Page:The Gilded Age - Twain - 1874.pdf/423

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A FRIENDLY JOURNAL.
391

They always deprecated, when there was trouble ahead.

However, The Washington Daily Love-Feast hailed the bill with warm approbation. This was Senator Balaam's paper—or rather, "Brother" Balaam, as he was popularly called, for he had been a clergyman, in his day; and he himself and all that he did still emitted an odor of sanctity now that he had diverged into journalism and politics. He was a power in the Congressional prayer meeting, and in all movements that looked to the spread of religion and temperance. His paper supported the new bill with gushing affection; it was a noble measure; it was a just measure; it was a generous measure; it was a pure measure, and that surely should recommend it in these corrupt times; and finally, if the nature of the bill were not known at all, the Love-Feast would support it anyway, and unhesitatingly, for the fact that Senator Dilworthy was the originator of the measure was a guaranty that it contemplated a worthy and righteous work.

Senator Dilworthy was so anxious to know what the New York papers would say about the bill, that he had arranged to have synopses of their editorials telegraphed to him; he could not wait for the papers themselves to crawl along down

UNNECESSARY PRECAUTION.
UNNECESSARY PRECAUTION.

to Washington by a mail train which has never run over a cow since the road was built, for the reason that it has never been able to overtake one. It carries the usual "cow-catcher"