Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-10-31
A Funuy Incident of the Campaign.

A Greeley and Brown meeting was held in
Clifton Hall on Friday evening last, OF which
no fair report has been published in the news
papers. It was one of SO peculiar charac-
ter, however, that some account of it will be
read with interest even at this late day.
Isaac NJ. Jordan and Theodore Cook, Esqs.,
were the announced speakers. The hall was
filled, and after organization Mr.. Jordan led
off in an effective speech of an hour or more.
At its conclusion, there were calls for Mr..
Cook who rose to his feet and remarked, in
substance, that in a neighborhood meeting OF
this character he thought it would not be I'M
proper to hear both sides of the question dis
cussed, and, as he saw the Hon. Richard Smith
was present, he for one would like to hear
from him.
The suggestion pleased the audience, and
the calls for Mr.. Smith were SO loud and
pressing that he finally stood up, and said
apologetically that he had not come prepared
to make speech, but, if the audience would
excuse him, he would read enc which had
been delivered some time ago, and was perth
tent now. Thereupon he began the reading
of a speech in fierce denunciation of the
Democratic party, and at its conclusion quietly
| remarked: " Ladies and gentlemen, have
read to you the opinion Horace Greeley, at
Warren, Ohio, Sept, 1871, had of the party
which now supports him for the Presidency"
This was thought a capital joke, and was
| followed by a good deal of laughter. Mr..
Cook, however, while the Hon. Richard was
reading, suspected the outcome of the perform
| ance, and suddenly remembered that he had
in his overcoat pocket, IN the cloak-room OF
/ the nall, certain arClcloS WDlCQ nd0 dpp0dI0u
in the Cincinnati Gazette some time ago, and
also copy of the speech of Stanley Matthews,
Esq, in the Cincinnati Commercial. in which
| the Reformer had savagely denounced the
corruption of the Administration and the
party in power. 's.
So while Mr.. Smith was reading and almost
smiling at the hugeness of the joke he was
perpetrating on the unsuspecting Greeley and
Brown folk, Cook slipped out, and, getting
| the precious documents, came in and took bis
seat. When Mr.. Smith had finished, and the
laughter had subsided, it was Mr.. Cooks turn:
| So he arose and said if the audience would
permit he would, in place of making speech,
| entertain them by reading some choice ex-
| tracts. Thereupon he produced the highly
! favored editorials clipped from the Gazette,
| which were written during the war. and IN
| which Gen. Grant was pronounced an in
| competent-a drunkard-an officer who sup
| pressed reports from the field unfavorable to
himself. and sent, or caused TO be sent, by
telegraph, only "puffs' of himseh-an officer
| who had ruined the army, and upon whose
garments was the blood of soldiers needlessly
slaughtered-an officer who ought to be re-
| moved and disgraced, and much more to the
same effect. At the conclusion, he remarked
| that these were the opinions which the Hon.
| Richard Smith had entertained of the man he
was supporting for the Presldency13opln lnlons
which had never been modified or retracted IN
| the Gazette, and opinions which he had reason
to believe the Cincinnati Gazette entertained
of the President now.
1t was observed that the Hon. Richards
face, which is unusually "sicklied Ger with
the pale cast of thought" grew as red as 9
peony during the reading, and it was sur
missed he rather wished that, upon the whole
he hadn't exploded his joke that evening
When Mr.. Cook concluded it was supposed
that Mr.. Smith would make some sort of {
defensive or apologetical response, but he
like sheep led to the. slaughter, opened no
his mouth.
Mr.. Cook then went on to read portion o!
Col. Matthews speech, which, he remarked t.
the audience in conclusion, was a better ont
L l. IL coli and nOr1fa in
reasons fully justifying any mans support o
Greeley .ann Brown, though Col. Matthew
unaccountably chose not to act upon his owl
i argument The double surprise the audienc
had experienced made this one of the mos
thoroughly enjoyable meetings of the canvass
and the Liberals and Democrats had n
} occasion to complain of the turn given to
, by the practical Joker of the Gazette Cincir
7edti Commercial y r f