The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-21
OPEN SEASON FOR BUNK.
By Claude L'Engle.

While it cannot be said that
there is any close season for
bunk, this is the time of year
when Our large manufacturers of
this universal American product
initiate their lungs and their
imaginations for high speed per-
Torrance. By our large manu-
facturers | mean those who never
shut down, such as congressman,
promoters, Wall street, leagues,
uplife societies, automobile MAX
ers, newspaper men, mayors,
governors, millionaire philan-
thropists. and Chambers of Com
MERGE. But now we will have
with us what may be called
"seasonable bunk pushers,"
aroused to periodical activity,
and largely increasing the out
put. These spasmodic but speedy
little workers include politicians,
candidates, transportation men,
college sport writers, good roads
clubs. and theatrical press agents.
With all of OUR bunk factories
working full time, when we crave
little quiet conversation we'll
have to go to Sunday school, or
if we want to read something
that won't keep us guessing all
the time. we'll have to hunt up
the old blue back speller, or sit
on the floor with Webster's I'M
abridged.
One reason why bunk is so
plentiful is that it's production re-
quires neither labor, brains, nor
information. The other reason
is that it requires no mental exer-
else to listen to it or to read it.
1t only requires memory and a
medium of expression to get into
the bunk producing class. If you
are an orator you talk about
sour Countrywide Grandest the
Sun Ever Shonc On" If you
are congressman you tear off a
few about "The Development of
Our Rivers and Harbors-the
| Road to National Wealth." If
: you are a real estater or a trans
: portation man you talk about
, Increased Values of Land in the
: Near Future, or "The Biggest
Travel Ever This Season" -as
: the case NAV be. We all know
Q these old reliables and the others
0 like them in bunk bearing power
d used by our bunk artists, eacf
: choosing according to his taste
v occupation, purpose, or predilic-
> ton. We are used to them ant
we would miss them if we hearo
or saw them no more,
. Just to illustrate how easy i
" is to put the bunk across let II.
take the case of the political fore
II caster who talks or writes ST.
:. months or a year before electir,
u day. Without the slightes
knowledge or conjunction. thi
old bow will rear back and sa,
something like this: "Wh,i'
N Green and Brown have a str IN.
% following, and White has man.
y influential supporters, Black i
70 the leading candidate for Cover
'e nor" This brand of bunk w
will see or hear almost daily fror
n nov until June. It Is the pures
-, bunk of all, as anyone can see b
:. giving the matter a minute
~ thought.
!" There are more than fit
% thousand votes cast in the Den
-, ocratic primary. Of these fit
~ thousands, not five thousan
80 80 have, at this early day, said ho
- they will vote for Governor {
any other Office. We can fgu1
each candidate with certa
number OF friends who will vo
od for him, but this number is sma
,ar The great mass of voters hay
I'D not been heard from and will n
I'd be heard from until the votes a
asst counted. There is no way
mt earth to figure how half the VIC
70 ers will vote. unless you want
NO make guess. and yours is abo
as good as another mans.
ok There are no leading cane
Of dates" in a race that's free for a
ths where every man has an equ
at chance. where the people thu
at. for themselves. and make up the
,gs minds after hearing every maj
log claim and promises. There w
be a leading candidate when t
eep count is going on. and all
tempts to tag him before the
; spector's tally sheet gets the
tie black marks on it. are as
it'll tile as irving to scoop moonshl
ich off barn door with crab ne
iiet To illustrate further the ca
OIL with which political bunk is d
nay pensed. suppose | should up a
rec saw: "Some saw that Hudson
om- the leading candidate for &c
Irty ernor but I say he is Knott; a
~,