The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-05
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY E HOUSE
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger.)


ficiently drastic punishment for the
offense assailed US. Happily, Norman
Hapgood has come to our rescue.
Norm says the vote of cehsure was
enough. And that settles it SO far as
we are concerned.
We go further. We fancy that will
settle it so faE as the country is con-
cerned as soon as Mr.. Hapgood's de-
cision becomes a matter of common
knowledge. Very few have the eour-
age to question Norm's judgments.
The majority have no desire to do so.
The story. as the newspapers get it,
is that Marshal F7och, after declining
a cigar, filled the cob pipe which had
been given him as he, passed thru
Washington, Mo, with his favorite
French tobacco and puffed contentedly
away.
Either the incident was purely imag
mary or the gallant marshal was pos
ing a bit for the benefit of his Ameri-
can audience. No man puffs con-
tentedly away on a new cob pipe. A
new cob pipe has the bouquet of a
glue factory. the flavor of tannin and
the acrid quality of the green persim-
mon. Strong men weep at the pros
pect of training one for service.
We write thus feelingly and emphat-
ica1ly upon the subject for the reason
that cretorS and puveyors of b'gosh
literature have banked the cob pipe
with their encomiums and hung it with
the tendrils of their praise. The cob
pipe is the poorest smoke, the we'll
known stogie having been duly con-
sdered in the connection. By the time
it is fit for service it is too deerepit
to perform it.
The New York Trib reports that a
black cat crossed the pathway of Can
didate Curran on the night of Hal
loween. Let it be understood that we
draw no conclusion from the incident
We merely relate the fact that it hap
pened.
But we do go as far as to say that
the odds of to 2, now quoted on
Mayor Hylan, are conservative.
The proposed suit of Al Siegal, who
plans to sue Dempsey for 100000 for
alternating the affections of his wife,
is arousing a good deal of indignation
Others who had planned to get d
piece" of Mr.. Dempsey's money are
denouncing Mr.. Siegars claim in no
unuieasured words. They say it is ex-
orbitant and un-American; and the
feeling is that everybody should have
an equal chance at whatever Dempsey
has left.
Some go so far as to say there was
an agreement that nobdy should try to
get more than s25,000 of Dempsey's
money at any one time and that Mr.
Siegal has violated it.
Congressman Herrick Justifies
Himself.
This column held some comment,
couched in facetious vein, and aimed
at Congressman Herrick, at the mo-
ment of his greatest effulgency. The
feeling that we may have done him
an injustice persists. We feel, there
fore, that it is no more than fair that
we reprint Congressman Herrick''s de-
Tense of himself, which appeared re-
Gently in an oklahoma paper:
the newspaper reporters, and
some others who are opposed to the
passage of H. r. S208, a bill in
troduced by Representative Herrick
to prohibit beauty contests, think
that they are having fun with him
by trying to Heap Ridicule upon
him but Instid they are only maxi
ing sure that this bill will pass by
such Methods because they are act
ing as a boomerang. Let the slur
writer rave, the following facts re-
mains and ~cannot~be gotten away
from. LIST that herrick has bin in
washington since february the 25th
running after wimen in the sence
that the term is commonly Under
stood to Mean. End he employs
No Women clerks in his offices but $
on the contrary has a full force of
Men clerks 3rd He has about a
peck of replies from the siley and
gidey girls which they sent in an
swer to his decoy letters that he
sent out in order to geather evil +"
dence in support of his bill in the
hearing before the committee on .
judiciary and If certin girls don't
quit cooperating witf>the class that
would like to draw them down to
Moral ruin He-wi1I make some of
them public and theyn they wont
need quite so gay. 4th He defies
the social Hyennas Moral Repro
bats and Moral LeperS to prove by
amy evidence that is entitled to a
Moments consideration In any
court of record anywheare in the
world that He Has ever been guilty
of an act of Moral turpiture in His
whole life SO he is willing for the
Morally Unclean to Howl as long and
as 1ouad> as they like it disturbs
Him Not and He will go right on
trying to Make this world a better
and cleaner place to live in.
Upon the merit of CONGRESSMAN
Herrick's measure there is and may
very wellN be varying opinion. But
there Is general agreement upon the
point that he Yields a wicked extenu-
alton.
Gen. Leonard Wood is a gallant Of
ficer and an able citizen. He has high
ideals and great executive ability.
But the New York Tribune might as
well stop kissing him. General Wood
ceased to glow as a popular hero when
the news that nearly two million dol
lars had been spent in the attempt to
nominate him for president became
matter OF common knowledge.
Our own Individual glow gets a con-
siderable impetus from this Sergeant
Samuel Woodfill. We like him just as
he is. May we ask the newspapers to
refrain from gliding his halo.
Give the people what they want
writes one who seeks to improve the
column. We'd love to do it, but, I'M
happily, Harold Bell Wright has the
idea copyrighted.