“Well Senator Balloon put fifteen cents worth of stamps on each of those seven huge boxes of old clothes, and shipped that ton of second-hand rubbish, old boots and pantaloons and what not through the mails as registered matter!  It was an ingenious thing and it had a genuine touch of humor about it, too.  I think there is more real:  talent among our public men of to-day than there was among those of old times—­a far more fertile fancy, a much happier ingenuity.  Now, Colonel, can you picture Jefferson, or Washington or John Adams franking their wardrobes through the mails and adding the facetious idea of making the government responsible for the cargo for the sum of one dollar and five cents?  Statesmen were dull creatures in those days.  I have a much greater admiration for Senator Balloon.”

“Yes, Balloon is a man of parts, there is no denying it”

“I think so.  He is spoken of for the post of Minister to China, or Austria, and I hope will be appointed.  What we want abroad is good examples of the national character.

“John Jay and Benjamin Franklin were well enough in their day, but the nation has made progress since then.  Balloon is a man we know and can depend on to be true to himself.”

“Yes, and Balloon has had a good deal of public experience.  He is an old friend of mine.  He was governor of one of the territories a while, and was very satisfactory.”

“Indeed he was.  He was ex-officio Indian agent, too.  Many a man would have taken the Indian appropriation and devoted the money to feeding and clothing the helpless savages, whose land had been taken from them by the white man in the interests of civilization; but Balloon knew their needs better.  He built a government saw-mill on the reservation with the money, and the lumber sold for enormous prices—­a relative of his did all the work free of charge—­that is to say he charged nothing more than the lumber world bring.”  “But the poor Injuns—­not that I care much for Injuns—­what did he do for them?”

“Gave them the outside slabs to fence in the reservation with.  Governor Balloon was nothing less than a father to the poor Indians.  But Balloon is not alone, we have many truly noble statesmen in our country’s service like Balloon.  The Senate is full of them.  Don’t you think so Colonel?”

“Well, I dunno.  I honor my country’s public servants as much as any one can.  I meet them, Sir, every day, and the more I see of them the more I esteem them and the more grateful I am that our institutions give us the opportunity of securing their services.  Few lands are so blest.”

“That is true, Colonel.  To be sure you can buy now and then a Senator or a Representative but they do not know it is wrong, and so they are not ashamed of it.  They are gentle, and confiding and childlike, and in my opinion these are qualities that ennoble them far more than any amount of sinful sagacity could.  I quite agree with you, Col.  Sellers.”