The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-14
ON SECOND THOUGHT

Yesterday we were in humble and
contrite mood. Today the old assur-
ance has returned to take the slack
out of the chest measurement and eX-
pand the hatband. The new mood
gets its impetus from the message,
grape-vined by a friend, that we are
mentioned in Harry Kemp's book.
'.Tramping on Life" Il deliberately
cultivated him." Mr.. Kemp is quoted
as bawling us out: for for, the n 6,S a;ys
Poet Kemp some notoriety. He still
is drawing inconseQuential DIVIDENDS
on the investment. But we nave al
ways felt we were. in way, disap-
mentioned us in his book indicates
he wasn't offended, and so everything
is all right again.
What's the story? Well. wefhoped
you'd ask us to tell it. We met Poet
Kemp somewhere and said quite
casually, Come up and see us some
time" On the face of it it appeared
to be a perfectly safe invitation.
When the poet said. Il will" that
seemed to be a perfectly safe reply.
But one day during the luncheon hour
two or three weeks later-we went
days-the telephone rang. The voice
on the other end of the wire said,
This is Harry Kemp; I've come to
visit you "All right" we said when
we found, he was at the office, 'I'll
be down after little while" Now,
unfortunately, it was most UNI
propitious moment for the poets visit.
We were playing golf right after
lunch and we had a date to take
visitor driving at O'Clock. 1t was
office to find that Poet Kemp had
gone, leaving a note saying, "I got
tired waiting for you" There was
much justice in his complaint; he had
-ierla% 70 h fiI-Ad
But that isn't the whole story Only
the day before we had parted from
guest who had been with us six weeks.
Just that morning mother had said:
II hope you're thru entertaining your
liked your Mr.. Gazebo, but he was so
messy around the house. You have
your faults, but you're not messy
From that we knew mother was in
no mood to offer shelter for an in
definite period to another gentleman
guest, and while we grieved some
over the poets message, we felt it
was all for the best.
AS to your unspoken criticism of
the foregoing, Poet Kemp has just
written a book about personal mat
tiers of an equally insignificant ma
ture, and it is selling well. There
should be no objection if we write a
PAL dSA IWO now anu lAGI
If there is any wallop for you In
the news that Winifred Mason Huck
will be the first mother to sit in Con-
gress, you are under obligation to the
New York Trib for it.
But the situation is nothing new.
The difference is that, hitherto, most
of the ladies in Congress have been
fathers.
The New Party.
Sir-Inclosed find suggestions for
three planks in the new party plat
form:
All we ask is to be let alone.
Not only less business in govern
ment, but less government.
All candidates to be required to pass
test in the teachings of the late Will
liam Graham Sumner.
If you are not familiar with "War
and Other Essays or Earth
Hunger" I shall belglad to lend them
tee that you cannot spend an idle or
unenjoyable moment with them.
TELTIX.
We are willing to concede that Mr.
Summers stuff is all that is claimed
for it, but if We have anything to do
with running the new party. it isn't
going to tie up with any prophet. And,
unless we do have something to say
about the way it shall be run, there
isn't going to be any new party.
What We contemplate is a bossed
organization made up of gentlemen
and others who think alike along
governmental lines. Such a party
needs no prophet and would be handi-
capped in having one. All it needs is
a boss to tie it together and compel it
to sit pretty.
We thought for a time the new
party probably would be unable to
elect any of its candidates Tor office; |
but with the radicals in control at
Washington, it will have a fine chance |
in two years and should sweep the
country in four.