WHAT BEAT WILLIAM J. BRYAN.
( Written by George Wilson , of Lexington , Mo. ,
n supporter of Bryan in 1800 and 1900. )
Several things , perhaps. But one
thing there -was , sufficient without the
others , to beat him ; mid itwill beat any
body for all time to coiiio.
The latter is yreenbackism.
William H. Allen , of the University of
Pennsylvania , emphasizes the impor
tance , the paramountcy of the business
interests , in elections. All business now
is carried on , more or less , by credit.
Greenbackism says to the business man :
"Wo propose that instead of stepping
around the corner and getting the money
or currency from the bank with which
to carry on your business , you get it
directly from the federal treasury. "
"Am I to wait till the right kind of a
congress can bo elected , and the
machinery necessary to put in , and till
it gets to working smoothly ; and then
take my chances of getting accommoda
tions ? " asks the business man. "Is my
business to stand waiting till this new ,
raw , untried proposition in government
socialism is tried ? "
The average American borrower is too
practical to leave what he now depends
on , for such promises.
Greenbackism has been beaten every
time it has given battle. It has been a
veritable "snap" for the republican
party ; for it insures victory to oppose it ,
and gives the perpetual-uatioual-debt
bankers and their associates the chance
to say that it is the attempt to restore
constitutional coinage that defeats the
democratic nominee.
From a party standpoint , democrats
have no more business defending the re
publican invention of greeubaclcism
than they have to drop the sociology of
Jefferson and follow Hamilton.
But they have done it with a stubborn
ness , characteristic of the animal that
made Missouri famous , except when
Tildeu caused them to declare in the
Cincinnati platform :
"The Public Credit for Public Pur
poses Only. "
Mr. Bryan has wanted to be president
ever since ho was fourteen years old.
But ho has never learned :
The principles of the science of money.
Money , April , 1901.
THE ROBIDOUX.
THE CONSERVATIVE is in receipt of the
following communication in regard to
this variously-spelled family , from Col.
John Doniphan of St. Joseph ; a nephew
of Col. A. W. Douip'han , the western
hero of the Mexican war.
ST. JOSEPH Mo. , May 17 , 1001.
Mr. Editor : Your article ( CONSERVA
TIVE , March 14 , 1901) ) inquiring who
were the different parties named Rob-
idoux , that have figured in the public
reports , stories and song , in the settle
ment of the West , and what relation
they held to Joseph Robidoux ( the
patron saint of our city ) and what con
nection he held to them , has been called
to my attention , with a request that I
would furnish the local papers with my
information , and believing that under
the circumstances you are entitled to it
first , I will try to answer the inquiries
as far as I am advised.
Joseph Robidoux was the son of a
Canadian Frenchman , named Joseph
Robidoux , a successful trader , who was
born at Montreal , Canada , and moved
to St. Louis about 1770. He also raised
six sous and one daughter , called by
name , Joseph , Louis , Antoine , Isadore ,
Francis , Michael and Pelagic. Joseph
was born in St. Louis in 1783. Ho took
an outfit , about 1808 , to Chicago , or Fort
Dearborn , but was robbed by Indians ;
he then travelled several years , and in
1809 went up the Missouri river with the
American Fur Co.
His father entertained in royal style ,
and the first territorial legislature held
its session at his mansion m St. Louis ;
his boys were amply educated and in
1801 , at 18 years of age , Joseph married
and had one child called "Young Joe ; "
this was the one who had goods at
Dorain , Nebraska [ St. Deroin , Nonmha
Co ? ] and lived most of his life in Ne
braska and died about ten years since.
His mother died in 1805 , and in 1809 his
father took a stock of goods to Council
Bluffs [ Nebraska ? ] by keel-boat ; he
traded there for thirteen years , when he
sold out to the American Fur Co. , a
competitor at the Bluffs , who paid him
fifty per cent advance and three thous
and dollars extra , and he agreed not to
resume business with the Indians for
three years.
He returned to St. Louis and become
a baker until the time expired , and in
1826 he opened a stock of Indian goods
at Black Snake Hills , now St. Joseph ,
which he had always remarked on his
trips up and down the river as being a
main crossing of the Missouri , between
the Indian tribes. His son made one or
two trips for hides from St. Joseph , but
the old man made but one trip west with
some goods in which he had an interest ,
to Clear Creek , Colorado , [ after 1858 ,
therefore. ]
In 1818 , while at Council Bluffs , he
had married Angelique Vaudry [ ? ] of
St. Louis , by whom he had five sons and
one daughter , all of whom are now
dead. His wife died in 1857 , and Joseph
Robidoux died in May , 1868. The business - .
ness houses closed and the entire popula
tion turned out to honor the character
of this distinguished citizen.
His brother Louis went to Mexico in
the early Santa Fe trade ; became in-
imate with that trapper , Kit Carson ,
and is the one mentioned by Booneville
[ Captain BonnevilleJ in 1828 at Green
River and [ Fort ? ] Bridger ; he went to
California hefore the Mexican war , and
lived and died there.
Another brother , named Michael , was
in Colorado , interested with old Joseph
and one of the Saint Vrains and others
in the fur trade prior to the Mexican
war , and is the one mentioned as meet
ing Doniphan's regiment at Bent's'Fort
in 1846.
Soon after Joseph Robidoux settled at
Council Bluffs in 1809 , lie had two
children by an Otoe squaw , allied to the
royal family of the Otoes. One was a
son , who was given an Indian name , but
nicknamed by the mother , and generally
called Joseph. He lived with the tribe
in Richardson county , Nebraska , near
White Cloud , and died after his father.
The daughter became the wife of the
celebrated chief White Cloud. The son
was often called young Joseph Robidoux ,
aud often visited this city , and often
figured in the police court on the charge
of drunkenness.
There are few male descendants of
Joseph Robidoux , as they are mostly
females ; there is one grandson of
respectability and education living in
Kansas City.
There may have been others named
Robidoux that I did not know of by
name or character.
Respectfully ,
JNO. DONIPHAN.
The editor of THE CONSERVATIVE has
known and respected the author of the
foregoing for more than forty years.
Col. Doniphan is sincerely thanked for
this contribution to history , and impor
tuned to become a constant writer for
this journal. He can tell more of the
early history of the Northwest , and tell
it correctly'than any man now living.
WHITE WATER.
This totally-abstinent chief of the
Otoes , mentioned by Mr. William Lowe
in his reminiscences of Old Fort Kear
ney , is remembered by some of the old-
timers as the owner of a green umbrella.
It was very green and very lovely , and
when White Water was in full fig ho
wore ( besides the figleaf , ) this umbrella
and a large white collar , disdaining
other adornment or covering. Ho was
then a vision to dream of.
A successful forecast of the weather
on his part is recalled from the fall of
1855 , the second fall the white men had
spent in Nebraska. A bear was dis
covered one morning in the neighbor
hood of South Table Creek , and in the
course of his forenoon's adventures ho
clambered up into a big leaning oak
tree ; the one that stands hard by the of
fice of the Mattes Brewing Co. , or one
just like it. Here lie was presently in
terviewed by the sheriff , William P.
Birchfield , whose bullets were made of
lead , lead , lead , and the bear died of
them before long. His carcass was then
drawn iip town and exposed in front of
Nuokolls , Heath & Van Doreu's store ,
on the southeast corner of Main and
Tenth streets ; the first , store built in
Nebraska City. And Mr. White Water
coming by , with some of his friends ,
paused to diagnose the coming winter ,
from the symptoms presented by the
bear's feet , which were , as the saying
is , worn to a frazzle. This , the Indian
pointed out , showed that he had come
a long way , and he concluded from it
that he was on his way south to avoid
the approaching moon of snowshoes ;
which must therefore be expected to be
heap cold. And it was a ripper ;
if the winter before , instead of being
one of the pleasantest ever known in
the country , had been like it , there
might not have been any inhabitants in
Nebraska today.
They mode out to eat the bear , but
did not enjoy it very much. It made
them think of dog meat , and that
spoiled the pleasure.