The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, September 17, 1903, Page 9

vy EY SUPPLEMENT TO BUTLER WEEKLY TIMES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1903. XBUTLER, -: : : MISSOURL (C000 GOVERNMENT. ‘Speech Delivered by Hon. Joseph W. Folk /AtShelbyville, on Saturday, Sep- tember 12, 1903, to a Crowd of Eight Thousand People. “This is the most moral county of ?Missouri. It has the highest regard for ©God and man. We have no fear of the +knife which is probing for boodlers. We have good government, honest offi- cials and an empty jail. “There is not a man, woman or child ais this county who does not seek to honor the greatest exponent of good . $overnment, not only of Missouri and tne United States, but of the world. ‘This county is in sympathy with this ‘work in the past and in the present, and is with him in his fight against the « boodlers, “It is said by some that this is the «boodle state, but certainly we have a »man who stands up and enforces the law against those who put him in of- «fice. He had friends who told him, “Don't do it.’ The corporations said, * Don't do it,’ but he did it. “| now present this man, Circuit At- ttorney Joseph W. Folk of St. Louis.” Sucu was part of the introduction which Mr, Folk received Saturday at «the hands of Congressman James T. Lloyd of the First district, who pre- sided over the sixteenth annual reunion - of the old settlers of Shelby county. Mr. Folk spoke as follows: It has been 69 years since the first “term of the circuit court in Shelby ‘county. The grand jury evidently - could find no wrongdoing, for no in- «dictments were returned. At the next term a number of the citizens of the < county were charged with “betting-on horses,” an offense evidently very com- mon in those days. I judge from that, those early settlers were from Ken- ‘tucky or Tennessee, The county has » been remarkably free from serious « crimes, an evidence of a high order of citizenship and of good government. Thomas Jefferson once said: “The itime to guard against corruption is before it shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of +the fold than to trust drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered.” The people must be con- » Stantly on the alert to keep corrup- tion out. Whenever the people be- come inattentive to public affairs, cor- ruption follows as a logical conse- quence. Under our form of govern- -ment all authority is vested in the . people, and by them delegated to those who represent them in official vapac- . ity. It is a valuable thing to be a cit- izen in a republic such as ours, for ‘each citizen is'a constituent part of - sovereignty. Under a monarchy, the . king is the fountain head of power; with us the people are. ‘As a king should be careful and watchful in the - exercise of his authority, so should the people in a republic. The people, -in giving attention to public affairs, - are attending to their own business; yet how careless they become at times; how indifferent to their own welfare they often are. The people are part- ners in the affairs of state. Each in- dividual has as much power in its management as any other, yet the ma- jority of people are neglectful of this, their highest duty. If a firm is com- posed of a dozen men, and ten of them give no attention whatever to the busi- ness, leaving it entirely to the two, i they cannot complain when they awake : some morning and find that they have -been plundered. When good citizens voluntarily abdicate the throne of American manhood by negiscting civic «duties and leave the government to «the vicious minority, they may expect ‘to be robbed by dishonest officials. *Bhomas Jefferson wrote that “man is «the only animal that aevours his own »kind,” and that “if once the people = become inattentive to public affairs, «congress and assemblies, judges and egovernors shall become wolves. It =geems to be the law of human nature in spite of individual exceptions.” The majority of officials, I believe are shonest, else we would have anarchy. It is true, however, that civic evils in- *crease as the exercise of civic duties wby good citizens decreases. The indifference of electors is the ~weakness of a republican form of gov- «ernment. To arouse them and make ‘them realize the necessity of exercising xtheir civic duties is a matter of su- ‘ypreme importance. The responsibility «of citizenship is not discharged by a vote on the day.of some general elec- *tion. Every good citizen should at- ‘tend his party primary. Even this is snot all; he should take part in the first meeting of precinct, ward or “township where tickets for general elections or primaries are born. Nine- ~“ty-nine per cent, of the people are hon- but the one per cent. of dishon- is It is the duty of the state to pro-| office by party organizations to be serv-| should be enacted providing that after tect the individual in the enjoyment | ants of the public, not simply party! conviction for a felony there shall be of his rights. Citizenship carries with | agents. One may be in private life a it privileges. It is, however, a recip-| Democrat or a Republican, but when rocal relationship. The citizen Gwes aj be steps into public office he should, duty to the state. He must contribute | in the exercise of-his official functions, ;jto its support politically as well as} have the public weal first in view. financially. His other civic duties are} After all, he who serves the public as morally binding as his taxes. Pa-/ best serves his party best. triotism does not mean merely love of | organization 1s entitled to credit for country in times of war. There is as | selecting faithful public servants, and, much patriotism in the ballot as there | it can not evace responsibility for the is in the bullet. The patriotism of| unfaithful. If a political party con- peace is as necessary to free govern-| ones wfongdoing it should be con- ment as the patriotism of war. Indeed | demned by the public. history shows that republics are in| cuts off its rotten limbs is entitled to more danger in peace than in war.| credit. Tho weeding out of public cor- Where wars, pestilences and all other| ruption is calamities combined, have destroyed|ty not its one republic, corruption has under-| Democra, but mined a score, As the people are partners in the|thar a Fapublican iawbreaker. state, it is well enough to take stock | ure criminals. If there is anything} and punishing Democratic rascals the Tt is al-| same as Republican rascals. ways best to let the people know the/ are’ not elected to prosecute only po- truth. To show a man that he has! litical opponents, bac to enforce the law been robbed is not to slander him. You | impartially against all offenders, Dem- are charging the robber with dishon- | ocrats or Republicans. The cloak of De- esty, not the robbed, There are nO| mocracy should be torn from him who more honest people anywhere than | tries to use it to hide his corruption. Missourians, and they are determined | 1¢ wrongdoing exists, the sooner it is to dislodge the vampires who have / discovered and stopped the better for now and then. wrong, let the people know it. fastened themselves on the state. A party A party that the honor of a par- disgrace. I am a I do not believe a Democratic lawbreaker is any better Both 1 believe in exposing Officials the party end the better for the state. We are told corruption exists in oth-| Under no circumstances should our er states. That is probably true, but} eyes be closed to corruption for fear we will let the people of other states/that by making a fuss about it the attend to Missouri. Let civic righteousness. been laid bare as here. be the usual and accepted thing. While other cities may have been as/| lic piunderers. corrupt as St. Louis, and other states along without rascals the people will afflicted with as many dishonest oA-| get along without that party. cials as Missouri, it is true that at no} can be no truck!ing to boodle influences time or placa has so much corruption! at this time. It seemed to| “ In| ers.” St. Louis franchises were sold unblush-} boodle vote in Missouri will reap a ingly by officials, the money going not| whirlwind and should meet with dis- into the city treasury, but into the} aster. do their own housecleaning, while we) party might be injured. I have no pa- Missouri} tience with such talk. “show” the other states and set an ex-/ ment of law can not hurt any party ample for them to follow. Let us make/ unless the organization in some way Missouri the first of all the states in| js particeps criminis, It should not in- The enforce- jure any organization to get rid of pub- If a party can not get There The watchword must be: ‘0 compromise with public plunder- Any party that tries to get the The only way to stamp out itching palms of these public pilferers. | corruption is to strike it hard whenever No bill of consequence passed the mu-|and wherever it shows itself. There nicipal assembly unless the members| can be no conciliation directly or in- were paid for their votes. The people| directly between civic honor and civic of St. Louis elected thieves to be mak-| depravity. ers of laws for them, In state affairs dishonest legislators have sold their votes to a scandalous extent. The next highest official in state gov- ernment betrayed his party and his peo- ple and turned out to be a boodler. Legtstators-made-a-commodit: and passed or defeated bills for their own gain, not for public good. They flaudted their corruption in the faces} membered that one who has done noth- of the people and outraged every sense| ing is in no danger. of honor and decency. The responsibility rests on the peo-| honest man has any right to object ple for correcting this state of affairs.| because his misdeeds are made pub- Unless the people do something about} lic. it, all these disclosures will be of no; are the chief antidotes for corruption. The epidemic of bribery has Some people who secretly sympathize been checked, now the people must do} With corruptionists appear to get very No man who has the wel-| indignant fare of his state at heart can afford] from witnesses facts regarding corrup- now not to take an active part and in- tion and publish them. Do they mean terest in public affairs. If the corrup-| to say that the people are not entitled tionists are ever to be annihilated inj to know who the rascals are? Missouri, now is the accepted time to| people are the ones most interested, avail. their part. do it. It is not likely that so much ammunition to use against public plun- derers will be found again for years to come. Every citizens has a work to do in this critical period of the state’s history. The good or ill effects of the boodle disclosures in Missouri depends upon what the people do about it. Let the action of the people be such that the name “Missouri” will stand for civie honor everywhere. The first duty of the people in each county should be to elect to the gen- eral assembly only men of high in- tegrity, men who can be honest in ac tion. No man who is in the slight degree tainted with the influences of, corruption should be trusted, no mat- ter how capable he may be. We do not need so much brilliancy and wit in legislative affairs, but we do need more common everyday honesty. No ability in a public official can compen- sate for dishonesty. Insincerity on the part of a public official is a species of dishonesty. The man who denounces corruption in public and then in pri- vate makes secre ances with cor- ruptionists is not apt to be of much benefit to the people in official posi- tion. The people are entitled to hon- est treatment, and the practice of po- litical parties putting planks in plat- forms merely to catch votes should be condemned. The principle should be recognized that honesty is the best pol- icy in public and private life. Do not elect a legislator whose private char- acter will not bear the closest scru- tiny. Evil will come out sooner or later. If a man’s private character be bad it will show itself in time in public life. An official does not have to steal from the treasury in order to be dis- honest. If he appropriates to his own use the powers which he holds in trust to be exercised for public good, he is just as-dishonest as if he were to put his hands into the public treasury and filch from it the public money. In the beginning of our government, it was found that public affairs could not be well administered without party organizations. It is through parties that men come to an agreement as to public policies and announce their principles and intentions. One man f i B part I belfeve in the Thomas Jefferson, for which ocratic party stands to-day. AL: e238 i Eg 5 Ht Eee ti to ae z & i : i There should be a constant search for corruption. It is an undertaking of some degree of delicacy to ferret it out. Enemies must be made in the very effort to find corruption, Men will complain because they are inter- the course of investigation, individuals may be injured, but it should be re- No honest man can be hurt by investigation. No dis- Publicity and enforcement cf law because reporters obtain The and if they are being plundered and have been betrayed by any man, the sooner they know it the better. There can be no honest objection to publicity as long as the truth is told, and no one has yet disputed on that score. No in- nocent man has been besmirched in the slightest degree. The interests of justice and the mandates of the law as to inquisitorial proceedings, must be carefully guarded, but things the peo- ple have a lawful right to know they are entitled to. If rottenness exists in civie affairs it should not be hidden. There is no secret cure for corruption. f it exists, let “hell be raised” until ‘ainst | bribery is of the highest importance to the commonwealth. Other oftenses ! violate one law while bribery strikes at the foundation of law itself. If bribery is allowed to go on the conse- quences of the violation of other laws may be escaped by bribery. The hein- ousness of the crime has been realized by the people of all ages. It has ever been the greatest foe to democratic government. The purpose of the law in punishing crime is not revenge, but as an exam- ple to others as to what they may expect if they commit similar crimes, To accomplish this the punishment should follow the crime. A distin- guished justice of the supreme court of the United States has written an article published in a well-known mag- azine, advocating the abolition of ap- peals in criminal cases. While we may not be ready to go to that extent, it is unfortunately true that there is entirely too much laxity in the en- forcement of the criminal law. The criminal law has come to be regarded as a machine for the protection of the guilty instead of the punishment of the guilty. With us a man may be solemnly tried for a felony; a jury of his peers may pronounce him guilty and sentence him to the penitentiary, yet if he be wealthy or have influential friends he can immediately give bond pending appeal, and walk out of the court along with the jury that con- victed him. The wretch who is unable to give bond must abide his time in patience within the penitentiary walls, while his appeal is being passed on. This system is not democratic, it is not “equal and exact justice to all, special Privileges to none,” for it gives to the rich man his liberty on his appea! and denies it to the poor man. I have some sympathy for the man who comes into court charged with crime, the result largely of environment, but I have none for the man who has about him the cloak of respectibility and glamour of wealth, who deliberately cleans out municipal larders and plunders the people of an entire state. If mercy be shown, I would have it extended to those who know not what they do when they violate law. The right to bail after conviction should exist not as a matter of right, but solely on the doubt that may ex- ist as to the defendant’s guilt. A law no stay of execution on appeal unless &@ judge of the supreme court, upon an inspection of the record shall deter- mine that there is a reasonable doubt of his guilt, and probable cause for the appeal. When the evidence of guilt is plain and clear and there is no error in the trial, it is a mockery on justice to have a defendant immediately upon the verdict of the jury being an- nounced, merely sign a bond and go his way as if nothing had happened. There are times when this looseness of ju- dicial proceedings breeds a spirit of mob violence in the people. Good gov- ernment demands a correction of this condition. There is a statute on the books now that evidently aimed to ac- complish this result, but it has been rendered nugatory by other statutes and judicial constructions. The corrupt legislator traffics in the honor of a sovereign people. The soul of the state is its honor, when (hat is gone all is lost. Corruption costs in civic honor; it costs in money, for ev- ery dollar paid a corrupt official must come out of the people in one way or another; above all, the cost of corrup- tion is the inevitable decay of the gov- ernment where it is tolerated, and the undermining. of the liberties of the people, Civic depravity can not exist if the people make up their minds not to per- mit it. There is nothing so powerful as public sentiment. There can be no stronger organization than the hearts and consciences of the people. The corruptionists can not stand before the sentiment of a just, intelligent and aroused people, Let that opinion have a free course; let it be pronounced in thunder tones; let it open the ears of the deaf; let it open the eyes of the blind and let it everywhere be pro- claimed what we of this great state think of the principle of eivic right- eousness and of that corruption we ab- hor. Let the decree be announced and enforced, that the corruptionists must go. Folk at [loberly. Hon, Joseph W. Folk addressed a crowd of between seven and eight thou- sand people at Moberly, Mo., on Labor day, Monday, September 7, 1003. He spoke as follows: Your commitiee has requested me E k-to-you on Good tovernment This is an appropriate subject for La- bor day, for the working man has a pe- culiar interest in good nment Good government rests upon the proper exercise of the ballot, The ballot is the most precious possession of the work- ingman. I[t is a mighty power, right- fully exercised, in protecting the rights of the masses against the encroachment of greed, Labor is pre-eminent in the industrial fabric of free government; it stands at the base of our progress and development. Without labor, cap- ital would be useless, and it is other- wise true, that capital gives oppor- tunity to labor. Co-operations of labor are as necessary incidents of advanced civilization as corporations of capital Each has rights which the other should respect, and rights the government must protect. The chief end and aim of all gov- ernment is the welfare of its citizens. The most that can be obtained out of life is happiness. The laboring man who is happy and contented is more to be envied than the richest man in the world whose conscience with injustice is corrupted. Good government rests, not on the wealth of citizens, but on gov their integrity. Wealth alone does not make a state great, neither does labor alone, but the character of the citizen Loes. r all is , it is the man ual responsibility vernment that many fail to realize. There is too much of a disposition many to allow others to do the face sweating in elvie affairs | while they do the bread eating. No class of citizens exercise their civic du- ties more conscientiously, as a rule, hose who earn their living by the | toil of their hands. If all others were as zealous in exercising the privileges of citizenship, there would be less cor- ruption in public life. Indeed, if the {public good, }saulted, that he should not complain laborer in the shop, and the farmer in the field, were as indifferent to civic duties as the princes of commerce in the great centers of population, free government could not long exist. The laboring man is sometimes imposed up- on by designing persons, but so are all people. They are as capable of taking care of themselves as any other citizen, and though they make mistakes, as all humans do, nowhere is civic virtue held in higher regard than in the heart of the average workingman. The toiling masses are the benefi- ciaries of good government, and if they want it hard and long enough, they can get it. Ours is a government of the people—the people are sovereign; each man is a constituent part of sov- ereignty on the throne of American manhood. In constructing this great government our forefathers exercised a wisdom unsurpassed in the annais of mankind. They furnished a republic guaranteeing rights to the citizen never obtained or exercised by any other people. The safety of the re- public has been menaced, but wise men have steered the ship of state into a peaceful harbor. Official corruption is the most dangerous enemy to free gov- ernment. On this rock, nearly all the republics of other days have gone down. The stamping out of public cor- ruption is an honor to a state. The year just passed has given to every Missourian the right to hold his head higher as a citizen of the state which is taking the lead in eradicating civie evils. The vast disclosures of venality in city and state have startled the world, and have brought on the people of Missouri credit for what has been done, and grave responsibilities for the future. We must show, not a slight, but a well nigh immeasurable im- provement. The revelations have been shocking and humiliating to good citi- zens; the process of cutting out the cancerous growth from the body poli- tic has been painful, but it was the only honest “and patriotic course to pursue, and now, the people must do something about it, else all that has been done will avail nothing. The disease has been checked and now the people must do their part. If this great state with its glorious history, with its memories of illustrious statesmen, and soldiers who have added lustre to the pages of our country’s history, should shrink back from the task, then it might well be believed that the de- cadence of the public conscience has be- gun. Things must not be allowed to run in the old ruts again. Let there be a reign of law and of civic honor. The name “Missouri” should be made the synonym for civie righteousness. This can be done if the people will, and every citizen can be made to feel the responsibility resting upon him. The people govern through their repre- sentatives. If the people are indiffer- ent, their supineness is represented by corrupt officials. If they are alive to their civic duties, their integrity is represented by honest officials, Each man should strive to make his Influ- ence felt for decency and morality. There is only one policy for public and private life, absolute honesty. Evil al- ways comes out sooner or later. If a man’s character and life show him to be susceptible to the influence of brib- ery or corruption, he should not be trusted, no matter how capable he may be. No capacity in a public official atones for dishonesty. Relegate to the rear those who seek office for the op- portunity for plunder that office gives. The official who uses his public fune- tions for personal ends, violates to that extent the trust reposed in him, He who prostitutes his office for selfish purposes, will, if opportunity offers, prostitute it for his own gain, We need in legislative halls more aggres- sive honesty, more men who know their duty and dare to do it. The path- way of the legislator is beset with se- ductive dangers, and he must be “steeled and armoured” with a strong mind and true conscience to come through clean, If he have any venali- ty in his nature, the various stages of corruption will follow in natural se- quence, First, the acceptance of a rail- road pass; then some seemingly inno- at gift not directly connected with on account of official action; then a re- ward for something officially done, not in pursuance of an agreement how- ever; then a seared conscience and dulled moral vision and the sale of his official vote to the highest bidder, Legislators should learn the power they posse their right to vote and their influences with their fellows, be- long not to them, but to their own con- stituents, and that they are held as a ad trust to be administered for the They should be held in strict accountability as to the manner in which 17.e trust is executed. They must be: judged by what. they do, not by At the: If a man's private character is bad, it will show itself sooner or later in pub- he life. The guiding star of a public and private life must be principle. One who would truckle to undesirable ele- ties of the people would be undermined. Official corruption is more dangerous than other crimes, for it strikes at the foundation of all law. The inevitable cost of corruption is the decay of the government where it is tolerated. This has been so in all the world’s history. The position that some take in refer- ence to boodling, reminds one of the old darkey who said about the com- mandments: “Yes, preacher, they are right, but in this here neighborhood the eighth commandment ought to be taught with some ‘discreetions.’” The command, “Thou shalt not steal,” ad- mits of no exceptions. There can be no compromise with public plunderers. Unrelenting exposure and punishment is the only honorable course. Public corruption can not be stamped out by gentle methods. It must be hit hard whenever and wherever it shows itself. Any pandering to boodle influences must be discountenanced by an honest citizenship. The corruptionists are strong. Let us not deceives ourselves in that point. They are resourceful and will resort to every means to give themselves further opportunity. They are well organized, but they are op- posed by the most powerful organiza- tion in the world, the heart and con- science of the people. The people of Missouri do not plead with corrup- tionists; they have no favors to ask of them. They defy them. With the man- hood of Missouri united in patriotic effort, the things that have been dis- honored and oppressed, will be anni- hilated, Let us not be content until this is accomplished. We are proud of our splendid state, of its wonderful progress and of its scourging of evil, but there is more to be done. States, like men, should‘never be satisfied, but ever strive to higher development. Thé man who is so self-satisfied as to pro- claim himself undesirous of improve- ment, is the one likely to need im- provement most. The citizen who does not desire more civic morality proba- bly has a selfish interest in regarding it. Missouri, like a man approaching his prime, must go forward to its des- tiny. When it has struck to the heart that corruption which is its real foe, the heights of achievement will be climbed and the summit of attainment reached. The corruptionists have feasted and fattened at the public expense for years, but. the handwriting has ap- peared on the wall. They have been bss and wealth but “The God th over Babylon is the God that is reign- ing yet.” Hot Retorts from Preachers, of all the” brilliant preachers of modern times no one shone more re- splendently in conversation than the eloquent Baptist minister, Robert fall, For all whining pietists, for all oracular utterers of commonplace, all anglers for y e, in the pulpit or elsewhere, the great preacher had an ineffable contempt. One day a sickly, querulous old man belonging to his congregation met him in the street and 1: “Ah, Mr. Hall, you have never—been to see me, sir. I've—I've —lI've been very ill; I've — been—at death's door, Mr. Hall.” “Why didn't you step in?” was the quick response. When asked for advice by a young ments to secure office is not likely to be} of much benefit to the public when he | gets in. There is more honor in hon- | est private life than in high official po-| sition gained by the sacrifice of prin-} ciple. “What doth it profit a man to] gain the whole world and lose his own soul,” w asked by the man of Galll- lee. The soul of a state is its honor, | and the question m t well be asked | when-the honor of-a-state-is- gone, What is ieft? Yo argue that official corruption fs not worthy of serious consideration be- cause no money has been stolen from | the treasury, is es sense as to tell a man whose daughter has been as- | because his silverware is yet safe. The | corrupt legislator traffics in the honor of a sovereign people. There are things, the value of which can not be measured the honor of a state is worth. He that would consent for the honor of his state to be prostituted, even if it put money into the treasury, is not a good citizen. For what did our forefathers fight in 1776? Did the followers of Washington spill their blood so freely for money? No, not for money, but for principle. The tax on tea was not resisted by the colonists because of the money. The payments of the tax would not have financially crippled them, but the pay- ment of a tenth part of the tax on the principle it was demanded, would have made them slaves. Nations go to war and pour out their treasures for hon- ors sake. - Bribery costs, looking at it from @ sordid standpoint. In St. Louis, miles and miles of streets have been given away, that is, the city has obtained nothing, but the corrupt officials have grown rich by the sale of these fran- chises. If the city had received a fair compensation for franchises it would be millions better off to-day. There is no way of estimating the financial loss to a state by a carnival of corruption, but that the people lose can not be seriously denied. When the agent of the Baking Powder trust paid $7,500 for senatorial votes, it got what it wanted, the senators gained what they wanted. There can be no gain without a corresponding loss. Who lost what the corrupt officials and the trust gained? Why, the people. Every corrupt dollar obtained by an official ts filched directly from the pedple. Above all, the cost of corruption is the freedom of the people. “The wages of sin is death” is true of political as well as physical life. If all judges were corrupt, where could justice be found. If all prosecuting attorneys were venal, no man’s life or property would be safe; if laws were bought and sold like commodities, then the liber- man who desired to enter the minis- try, and who gave as a reason that he wished not to bury his talents in a napkin, Hall replied: “Then put them in a pocket handkerchief, sir; that will be large enough!” Some years ago a man in Alabama lost a dearly-loved wife, and expressed his grief in these words, inscribed on her tombstone: “The light, mine eyes-hath gone-owt.” Within year he ma dagain. A friend of Bishop Wilmer, walking with the graveyard. ked what he thought of the proy of the words since the new nuptials. “I think,” said the bish- op, “the words ‘But I have struck an- other match’ should be added.”"—Sat- urday Evening Post. Senator Penrose's Queer Flush. In a Broad street hotel in Philadel- phia Senator Quay and some friends were In the habit o SHIN tod regular weekly game of poker, at one of which Senator Penrose, of Penn- sylvania, was a mere looker-on, After watching the game for an hour or two the junior senator innocently re- marked: “Fellows, I think I could play that game if you'd make me out a schedule of points.” They did so, and Penrose, with the rules carefully written out in front of him, took a hand. As the time for the jackpot approached one of the players said: “Cll open for a dollar.” Penrose seanned his hand, then looked carefully over the rules and asked: “What's all of one color?” “A flush,” he was told. “I'll play,” he observed. The man who opened perfunctorily bet a chip, and, when the senator raised, drew out. “It’s all yours, Penrose,” the latter was told, and then,as he drew the pile toward him, somebody added: “Let's see what you got, anyway.” They looked, found two diamonds and three hearts, and sarcastically in- quired: “Didn't you say you had a flush?” “No; you said it,” replied Penrosa adding, ingenuously; “I don’t know much about the game, you know, but [ rather like it."—Chicago Chronicle. Sunflowers make an excellent shade for the poultry yard, and produce a large amount of the finest poultry food that can be produced. That sun- flower seed possesses the special prop- erty of polishing the plumage is pure fiction. Any feed that will keep fowls in first-class condition will do as well as sunflower seed. You can't make feathers greasy by feeding fatty foods.—Midland Farmer. Triplets all boys, were born to Mr. and Mrs. John Hillyer at Montrose, IL, Sunday. ae eB