Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-07-07
"Col. Can't at the Foot of the Throne"


 "Col. Can't at the Foot of the Throne"
 The gallant Can't" spoke here accoid- ing to appointment on Saturday night last. We propose brief review of the distin- guished speakers, L. D. Harvey oration. Our only regret is that some stenogl apher did not take it down in short hand for the edilication of coming generations. Like the one great speech of Hon. E. A. Warren, it would have secured him immortaity-in retirement. It was so orignol too, com posed as it was of wit borrowed from Gen. Yells know nothing speeches in '56, which Col. q. then did not think so funny, man. nish airs stolen from T. c. Hindman, and abuse and biilingSgate learned during his career as prosecuting attorney. Col. Can't possesses, in remarkable degree, the talent of compressing the fewest ideas into the greatest possible amount of words. Repeti- lion is his torte Byron relied on his " de- scriptive powers" but Col. Can't being
 mountain bard," and therefore, some what limited in his range of thought, stakes all his fortunes on that remarkable gift Of repetition, with which those who have heard either his speeches, at the bar or on the hustings, need not be told that he is richly blessed.
 We must, however, give Col c, credit for one original thought. At least the honor lies between him and his eloquent Cirerone the Old Line Democrdt. One central idea was all the time predominant, and in his logical mind it assumed the shape of a syllogism. It was this: "The people are sovereign and should rule, / (Gantt) am the people, heretore / should rule" Upon this gaunt skeleton the en- tire specci was constructed; around it was grouped the wtticsms d Yell; when he forgot Yell to look fierce like Hindman, and compliment himself for his bollness in coming here to speak under the "shndow of the throne of the oligarchy," the gaunt skeleton still protruded from under the Lions skin. This weak. diluted imitation of Hndman's spasmodic productions. we will briefly sketch. 7He True Democrm was the only idea that ever came in contact with the great central thought that "Gantt was the people," It appeared to hover constantly before his poetcal fancy, like the hobby of monomaniac, and whenever in moment of wrapt frenzy he forgot his own gigantic self, he saw in imagination the True Democrat with its wholesome truths, and Col. Johnson with the demo- cratic banner. foutng him in the face. Then it was that he would spoil the best jokes told by the know nothings in '56 or la Htndaan cry out that he was "persecu ted" And in what did this persecution consist! Col Can't himself admitted that 1t consisted simply and solely in the fact that the True Democrot had not hattered hun. Admitting the pea and Col. Can't ought, by all means to forgive us, for since we began this notice. we have compared him in complimentary manner to Lord Byron and L. D. Harvey. True our lan- guage is plain, but the gallant Gantt' must excuse us if we have not at command that rich supply of classical figures which adorned his master effort, and which, we understand, he has poured out upon us at every point of the canvass. Big Toad," 'Crat," "Annt Nancy Conway" Dicks dirty little standard d'-these are few of the elegant phrases which clothed the "gal- lant Gantt's" skeleton" in the meta phorical language of rhetoric, and justly entitled him to be classed with the author of "Childe Harold"
 | The most amusing portion of this the atrical performance was the comparison | which Col. G. instituted between himself and Col. R. H. Johnson. "The peoples champion" labored hard to prove that he was the nominee of the Arkadelphia con vension, and that Col Johnson was not the nominee of the State convention. His reasoning we must say was quite as satis. | factory as that of .Iokn Selden Roone, who | it will be rem,lnbared run the race fer Governor as the democr0tic nominee upon the sole in lorsemant of small majority of Legislotive Caucus, and now in holv< horror hides the shame of the defeat /6f his own prurient aspirations in letter re- Aecting on the State convention, fiEle} with absurdities, and remarkably weak euen for him.
 When Col Can't attacked the conven tions that instructed for Mitchell anl J ohn- son, he should have had before him his own {. misty record. When he alluded to the political record of the ( Senior Edi torof the True Democrat" he should have | remembered that the 'sSenior Editor" knew his own shaffling recoil, anal couhllay la Q l the little tri:kerv by which he sought t., carry tha nomination of the A.kaleithia convention. He should by all means have ] given that editor credit for the distasts