Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-06

OF Palm Beach. where soft pillows kiss
the n and swall"w-tailed Yankees
fly high?
And when the SHOWS of winter melt
away. what makes the orchards and
the meadows bloom? Are they not
building %frangrant castles in the air!
Who are those winged minstrels that
sing among the apple blossoms: Are
they not dreaming of happiness" What
makes pr"digal June fill the world with
blossoms and the frost king of autumn
haunt his banner "f purple and gold
IN the face of the sum Are they not
dreaming of the beautiful?
DE We not drink music from the bub-
bling fountains of the air and Gull the
dreams of God from the epic poems
tllat lie scattered all around us? Does
not lifc aspire To God. and does not
every plant and flower teach us to
dream within our own spheres?
Here is Il sample of Bob Taylor's
puthos. 1t is II classic in his native
state:
While governor. following tn. inn
pt:lse of his kindly heart. he pard"ned
more unfortunates i'm two years than
All or his predecessors had since the
"ar In his campaign for re-electinn.
his opponent used his against him for
all 1t WAS worth.
Among those who. strange to say,
joined I'm the attack was the Rev.
Sam Jones. then just beginning his
to immense crowds. each time la his
own Way. flaNing the governor for
p~aldonins criminals. In his sermons.
Jones claimed that he himself had once
been u drunkald and had been saved
by grace.
,.., a.. "a. . - ..t... iSAt,
said Z" a newspaper reporter:
Sam Jones ought not to blame mo
Tor p~ardoning those poor people. by
his own admission. if it hadn't been for
tn" p%ardoning p"we Sam Jones would
have been i'm he'll long ago"
The following true account of how he
pardoned Il convict I heard him tell in
the heat OF the campaign and tn AN i'm
mense crowd. half of whom. when ma
finished. were i'm tears. 1t Is Needless
L" add that his majority was greater
h before:
"One bright morning lust before
Christmas day. an official stood ia the
executive chamber of the. governor OF
Tennessee and said.
"~G"veritor. l nave been implorrd by
Il poor. miserable wretch i'm the peni-
tertiary to bring YOU this rude fiddle.
1t was made by his own hands witt, A
p%enknife during the hours allotted to
him for rest. 1t is entirely without
value. AS you can see: but ii is his pc
tition to- you for mercy.
He begged me to say hat he has
neither influential ri.nds nor attorneys
to plead for him, and all that he asks
is that When the governor shall sit at
his w happy tireside on christmas
eve. with his own happy children
round him. he will play one tune Oh
this rough fiddle and think of "a cabin
far away i'm the mountains whose
h.A.l1 vi VI StnCa iC rtl11 .lp1 .1AculafA u,,.l
surrounded by Il family of poor little,
helpless. ragged children, crying for
bread and listening for the footsteps OF
their father"
Who would not have been touched by
such AN appeal? The record was cx-
amined. Christmas eve anne The
governor sat that night at his OWL hap
ply fircside, with his own happy children
around him. and he played one tune to
them on that rough fiddle.
The tirtside of the cabin i'm the ino,ln-
tains was bright and warm. \ par
doned prisoner sat With his baby on his
knee. surrounded by his happy children
and in the presence of his rejoicing
wife: and although there was naught
but rag and squalid poverty AROUND
him, his heart sang:
BE it ever so humble.
There's no place like home.
l saw old mothers, with whit. locks
and Wrinkled brOws. swoon at the gov
ernor's feet every day. ! saw old faith
crs with broken hearts and tear
stained faces. and heard them plead by
the hour for their maynard boys. 1
saw a wife and seven children. clad in
tatters and rags. and barefuoted. i'm
midwinter. fall down upon their knees
around him who held the pardoning
power. i saw a little girl climb upon
the governors knee and put her little
arms around his neck. and 1 heard her.
ask him If he had little girls. and than
I saw her sob upon his bosom as though
her little heart would break. and heard
her plead for mercy for her poor, mis-
cradle. wretched IN father.
l saw want and woe and agony and
anguish unutterable pass before tho
-gubernatorial door, and I said:
Let this heartless world condemn.
let the critics frnwn and rail: but he
who hath power and doth not temper
justice with mercy will cry in vain him
self for mercy on that great day when
God shall judge the merciful and the
unmerciful."
Jim Hawley.