OCR Text |
Show VICTOR MURDOCK, PRIDE OF THE SUNFLOWER STATE. (KanBas City Star.) writing In a New York nowspaper upon tbe Bubject "Tho Sunflower Hope and Pride." Alfred Henry Lewis says of Victor Murdock: "Lot us begin with tbe cradle- days of our hero, for he at least may claim to hav0 been a hero In his wars with Sneaker Cannon. Mr. Murdock was bom in 1S71 Jn Burllngamo, Kan, His i lather was an editor, and liko m06t J editors, poor. Thus tho boy, Murdock, bad the Inestimable advantage of be- , ing bom closo to the ground. Go where Vou will, look whore you choose, the r' country boy has carved his mark the deepest in, history. "Mr. Murdock Is In congress. And I yet he la out In tho rush of things political rather through a sense of dutythan an Inclination toward hurly-burly hurly-burly or an ambition for a mob success. suc-cess. While he knows mon and how to move them, I should not say that J he poescses any native liking for tho I mad scramble of party. He is osson-tially osson-tially an Idealist, I think ho llkos seclusion, se-clusion, alcoves, books. He is practical, practi-cal, but his practicality requios an effort.- The door of his Interest swings easily to the touch of beaten folks who "have lost their worldly way. And yet like Hugo, ho might have no time for omporors. ''Kansas is political, and her sons "take after their mothor. Being alto-'gether alto-'gether of KanBas, Mr Murdock, even as a boy and youth, possessed a consuming con-suming interest In , every t question which affected tho public. As eho-'VTing how ardently uppermost were ques-i ques-i tlons of politics In the mind of Mr. Murdock, his enemies tell a story J which I do not believe. ' "Wichita's town drunkard, they Bay, had died and was carried Into the church for the funeral. The parson felt stifled, tongue-tied by what he knew about tho man. After an at-i at-i tempt or so to speak he gave it up. In a happy burst he asked if there 1 "wore Any present who would, like to come,up and take his place. I " 'Surely,' Bald tho pareon, 'there must be something good which, a friend or neighbor of our dead broth- er -might cay.' "There was a pause; in all that crowded church no one stepped forward for-ward At last so runs the tale Mr. (Murdock, 16 years old, and then, as hot?-, full of the popular spirit, arose. Glancing earnestly about, he address-i address-i ed tho parson: " 'Mr. Preacher,' said Murdock, 'portion 'por-tion me, but if no ono cares to talk about the corpso, I'd like to be heard iten minutes on the subtreasury.'" "Mr. Murdock is a politician and has his politics. The latter, howover, Is the politics expressed in the farms, 'American' and 'man,' and he Is parti- ! Han "only In his patriotism. Ho caxos nothing" for pedigree, everything for performance. He does not believe .that your great grandfather, dead and i under the grass boots, gives you your only importance. He believes that the 1 path by which humanity should climb is politics; wherefore he is In politics. I But he in not hidebound of party, hold ing the name to bo too often but an , alias for boss or ring; and the final purpose- of either to be graft. He Is Inot a Socialist. He does nut in6lBt upon purltanism. He looks with unfavorable un-favorable eye upon tho organizod I hypocricy of pirate money and those I 'sycophants who lick its boots. He j has no use for solemn owlets who sit preening tho respectable feathers of j their vanity on perches of gold. I "The house Is a rough theater of effort, and tho Murdock fitness for J the work Involved Is still a problem, hie, overwrought. Mr. Murdock Is like a Toledo sword blade He Is clean, koeu, utterly tempered, holds an edge. And yet, while you would toss a veil of gauze in the air and slice it Into ribbons wl'di Mr. Murdock, you and do your best couldn't cut wood with him." |