The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-01-22
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Tn. H. -. w HIo1ss.sz
DATE. E.-John Gain WAS . quiet, auob-
tspsise sseitiNen. h, dtdn't lone for
faaQS Ind sep own. md he Aidn1 care
two cents whether this great and gIo-
rious county was ruled by y oue-hOres
Republican or two. horss D. d ooras.
He had a pew in church, gave sixteen
ounces for q pound. aud when q mau
looked him square in the eye Mr.. Gain
never took back seat. He was ut
home at reasonable hour in the even
ing. aod never took part in the dis.
cnssion. ''Is lager healthy?" and many
q man wished that his life rolled OH as
evenly and peacefully as John Gains.
Bot. alasl tho tempter came. In au
evil hour John Oain allowed the poll.
ticians to get after him aud to aur.
round him. They said he was the
strongest man in The County; that he
could scoop out of his buots any man
See up in opposition; that his virtues
we're many and his faults 10000; that it
| was his dnty to Come out aud take 70
| nomination, in order that this pure aud
lncorruptible form Of govern mrn t br
maintained pure and il inoorrnpt,ble. All
this aud much more they told him, and
John Gain became pulled up. 1t snr.
prlsed him to think thut he had held
his peaceful way along for forty odd
years. like kuot.hole In "a barn door,
without any one having discovered
what heap of q fellow he wns; bat hs
concluded that there was new era in
politics. and that it was all right
The politicians covered john Cain
with soft soap. They told him that
tho canvass should not cost him red,
and that he could still retire at & o clock
every evening. and rest assured that
hs interests would be properly cui ell
for. 1t was to be still huut-a very
quiet election, sud he .ouml hardly
know what was going on. JOHN was
an honest, unsuspec.ing i,iint, aud lie
swallowed their words III til. contdluQ
fish absorbs the buited hook. John
Gain was duly nominated, upd the
baud came out aud sereunded him.
With the band came several hundred
electors, who filled tina Gain mausiun
to overhowing, spit tobacco Mi over
the house. ate and drank all they conld
hnd, broke down the gate. and went
on With three cheers for John C.iu.
Before the cansass Was ten days old,
half dozen men called on Cam, un,t
gently hinted to ii,m that he must
come dowu with the "sugar." He
didn't even know owhat.r.sugsr" WAN
until they explained. They wa u xd
money to'raise poies to hay beer, 70
get slips prluted, aud to do fifty osh-r
things with. all for his particular
benefit. and he had,,to hand out sLo
money. sssss $es n
In The course OF saoth sr y va a4y
drew CAin out to make speech At y
ward meeting. He tried to cIav IF.
but they told him that the Opposing
candidate would, run him out of sight,
II he didn't me- Dat, aud he went out.
When he got shr6ugh rspeAkiug,, the
orowd, drank at bis sxpsnss, and Mr.
Cain 'was asto isisd i asthes way the III
auor went down and more sstonished vt
the way the bill footed up. He didu't
reach home until midnight, and for
the hrst time in his life be went to bad
With his boots on. His vito wuuldo't
speak to him. tue hired girl left the
house to save her character, and John
Cain wished the politicians had let him
alone. More men came and crooked
their fingers at him and whispered
sugar" They wanted money to buy
some doubtful votes. and to hire four
horse teams, and to mail his slips, and
he had to come down. He hesitased
about it. but they told him that tho
opposing candidate feit sure Of vic.
tory. and that sot.d as a spur.
There vas hardly night that from
fourteen to 24O friends did not call on
Mr.. Gain, to inform him as to the
"prospeots." They drank mp tho cur.
rant wine Mrs. Gain had laid by for
sickness. emptied her preserve iurs,
and there wasn't q morning that abe
couldn't sweep ont forty or fifty Cigar
stubs aud a peck OF mud. They all
told O.in that he would be&t the other
man so far ont of sight, that it would
take . carrier pigeon 70 6nd him, and
he couldn't very we'll refuse to 60 over
to the corner grocery and ''set 'em up"
for tho boys. The crisis finally came.
On tho eve Of election. Mr.. Gains
friends called for ''sugar" again. and
he had to sagar 'em. A big crowd
called to warn him that hs would GER
tsinly be elected, and the saloon bill
was twenty-eight dollsrs more. Th,r.
teen or fourteen men shook hands
with his wife. 100 or more shook hands
With him, and he had to get up aud
! SncicTa .,,a. s;a ,.;,so.. fuvor mn rno,.,