The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-07-09
Ca pitaI Tales .
Enslaved by Speech.

fFXYTHEN are you going homer asked
Senator Bristow OF Senator
Bourne OF Oregon.
me oregon man unopped his face and
moaned a melancholy moan. 81 can.
90 III dig OUT he said Let ma
show you
ne -ed the way % his committee room.
"here, piled In a corner, on the floor.
were some thousands OF letters Three
clerks were working at sorting then
and addressing envelopes.
What's IT al abou-2r' demanded
Bristow.
That speech that I knew 7 couldn't
make replied Bourne. picture OF
despair.
Then Bristow laughed. He reuev-
bered- For It came about In This 49,
Senator Bourne had been a Senator
about three years. and had never made
a speech He was the StiIIest Senator
also, popular in proportion To his stu
ness. But one day he got the idea that
he ought 10 make q speech. He con-
ferred with friends, and they told him
20 sail in Never too late % learn
they insisted.
So Bourne prepared his speech Z
was on Restoring the Government 70
the People" Specifically, Il told how
the people make the laws in Oregon
the direct primary. the initiative, ref
ereudum and recall When the speech
was prepared. Bourne lost his nerve
and read Il to the Senate He isn'-
much Of reader. either.
Then the trouble began The speech
broke into the papers Bourne hadn't
/ realized that ne had made a great speech,
but everybody else did Just enough OF
[ i was printed 10 vrlet the aDpetlles or
I the people for more. They all sat down
Z at once 10 write @ letter 20 the Senator,
asking for q ooPy
/ Senator Bourne had 5000 copies print
1 ed. and they lasted about twenty min
. utes- Then he ordered 10000 copies
with firm determination 10 swamp the
/ community Then something funny
/ happened
+ Folks began writing fl letters Ike
Dear Senator. we have read about
y-o7- great speech. We know that sen
arars have 10 pay for the cost Of print
line +r-ef- speeches so we enclose s. and
ask YOU 20 send as many copies as TINS
viH pay for we intend 10 circulate
Irnem where they VIII do the most good
B Now. Senator Bourne dIln-- mind send
linz back the money the Lrsr few L-1eS-
/ INIT when -He- got 10 coming al the rate
+ OF 55 10 10 a day with a-ythi-s from q
; postage stamp TO $40 i-c-1sedr he sl-
/ tired Having Still a firm c0lV1c--o--
I that he -CuI6-t make O. speech and thar
J Ia was all some sort OF gigantic bunc7
) game that practical f5zs-s were setting
Iup on him. he worried considerably
J But the letters kept on coming, and
: the Senator told his clerks % send back
.
Z send ALI the copies OF the speech max
were asked
month ago To date, the copies sent ol-
Z "a response 90 requests 1---l1sr a NIUE
E 70 the rise OF SI..zF- Ala tl-e ----a-l---=
I arc coming III as fast as AFTER
4 Don't YOU see Why I can 90 homer
] demanded the Senator ID cl1---S-o-l
I I'm going 10 see tCz- every BODY gets z
J copy O. that speech who asks Tor T.
{ because I TANK ms oregon Sg-ezrl5 Only
I needs 70 be understood GE the country
I To be adopted ly every state n TIE
I Union There IS the issue Of the future
[ hands o. the people 81 e E1f5 L9ln-
} how 70, do It IN Oregon sll j. you don
4 believe EHe people are interested IN l.
tsrs srE Rad -en at YOUR leisure
/ But they can't make Bourne oelievs
r-e-s a e--ra- orator He knows bette
/ liver and Bailey have been siding I-
TO him and explaining T-z- -EC--I MS
Iruo1eS-- makes j. t-lUoS7- E-e Tor MN q.
realize IT, De is really the great orator
. " the so-CzIle5 twentieth century
i Bourne --rS- laughs
/ And meanwhile the orders come = -
1.-The rate Of about 500 a day, for copies
OF the speech It has Ions since broker
all records Tor voluntary G-rCl-1---l 1.
a sree-r. and indications are that with
Fu the wear 100000 copies VIII EzE
b. been sent out IL response 90 requests
Which the same considering TIA
|rre s-re-r IS about the most radical pro
cram ever adopted In America is max
+-r 2 good many folks SIT I'D and III.
fthei- eyes and wonder what people ca
be thinking about, anyhow