The Washington herald., 1912-04-26

Many Of the late Bob" TayIor's best
stories OF personal experience related to
the campaign in which he and his
brother Alfred were rival candidates for
governor of Tennessee. They Travelled
over the State together and spoke from
the same stump, and in some instances
Al rode up from the train in the .gayly
decorated conveyance that the Democrats
had provided for Bob. Not infrequently
they would strike a section where the
only Republicans TO act as reception
committee for their candidate were the
colored people. and Bob insisted that his
brother travel among white folks, even
II he was a Republican"
On one occasion the brothers were
scheduled to hold a joint debate on the
tariff. which, Of course, was a chief
issue.
When Il came Alf. TayIor's turn he
said. among other things:
"I am for a protective tariff. and II
were to make any change in II at all
would have It still higher. Yes, still
higher, 1 say! Can you mossbacks un-
derstand that? II you're against the
Republicans because they stand for
high tarin. remember that I am higher
than any OF the rest"
Bob got up and said nothing about the
tariff at all. but told a parable about
some birds that he has often worked into
his speeches since. He said:
The birds OF the world held a conven-
ton once to see which could fly the
highest. The blackbIrd was there, and
the bluebIrd and the woodpecker, and all
feathered creation was assembled to set
tie the question as to who should be king
of the air.
The word was given. and the swarms
of birds began 70 circle upward.
But the eagle cut a broader circle than
all the rest. and up and up and up he
scared, until at last he stood trembling
on poised wings in mid-air and gave a
scream Of triumph, far above the highest
bird Of them all
But he heard a chIrp above him and
looked around, and-lo!-a tomtit had
nestled under the feathers on his back
and was chirping out:
7 am higher than you are. Mr.. Eagle.
am king of the air.
THE old eagle reached around with his
beak and dropped him to earth. And
from that day to this the tomtit has never
roasted higher than the top rail Of
fence.
and now I say to you, ladies' and
gentlemen, beware OF the man who rises
up in a tariff discussion and chirps: I
am higher than you d"
The death Of Gen. Fred Grant reminded
Vie Murdock of the time he was sent
by the Chicago paper he was working
for, twenty-five years ago, to get an in
terview from Grant, who was a guest at
the home OF Mrs. Potter Palmer.
AS Vic" was about to go, Grant re-
marked:
Did you know that Mrs. Palmer has
one Of the finest collections OF jade in
the world?'
"Uh-er. how nice" stammered "vic,"
wondering what in the old Harry Jade
was, anyhow.
Grant saw his embarrassment. and to
put him at his ease, picked up a jade
ornament from a table and said:
Here is one OF the choicest pieces.
Isn't IL a beauty?''
"Vic" looked at II and declared:
That's as good a piece of jade. TAX
ing II by and IargS. as I've seen In a
month"
Then he glanced up and saw the
twinkle In Grants eyes, and both laughed
Representative Jed" Prouty, OF Iowa, |
ran away from home when he was nine !
years old, and he did not go back the
next day, like the runaway boys IN the |
Joke papers, either. From then on un-
tn the present time he has been getting |
through the world by his own steam.
With the Senate-House Smith score now |
tied. at FIVE to five, Michigan is still our |
leading Smith State. And of these ten, |
tried and true, three hail from Michigan. |
No other State can show more han one |
Smith In Congress. and many States have
no Smiths here at all There is talk of |
forming a Smith Congressional Club with |
grips. pass words, outer guards and
hings. Which proposition reminds Sena- |
or William Alden Smith of the famous |
Inner arranged in New York some years |
ago by a leading practical joker. Every |
'ne there was named Smith and every |
lime Smith was introduced to another |
smith he thought he was being kIdded |
md became real peevish. After an hour