The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-08-11

field Of Armageddon. They came in
glittering armor, with FURNISHED
swords, their gallant banners waving
in the breeze, and the sing, Onward
Christian Soldiers, rolling in a vol
ume of noisy harmony from their en-
thusiastic lips. They denounced by
name certain men as betraycrs of the
Republican party and likewise betray-
ers of the public interest. They de-
nounced specifically the measure their
distinguished men had fastened upon
the country. They condemned in
voices of thunder the iniquities that
have grown up. And so for four
years the country turned to that ele-
ment as at least a force 50 great, SO
potential, and so earnest that it
would prevent recurrence for many
years to come of the old methods of
the old regime.
But, sir, they had another conven-
ton in Chicago. The insurgents met
in one hall and the old regime assem-
bled in another hall The insurgent
with his eyes turned ever toward the
conspicuous if not beautiful figure
that had led them in the fight four
years before waited now upon him,
staked the very salvation Of their par
ty and their cause upon mis- word.
The old regime, wiser in it's day
and generation than the children of
light" proceeded TO go on and tranG-
act business Gin the good old way"
1t was the wise old crowd. 1t knew
what was going to happen to the sol
diers of Armageddon. Il understood
what was to be the fate of the cru
saders. The old bosses had already
arranged the program, set the trap,
fixed the bait, and We're simply wait
ing for an opportune time when its
jaws would close down upon the I'M
suspecting hands and feet Of the insur-
gents. The Bull Moose had been
blinded. His sense of smell even was
gone. He was staggering around in
the political wilderness without knowl-
edge as to the points of The compass,
without hope, and without habitat, but
always his plaintive mooings were
sort of inarticulate appeal for word
! from his leader and master. The lead
er waited, waited until both colven-
tions had adjourned, waited until the
hour had past when the Bull Moose
might recover from the blow of the
big stick he intended to WELD suffi-
GENTLY to name some other candidate,
waited until the members of the tribe
had all returned to their respective
homes, and then the Big Bull Moose
proceeded to use his club with brutal
and savage force upon those who had
i followed and almost worshiped him.
Roosevelt Takes Them Snipe Hunting
heard it well expressed by a re-
mark. In introduction remark that
| wonder how many members Of the
Senate ever lived out in the country.
For their information | will state ev-
cry boy who has lived in the country
knows that the favorite trick of the
country boy upon the city lad who
comes to visit him is to stake him
out sniping.". That game, say for
the benefit of the uninitiated from
cities, consists in telling the city boy
that there are many snipes in GER
tain ravine, that all you have to do
is to hold a sack after dark down at
the end of the ravine, with lighted
candle inside the sack, and that the
rest of the boys will walk along the
ravine and drive toward the sack, that
as soon as the snipes see the light
they will walk into it. And all the
city boy will have to do will be to
close its mouth, shoulder his bag of
game, and march home in triumph.
That city boy is always impressed
with the idea that because he is a
guest he is especially favored by be-
sK.ar 10 1nlI fhA al Co
they take the poor fellow out some
place where it is very lonesome, where
he has no company but the silent stars
and there are no voices but the whis-
pering winds, and they plant him
there and go away and leave him. He
has been cautioned that he must not
say word; that he must not utter
sound. So in absolute silence for
hours and hours he waits, while the
other lads have gone home and gone
to bed. That is called "sniping."
heard of the remark of an old
farmer in my State the other day. He
had been an insurgent; he had carried
the Roosevelt banner; he had sung
hallelujahs to the great cause; his
voice had been as loud as that of the
bull of Bashan and his heart had been
as stout as that of any gallant cru
sader who marched to the Holy Land
in the Tenth or Eleventh centruy. He
was real soldier of Armagcddon.
Somebody said to him, what are
your politics?" "Well," he said, |
"dinged if know. am one of them
suckers that Roosevelt took out snipe
huntin', but I'll be cussed if will ev-
er be idiot enough to carry the sack
home to him." Uaughter.)
l heard it expressed in another way,
and for the delectation of my insur-
gent friends l viii relate that An (
old fellow in my State who has reach
ed the point where he is a mere on
locker at events, and with sort of
quizzical and philosophical smile sur
veys the field, remarked the morning
after Roosevelt hal declined the nomi-
nation, "Well, Roosevelt got all the
cats in one bag and jus. toted them
out onto the desert and dropped them,
didn't he?" (Laughter.)
Old Regime Mighty Modest for
Awhile-But
| think those two anecdotes abso-
lutely cover the case; but this the