The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-11-04

when he strikes out again.
The only reason am also devoting
time to this pest Is that | have seen
nowhere the true diagnosis Of his char
;tcter. People have Forgotten that he
came within an ace Of being the presi-
dent OF the United States, or at least
the Republican candidate: and | have
never seen in print Il description Of that
portentouS night when la Toilette
ended his chances In one dramatic
tempcstnous alter-dinner speech.
The Periodical Publishers of America
used to give every year n big banquet
in some city. Nearly all the book. mag
a2inc and newspaper houses belonged.
and 1T the annual banquet they had as
guests many authors. illustrators and
other retainers. The list Of speakers
was made M of men very much in the
public eye.
That fatal banquet was held in Phil
adclphia. About 500 or 600 guests were
present. The then Mayor Biankenburg
made an excellent address in Il dialect
that VAS the envy nj many short story
writer's. though il would not he SO pop
ular just now.
Al that Lime the president of Prince
ton was Just being preened for transfer
to n larger university. and La Toilette
WAS being doomed for the governorship
Of the United States. Both were on the
list of speakers.
president Wilson made n noble speech
that won to his support many who had
not liked him previously His speech
was Just the right thing for the after
dinner mood. II began wittily. went on
Graciously and gracefully. and did not
last long. Among many utterances Of
exquisite felicity lie intcrspersed, as be-
fitted an aspirant for the presidency.
few moments of deep solcmnity.
Particularly he emphasized the i'm
por,ance of the written law, the rev.
oltion by statute aud hard won enact
ment and. when necessary, by war.
FEARS sprang Ia the eyes OF many when
he said--I cannot quote his actual
words. but only their vague yet vivid
recollection When | look at tho flas.
II always seems To me that the red
ana white stripes are heaps OF docn-
ments with streams of blood running
through them-the blood by which our
liberties were won'
lie said in the course of his speech
that times had changed and thai
secrecy was no longer in good rcpu,e
Everything nowadays he said, must be
published, exposed. exhibited"
don't remember him exactly. of course.
but the word exhibited" impressed
itself on my memory
Mr. LII Toilette did not hear that
speech, but he came in on cue and pro-
ceeded 10 exhibit himself with ven
g"ance' few suspicious souls said
,f't ne mad stayed away from the ban.
duet and the speeches in Order to make
an entrance" Ghey said he was \
good actor" Bnt If he was, he cast
himself as the villain; for he began
ms speech with the most thorough
gong, devastating insult To an audi
cnce that | ever heard.
lie exhibited himself, exposed him
! sell and published himself for near,.
three hours. Imagine that for a Int
/ speaker at n banquet where several
others had spoken and others were ;isf
| e" L" speak! The mere fact that n man
! '"'id hafangue such a crowd so LONG
/ ~ proof OF hopeless ruthlessness
| Ih"nsh his words had been dronpinrs
from heaven. the audience never lived
,hat coaid profi, from one speech deliy
ered from 1880 p. IN. to 40 a. IN. And
La foiiette's words were but rcpeti-
| 'io"s dehunciatlons of this main and
lha', TINS principle and that. lie
Sh'ried ana ne got snarled. His audi
iorS Groaned and shifted They 70,
up ana walked out on him" tin the
"h"le ballroom was empty save for !,
o'h-eaten fringe along the front or
.h' tahle and the dismal row of wax
figures on his side of the table They
dared not leave.
| La Toilette was received hy ~
guests with the utmost warmth. rhar
! were authors and publishers. Flo w,ax
an editor and the author of memoirs
! th"n running in n magazine. Sext n
lhe tragic face of William J. Burns The
races OF the editors of that magazine
p'cafne the saddest study in that roon
J ne was ""rr author" when the inland.
! IT'S greeted him. Later they snt ,lc.,.
IN barren space mad rerre,ted III.
| while other editors tiptoed past them
| trying not Ia gloat trying not IN n,o,
Ter an unwclcone sympathy.
Mr.. La Toilette began his sneecb ,c,,,
Il" recognition of the fact that he uas
a guest at n friendly dinner ue r,.a..
II" ACCOMPLISHMENTS of hospitality hn,
/ n
nSlini of manuscript and howled in an
'hdescrihable hostility of tone. II do no,
quote verbatim. but the spirit ia exnet
I'm going I" read my speech tonich,
an" IN going to read it for two rea :.
sons. In the first place my fnmiI,,
asked m" to, because I've got a wa,.
Oh taikin on and on when get started
ana they told me | ought to confine
! myself To about three quarters OF an
h"nr. ;" I've written it out and Tn,
going to spend about that time te,,in,.
you people some things you ought IN
know"
Having destroyed his audiences hone
ana aroused its resentment by thun-
derins in the index, La FollettO Turned
and cracked his whip mt the newspaper
men.
In the second place I've written this
speech out and had 1t typewriter "a,
dist rihnfipp for I'm Strl, -