The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-20
"DROPPED INTO
POETRY

Washington, Feb. 14-The Con-
gressional Record, the only daily pa
per conducted by the Government, oc-
casionally has its monotonous columns
few times during the session the Muse
creeps into print; once in q while
Jokes relieve the solemnity of the
sttlted parliamentary debate.
Such an excursion of the Muse has
just come to light in the printing of
a speech by Rep. Heflin, (Dem.. Ala. }
The Alabama member undertook to
kill time while the House was waiting
to vote on the resolution to give the
Panama Fair to San Francisco. Con-
sideration of the bill had been finish
ed at O'Clock, but according to the
could not be had until four o'clock.
Most of the members left the floor
and sought to occupy the time in the
cloakrooms. Heflin's speech was
heard only by handful, but the YER
dict Of those few made Congressman
anxious to see it in cold type in the
Record. After more than week, it
has finally come to light in that sheet.
Helm sung the old, old song of the
Sunny South, and poked good natured
fun at the Golden West. From some
where in his desk he produced a Los
about the arrest. for vagrancy, of a
young man from the effete cast.
HE was a fair haired youth" ex-
claimed Heflin, who heard the call
of the West bidding him on to Cali
fornia; He responded: and he was
charge Of vagrancy. Yes, vagrancy,
Mr.. Speaker, in that enchanted realm,
that land Of romance and song. The
story goes that he had taken girl
named Hortense to theater in a
town in California and thence to a
90 lit III e. <a1 III -
the girl; there they ate and drank and
were merry. Owing to the long dis
lance to California and the heavy ex-
pense of getting there this young
mans money had run so low that on
that night he had only s14 left.
Yet, Mr.. Speaker, before the wild
noon of, night the young mans S14
had been expended and the girl shook
him and left him penniless, a strang-
er among strangers in that faraway
land of the West. Cruel, heartless
Hortense! And then what happened
locked him up on charge of vag-
rancy; and, speaking Of the girl, the
cafe, and the show, this is what the
young man said in court:
Judge, that's where Hortense steer
And that is where she queered me.
She did me brown, then threw me
down,
She left me broke, a living joke,
The butt of this California town.
must make today
This sad and convincing report,
When the cops ran me in
was broke and had been
Without visible means of support.
So put me where there's no need to
Till can get check from home.
$50, Mr.. Speaker, from this CaliA
fornia paper ! gather the reasons why
some people who go to California
never return. The reasons are strong.
They are in the shape of iron doors
and prison bars. Why. Mr.. Speaker,
If a person expresses the desire to
leave California, if he looks at all
homesick, they straightway lock him
up on the charge of vagrancy. No
wonder so many. young man and old
men never return from California. No
wonder the state Is filling up so fast.
and no wonder the population Of Cali
fornia, is increasing so rapidly.
''Mr. Speaker, this fair-haired
that knew him in happier days, and
full of regrets and sad experience is
awaiting a check from home while
he is yearning to be delivered from
the land Of Hortense and the prune-
hoted cell of the vagrant."
In concluding, Heflin scared to
heights on the wings of his
Muse, and delivered himself of the
following:
I'VE want you to visit us in the South
land;
Come when the springtime comes,
When the gold-belted bee in the BIOS
som huns,
When in pillows Of pink the peach
blossoms blow,
And apple and plum scatter swirls of
snow,
When the fern droops low by the
woodland stream,
And the graw does coos in a blissful
dream,
When the ripping wheat hides the
partridge nest,
And the land of the South is at her
beSti"