The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1873-02-21
An Interesting Renainiscence.

SsNSV S"te iSStsiAo sio ioiV"iHS dHCS-
dote of the late Senator 4. d. Baker,
of Oregon:
During the Fremont Presidential
ca!ntM,@,i. and lot tar frnm DoWnia-
viir, tl@lr was an exceedingly rough
miahg settlement of some five !lil-
drei people. and amoag those only ~
Republican was kaown to exist. All
the rest were Democrats. and the most
of them Of a yerv rude character. Da-
ker determined to go there and make IA
Republican speech. though hr had ieen
strongly advised not to do 50, rs it
would be dangerous. But the mighty
sorcerer was never afraid Of the tar
bidding faces of men. lie knew how to
wake the latent divinity within the
savagest Of human sonls. He accord
ingly went; and not without some
mi'giyings. | accompanied hin.
When we were entering the village the
crowd about the '.Bascom's grocery"
Of the place hauled down the Anleri-
can flag. IN token OF hostility aud dis
respect, hut offered no further person.
al indignity.
Baker did not seem to observe the
llag episode, and after dark he mount
ed carpenters bench in front of one
of the yilest grog-shops OF civilization,
and commenced. The rough audience
imd heard Of him. and though u detest-
ed BLACK Republican" /" they waited
to hear him 60. Not word was spo-
ken in the crowd; not sign of ap-
plauSe or disapproval and never did
orator address an audience SO mlsym-
pathetic and stolid-s+elningiy. Baker
kept on half an honr or 80 without
any perceptible effect: and then SEEM
ingly to be gathering all his energies
for one gigantic blow to split the OBJ
durte rock, he began to pace back
and forth along the bench, pouring
ont wave after wave. cumulative, ma
jestic and overwhelming, At length
something like tremor ran through
the obstinately silent throng, and l
could see them move uneasily under
the terrible spell Of the enchanter.
Some OF them had belonged to Riley's
Regiment IN the Mexican war. Baker
knew that, and looked up at the naked
flagstaff, he referred to his own par
ticipation in tile battles in Mexico,
and then for full ten minutes. and as
1t appeared, without a period in the
structure of his speech, he rolled down
a torrent of imprisoned eloquence
upon his transtixed audience
Like the dashing, silver splashing
Surges Of San Salvador"
The orator standing in the majesty of
his power. piling it up higher and
higher, and louder and louder. until
some one IN the crowd gave a sort of
agonizing yell, as though unable to
stand it amy longer--and the stubborn
rock was cleft for the outflow of the
waters. The men yelled continuously,
| DO not know for how long, and made
a rush upon the flail platform Baker
and his bench were Overthrown. and
it was several minutes before the
triumphant orator could be heard and
60 on with his speech. | never saw a
crowd behave so frantically from SIM
liar emotions. 1t was another scene
like Darcy Magee'S deSrription of
st. Patrick's conquest of the Irish on
the Hill of Tara ; and there, as of
old, the Irish heart. though hidden in
a rough tabernacle. showed it, inabili-
ty to resist the influence OF true elo-
quence. At tile election, a month
after, the lone Republican OF the bar
was reinforced by eighty votes; and
ever after, when Baker passed that
way, he was cheered by the Irish
miners at their work.