Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-04-30

TAMPA, Fla, April 24.-AbOu
year ago l had the pleasure of
overhearing very curious aud i'll
teresting conversation between
Judge Thomas T. Long-who wa'
at that time a Circuit Judge il
this State, but who at present, if
am not misinformed, resides il
Idignified seclusion near Bruins
wick, Ga.--and one of his North
ern friends. 1t was on the after
Ideck of the staunch little steamer
Lizzie Baker. Tom was in good
Ibumor. His shirt collar was
thrown wide open to admit the
balmy spring breezes that chased
each other over the deck of the
steamer, and be was complacently
extracting all the flavor from an
austere- looking Cuban six. After
some preliminary remarks between
the two gentlemen, pleasantly in
terrupted by Tom to go down and
see what sort of complexion the
barkeeper had. the conversation
turned upon Florida politics. l
do not pretend to remember all
that Tom said on that prolific
subject, hut | have a most vivid
recollection of his description of
! the method of making judges in
Florida.
"You see," said the genial
Judge, TRANQUILITY pulling at his
Cuba six, ''You see, it is a perfect
open and shut game. II is easy
enough to get an appointment if
you know how TO work the ropes,
but it's quite another thing when
your name goes before the Senate
for confirmation. Some mighty
curious changes have come about
in Southern Legislatures. Idon't
say, mind, that they aint honest
and that, but | do say they always
have an eye open to the main
chance"
"You meah ty that, said Toms
friend, that they are not averse
to locking at a Ten dollar bill when
lit is not held too close %
Exactly" said Tom, smiling
biaudly and Knocking the snper-
Hnous ashes from his cigar. You
have struck it exactly. | bad a
nice time getting confirmed as
Judge by the Florida Senate, but
il didn't cost NE any money-that
is, none to hurt. 1t was funny,
though"
GLOW was that p asked his com
panion. Tom laughed a little
and then went on.
sit was something like this
you see | was in Tallahassee when
my appointment was sent in to
the Senate, and | thought Id wait
and see what they'd do with it. |
didn't dance around the members
like I've seen people, but some of
my friends stirred up things with
a good deal OF briSkness. On}
day | was sauntering around,
when one Of the Senator's met me,
and said he wanted to have little
confidential chat. He said that
considerable oppositionto TO my con-
firmation had sprung up in the
Senate, which would require hard
work to overcome. lie was going
to vote for me, he said, but lie
thought it would take
ABOUT FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS
to put me through. lie said he
would undertake to distribute it
judiciouly, and in that case |
might rest satisfied. | told him |
that didn't have the money in Tai
lahassee, but said | would send
FOR it and he might promise his
friends that the amount would be
forthcoming
"Two days afterward / accom-
panied the Senator to the express
office, showed him a nice, fat, care
fully sealed money envelope, and
told him if my name went through
he was at liberty to call on the
agent and get it. Tnis was per-
fectly satisfactory. | was con-
frmed the next day, and the Sen
ator got the envelope"
"Wasn't that a pretty neat
sum topay?" asked Toms friend.
THAT was the joke" laughed
Tom. ''There wasn't even the
shadow of a shinplaster in that
package: l wrote to my clerk
to stuff it full of scraps of pa
per and send it to me marked
fifteen hundred dollars. l don't
know how the Senator appre-
hended it. / have never seen
him since, but l understand he
has a very poor opinion of my
judicial qualifications.
l have been thus particular in