New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-11-24
CANDIDATES AND COLD WATER

1t was a lovely morning in Richmond, III
Indiana. The fuss, the furry, and the rune Oh
tbe election were thought to be well over
Baxter hal been running for the Senate against
.Jefiers, and it was generally supposed that
Blxter had beaten. Baxter was for Cold Water
and Prohibition, and had given his name to
the celebrated Baxter Law. Jeiferis is per con-
fra entirely. His view of the matter Is that
"the people of Indiana have sufficient sense to
CIRCULATE their aDpetites'-that the present
law "is Il mere farce'-thlt :" more EqlOr Is
now consumed in Richmond than at any pre-
"yious time"-such are the Blcchlnl!lan oplh-
ions of Jelferis. On the first coinG OF the
votes, Baxter was victorious. Upon recount
Jefferis was the cOnquering one. which natu-
rally irritated Baxter, so that when, upon this
beautiful morning, he was riding IN his buggy
down the street, and saw his rival on the
pavement, he called bin to the side OIL the
vehicle and wanted to know what he meant
by such proceedings What did he want to
instigate recount for! Didn't he know that
nothing bat the pres nee OF Baker IN the SEN
ate couli keep all the people of Indiana from
getting as drunk as lords, and from finally
sinking into hopeless degradationf
To Baxter thus interrcga1ing responded the
valiant Jeffers. He mad not called for the
recount. Still he had no doubt OF the fact
that his pile was larger than the other pile,
and as for the Law, it was hollow humbug.
1t was then that Baxter uttered one OF the
most awful threats which ever fell from hui
man lips. "Jetferis," said he, "if you do not
"dry up will kick the whole top of your
"head Off" "Blxter," responded Jehcris, Il
have lost my right arm. In a tnreshing ma
"chine. But if you want anything in that
Cline | am ready" Then it was that the
beligerent Baxter bounded bravely from the
buggy, and opened the battle, after a brief
pirouettc, by kicking of the helmet of his an
tagonist Nothing dlunted, the valiant Jeiferis
came in with his left upon the BaXterlan fea-
lures. The report says that Jclfcri5 was seen
Slipping one Of Blxtcr'5 eyes into his vest
pocket-but this, we take it, is metaphor
There is something more realistic and credible
i'm the statement that Immediately Baxter had
n section of Mr.. Jeffers'S right ear in posi-
ton for convenient ma5tication. AT this point
the battle deepened too intensely for particu-
lars. The blows We're promiscuous and the
kicks were miscellaneous. Which of the COM
batants would have conquered will, alas
never be known, for, either because the fight
was getting tedious or for some other reason,
the populace of Richmond interfered, and
parted b. from j. 1t was one of those irri-
tating and unsatisfactory things called ga
draw" and, so far as any definite settlement
of the dispute was arrived at, Mr.. Baxter
might just as well have remained in his
buggy. Still that warrior, the impartial his
torian must admit, failed to make good his
burning words. He did not unrOof Mr..
Jefferis's head; and considering that in his
former fight with the threshing machine that
brave had lost his right arm, we think that if
there were any laurels he was entitled to
them. Moreover we fear that Baxter will lose
caste as temperance man by these intemper-
ate proceedings. He cannot plead that he was
full of Bacchus. He cannot put 1t off upon
"thc serpent coiled within" He cannot lay
his hand upon his heart and say: "Rum did
"it.n What is the use of sticking to cold water
with no stick in it, if this man gets himself
into scrapes like this in his sober senses7