Epistles from Pap: Letters from the man known as 'The Will Rogers of Indiana'

51, Pap attended every session of the Indiana Legislature, either as a member or a lobbyist. He was elected to the House in 1913 and 1915, following with two six-year terms in the Senate. In 1

humor was reflected in a letter of recommendation on behalf o

opulist style was even compared to that of the great Will Rogers. Anecdotes of life in small-town Russellville figured large in his material. The letter titled, "Hazards of Trying a Comeback" i

cluding a gibe at a company that was making a big deal over a small bill. But he co

g, particularly when faced with the obligations-financial and otherwise-of raising a growing famil

OF F

astle,

h 29

le John

ngton

e get his Representative (among others) to address you concerning his desires, I am taking this oppor

ecommendation is a knock or a boost in these days of wholes

asions where it is a real pleasure t

ecept and precedent, I can only say Mr. Lloyd comes from one of the largest and most influential Republican familie

d our young friend is unable to meet the full requirements of

WASTEF

t 13,

mer I'm opposed to; the latter I am not. Only the latter comes with ill grace. Goodrich, in his opening campaign speech, which was delivered in Greencastle, charged the Democrats with criminal wastefulness of the state's money, especially in the maintenance of the state institutions. And he made his whole campaign on that one issue-Economy. Now I learn from Dr. Edenharter, Superintendent of Central Hospital for Insane, that for the first time in his experience as Superintendent during a period of 26 years, there is a deficit-and a large one-

RIAL A

20,

Sa

ate,

ded the Democratic State Convention at Indianapolis yesterday, and got

y expected to cast their franchises for State Senator for this Fall. As I told you some time ago, I'm a candidate for State Senator from

look you up and get a little advice if you won't mind

s a mighty loyal friend. His job never swelled him even so much as a urine ant bite would. I want to go

ork City together. We got the roofs o

ASSING

l 16

go Tr

go, I

introductions and felicitations all around, it so happened another former cadet of the same Correctional Institution was passing in an auto when my friend hailed him and called my attention to the fact that a brother Shriner whom I ought to know was approaching. Imbued with the spirit of the Order, I s

or submitting this is

al pain and anguish

pass its next q

ectf

ENT MYST

h 3,

H. Ande

ain S

nnati

r Last Statement", and underneath and to one side of the figures is a sort of Odd Fellows hand wi

rms. Part of the set was to be delivered at once (and it was) and the balance in a short time thereafter. Well, time wore on, the horse was supplanted by the automobile, congress shoes were relegated to the attic. . . Sometime during this time, which we will call the

local inventive geniuses, set in motion in his downtown basement his perpetual motion machine, that when once got in motion was only stilled when it disintegrated and tore out his east brick wall and scattered cogs, wheels and shafts over a radius of

ecome reminiscent,

I would presume it was accumulated interest at 2 cents per decade on my original investment in the set paid years ago, and th

the other hand I do not believe it is that for two reasons: I dimly recall when I bought the set, and paid cash in advance, that covered all charges; a

enlig

ectf

MITTEE ON

ber 6

e Emmett

nant G

ville,

concerning committee assignments for the coming session of the Legislature

oot-sore Democrats where we could do a minimum of harm, and so I went over yesterday-the State Committee was scheduled to meet-for the purpose

. train at Russellville regularly for years and years; not that I expected guests, but it was the custom of the town, so I have an intimate knowledge of the stopping and starting of trains. I was "connected" with the Russellville Bank from the ages of 8 to about 18 ("Connected" has a variety of meanings. "Red" Purnell, now in Congress from the 9th District, and I roomed to

n my side, and my trust is in the Lieutenant Governor, I must stay where you place me and be content

ETIC OVER

ber 2

Gun C

a, Ne

tle

thica hammerless shot gun, No. 29438, I must have b

lah from being gone over hundreds of times lovingly and tenderly with silk and wool, oil and polish. Its shooting prowess-it made the fur fly out of unsuspecting rabbits before Bryan built his crown of thorns and cross of

o me as doth the lamb the ewe. And while I do not know when the Magna Charta was wru

st time, its hydra- head. When it happened, or how, I do not know, but only today, in removing it from its case

I haven't gone into bankruptcy keeping kool with Coolidge during these most damnably har

N A CUST

19,

.

ings, A

led to the custody of his child or children . . . even as against the child's legal guardian-which happens to be the fact in your case. As I understand it, Mr. A- w

o support such child, then the courts will step in. As I understand the situation, neither of these affect you adversely. . . To me it seems, under the circumstances, most deplorable, or rather unfortunate t

ed, and all that sort of thing. It will take witnesses, and good ones. . . As a tip I might say that Mr. H- of this city is somewhere in Hot Springs now, in one of the hotels or sanitariums, I presume. I would say absolutely nothing to him about the trouble over the boy, but I would make a special effort to have him out to the house and let it get

to me I would be fighting mad. But we must absolutely refrain

CHA

astle,

h 16

E. Harol

nor of Indiana E

ear

ipt of a copy of

he hospitality of your hotel. Does that mean with or without remuneration? And whether or not it means the invitee's family?

nd Greencastle constituency for Gubernatorial preferences, we would urgently convey the knowledge that our palatial home is in the exact center of the City and

S OF PUB

ber 2

mes D.

hmond,

r Mr.

f your very consi

reation of new boards, commissions and bureaus than it is to aid in bringing them into existence. And the crowd or lobby or whatever you call it who are fostering these expenditures always on hand during the Session to make it hot and unpleasant for anyone who

Some think I was grandstanding and getting ready to run again, when I sent that $292 back to the State. But it wasn't at all. I sent it back simply because it was absolutely and unqualifiedly un- Constitutional, regardless of what our State Supreme Court says; and for the further reasons that I was elected knowing my salary would be $6 per day, that I had opposed salary increases during the term of office all my legislative career and could see no good excuse for exempting myself from tha

IONS CAR

ter sent by Indiana

arnaby, of Greencas

r our nursery program and acquiring land for state forests. This means great things for th

in the lumber business for 40 years and probably knew more about hardwood trees than anyone else in the country. . . He said you wrote him that this positively was a good bill and they had better take your advice and pass it. Senator Durham disc

AS WIL

vice Club Grenade, ne

anapolis, Fe

ham. It was understood that the senator hailed from Greencastle, but this was an error. His home is in Russellvi

s club and that led him to believe for a while that he was an orator, but he finally came to the conclu

ellow Democrat, Will Rogers. He entertained the club, had everybody in an upr

t enjoyable meetings we have had in a long time, e

OF TRYING

astle,

2,

laud

ville,

. I say "come back" because I was the alleged speaker of the evening with the Shelbyville Rotary Club in May of this year. It may happen you have hea

rous even than a first offense. It is in law, and it generall

out afresh. Warner Kinkead was the cause of most of it. Warner was our self-imposed "leading man" on all and every occasion. For one thing, he was a bit older, but his principal claim to "stardom" was due to the f

"make-up" box which he had in some manner acquired, together with a yearning for a theatrical career. Therefore, he was an actor, none could successfully dispute. He h

Warner soon learned the more there were in the cast, the more doting fathers and mothers, aunt

o come in the 8th or 9th Scene of the 10th or 12th Act, when in point of actual time it would be after midnight and our remaining audience (th

on the storm-tossed sea. From the lighthouse the startling cry rings out: "A fair

ery elements (ably aided and abetted by several bucketsful of real water from the wings). The maiden is rescued and brought to shore, but for some reason known only to the author th

, our local barn painter, painted the result of their labors to look like what he, in his artistic mind, thought the sea ought to look like. We borrowed two hand-power blacksmith's bellows from Fred Fink's blacksmith shop to put at either wing, and under the loosely-laid sheeting. The bellows pumped air

al inventor, hooked up immense quantities of old baling wire to some sort of wooden structure representing the driftwood the heroine was to cling to so perilously, in such a way that when Jude Glover, concealed beneath the ocean, turned the h

in that capacity, and who, concealed in the corn field out alongside Hebron School House, did scar

the Big Scene-the maiden was ad

of the corn-sheller, the barking of the dog, the efforts of the bucketeers and bellowsmen, and encouraging cries from on shore, his foot caught in a seam of the sheeting, ripping up about two yards of the ocean. The air we had so industriously pumped in, rushed out at the rent. The sea co

by giving our second night's audience an opportunity to get ready for us-which they did in due and ancient form, as will be quickly sens

His talk was short and much to the point: "Boys, we're not appreciated, and they needn't never ask me to put on a play in this town again. . . I didn't mi

his time concerning a second ef

months. He lives in Pennsylvania. My wife was called to Pennsylvania by the family, who thought the

AM

astle,

2,

Ray H

inois B

polis,

m sort of swamped in a small way with things of that nature. I am having some important cases tried this month, and I just must get ready for them. . . There must be an

asonry. . . What talks I make are nearly always directed toward the Legislature, or some

eting of Insurance Men for the 10th, and the Lord knows I don't know anything abo

ing . . . on my real inability to make an interesting Shrine talk, if you al

O A YOUN

astle,

1,

rold M

n State R

, Wash

s are you know, or have heard of me. Anyway, your mother and I grew up together, gir

nd so, in view of all of this, and for other reasons, I am quite naturally interested in you and your w

done again and again in the future by others. What I insist is that it shall never again happen to you. I know there are those associated with you now who are fools enough to maintain an air of bravado about them, and pretend they have been wronged by society . . . and they go about here and there telling what they are going to do when they get out, and how they're never going to get caught again. That type is hopeless and utterly worthless, but th

ing safe and secure . . . and never knowing what the next hour will bring;

ttitude toward that mistake. When a fellow finds he is wrong, reverse then and there. Don't wait and don't try to "bull it through". . . and make friends, not enemies, of the reformatory authorities. You will be surprised, yes, amazed, to learn how badly they want to be friendly with you. . . Show by your ac

your warden or someone, asking how you are getting along and what sort of young fellow yo

people all over this big, free country are interested in you and anxious for you and those others of you who have made a slip, all of us hoping and trusting and many praying for your welfare. So don't think you are friendless or forgotten, or o

me som

cer

WAY F

17,

. Quigley, G

St. L. Ra

E. 9

nnati

celebrating the fact they had come to be the second city in size in the South-a gain of over 100% in ten years. Parades. Newspaper head lines. Everybody talking "Houston, Houston." We outsiders got a bit tired and bored with all

Our host took us to a big cage and pointed out a long-necked bird of brillia

Well, I think he's a hell

a kno

ectf

ATIC 'STRI

tate took place in 1925. Pap, who represented Putnam and Montgomery Counties

tor who introduced it) which, not unlike legislation offered

trict to the Second. The invention was to make sure there would be sufficient Republicans in that district-Senator Pen

resent, no votes could be taken and no legislation could be passed-not just the offending Penrod bill, but any business at all. And the

the neighboring state of Ohio. Most of the "bolters" made the trip in a bus rented ahead of time. They wound up in Dayton, where they took up residence in a

erland Moving Van. Pap's transit was courtesy of his railroad pass. The

apples to be forwarded to the Indiana Senate, accompanied by a note-"Compliments of the Minority Members." The erudite Senator Cravens (kn

olt," which brought official undertakings to a complete halt. Photos of all the "stri

warrants for the arrest and return of the vagrants. Poor Doorkeeper Brown protested against going it alone, but to no avail. He arrived in Dayton 11:45 PM on the 2

nding in Ohio (which coincidentally was under a Democrat administration at the time.) The governor furth

itation "with great pleasure- un

firmly that nothing of th

anigans increased a

d on her way home from school in Greencastle by a friendly pair of men she had never seen before. She thought it a bit strange, but all Hoosiers were unrestrictedly friendlier those days. They got a

best to aid in the passage of every constructive and economic measure brought before that body. . . in the hope of benefitting the overburdened taxpayers of the state.

and Jury, which they said might fine the runaways $1,000 and imprison them. Such threats and the clumsy a

ef Detective Association was sworn in "to watch for Senators who m

pitulated to the Democratic Minority, making a prophet out of Pap, who had p

imes carried the b

VE WHICH BROUGHT 15

BOSS ASSURES DEMOCR

OSED TO WILL

of any indictments against them. Thus, having thoroughly enjoyed their rest and

e their political point perfectly clear (and effective

ed his just po

he was chosen as suc

y Leader in the In