The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-03-03
zed Theodore Roosevelt.

lied Theodore Roosevelt.
In all these stirring times Judge
Conner has played an important if not
a blatantly conspicuous part. With
out bombast, without rhetorical fire.
works, he has followed where the
President has lead. He has been one of
the troops on whom the president could
rely and without whom his hands
would have been tied. We venture
that no member of Congress has been
truer to the President and thus truer
to the people, than has Hon. j. P.
Conner. Judge Conner was one of
the most diligent members of Con-
gress. He took the people as his
clients and was as Jealous for them as
he is in the trial of case. He was
Congressman that was his business.
No one was watching him; he might
have done as other Congressman,
even Iowa congressman, have done,
and absented himself from the House
four-fifths of the time, without his
constituents being the wiser. This
was not what he did. Every day found
him at his work, in the House, in
the committee room or busy with the
large correspondence entailed by his
position.
No man wrote to him in vain. He
was constantly at the service of his
constituents and not letter addressed
to him remained unanswered, not a
request was made without an honest
effort at fllEllment.
There is something about the situa-
tion that is discouraging. If a man
employs an attorney to look after his
interests he does not desire that the
lawyer should stand around and pat
him on the back and inquire after the
baby and the ''good wife" and the
rest of the family. He does not care
for flambuyant speeches, he does not
care for PROMISES, he wants results
and that is all that he cares about.
When the people select man for a
public Office. however, it seems as if
it was one of their desires TO be
buncoed. No" Mike" ever took the gaff
with more complacency than the aver
age voter takes the slush the so-called
politician hands out to him. 1t is
amusing to see some other man the
victim, but every last blooming one
of US is an easy victim to the bland
ishments of the Great and the Near
Great.
1t is all the more to Judge Con-
ner's credit that. without the use of
any of the wiles of the ward heller,
he has been able for 80 long a time
to hold his own and to receive such
high honors from the hands of the
people.
No fawning sycophancy has brought
these honors to Judge Conner. The
vote that had to be "curried'' never
came Judge Conner's way. But the
vote that came from intelligent self
interest. that came from the desire to
choose worthy and efficient public
officer has time and again sought out
Judge Conner and elected him.
To have been District Attorney.
unequaled as prosecutor. to have
been District Judge. without peer
upon the bench of Iowa. to have been
q Congressman whu has served without
a breath of suspicion upon the high
standard of his honesty. to have been
q friend whose word has never failed,
to have been Christian gentleman,
"sans peur ct sans raproche" all these
things. Judge Conner has accom-
plished, and they are riches which no
fractional hate. no petty envy, no ILL
starred jealousy can take from him.
We are somewhat embarrassed in
writing of Judge Conner, by the in.
innate personal and business relations
which have. and do, exist between
US. This very relationship has, how
ever, given US nearer view and {
better comprehension of the man.
1t is now nearly twenty years since
the writer commenced to take an &C.
tive interest in the politics of the state
1t has been our part to occupy a
humble POSITION, to be an aide d
camp, rather than a chief. and in al
that time we have never acted with
fairer, more honorable. less selfish
truer and more steadfast man tina
James Perry Conner. 1t is not alon
Denison that has sustained a loss
the Tenth District will often agai
long for the time when it had a fair
minded, scrupulous, honest, indus
trious. straightforward. modest. ger
tlemanly. judicious. temperate. Chri:
tian representative in the Congress Q