Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-21


print it is always with some ponderous
denial, or compendium of statistics, which
is sluiced into the rag bag part Of the
newspapers, if it is printed at all, and
usually most Of it is not printed at all.
The indignant regulars then denounce the
newspapers for refusing their side OF the
case a hearing. AS a matter of fact they
should denOunce the readers, who invari-
ably refuse this sort of matter a reading.
Murdoch can hold The Oldest Subscriber"
on his hurried search for the score Of yes
terday's game. An idle loafer with nothing
else to read, will wade through all the
patent medicine testimonials before tack
ling the ordinary Cannon defense.
Behind Murdoch, at home, is the Wichita
Eagle. 1t belongs in the family. At the
age OF 10 he learned to set type in its
composing room, 1t Is he was collecting
items" for the paper.
Murdoch was sent to Washington by the
home folks with definite instructions to
get busy. He found that he has to have
a license countersigned by Speaker Cannon
before he could turn a trick. He went
along for about one session, or a session
and a half, Everybody else did, and Muir
dock disliked as much as anybody else 10
appear peculiar. Besides he was sensitive
about the reputation Kansas has for &C.
centricity. If they had handled Murdoch
with any tact at all he might have been
a regular to this day, But they didn't.
Genesis Of InsurrectIOn.
This red headed young man from Kansas
had worked along in the regular way TO a
place on the posioffice committee. There
ne discovered what he thought was an out
rage in the system Of paying the railroads
for carrying the malls. The method of
Weighing, in Murdock's opinion, gave the
railroads all the best OF II, and the citizen
and the taxpayer all the worst OF II. The
young man from Kansas was satisfied that
this must be an oversight. He felt sure
that his party, the party that freed the
slaves, would be eager 70 correct this in
Justice when it was pointed out, So he
pointed It out.
Murdoch discovered two things at this
point. one was that you must not start
something in the house without permits
sion, and the other was that, II you do
start something, the press Of the country
will raise a fine howl about IL. So far
from thanking Murdoch for his discovery,
his party leaders, the leaders Of the party
that freed the slaves, hurried around to
know what in the qualified, dash. double
asterisk a youngster meant by interfering
with the business Of Institutions which
had contributed GENEROUSLY to past cam
paign funds. He was told to drop his
nonsense at once and to restrict himself
10 the legitimate field OF a member on the
postoffice committee. which was securing
additional rural free delivery routes, city
carriers and other patronage for his
home district.
II was TO this point that both the rebel
and the newspaper man came to the sur
face in Murdoch, the ~red-headed man.
He declined 10 drop his little crusade and
he put II in such shape that the papers
made a nationwide sensation OF il. They
repudiated the Murdoch reform in both
houses Of congress, and then President
Roosevelt and General Cortel-
you put IL into effect by executive order.
Murdoch found that he had accomplished
two things, the reform he had in mind and
-unpOpularity with his colleagues. Here
vas : fellow who declined 20 90 along. a
marked man from that moment.
Nurdoek, ~blaeklisted. decided that he had