedalia an
old man familiarly known as I-ncla .Ioa