Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-12-02

were having on me when I say that I
saw myself confidently dubbed Mr..
Delirium Tremens Twain" in the
next issue of that journal without .
pang-notwithstanding I knew that
with monotonous fidelity the paper
would go on calling me so to the
very end.
By this time anonymous letters
were getting to be an important part
of my mail matter. This form was
common:
How about that old woman you kiked Of
your premises which was beggipg, DIV.
And this:
There is things which you have done
You better trot out . few dolls, to yours
truly or you'll hear thro' the papers from
This is about the idea. I could
continue them till the reader was
surfeited, if desirable.
Shortly the principal Republican
journals convicted" me of wholesale
bribery, and the leading Democratic
paper nailed" an aggravated case
of Matchmaking to me.
In this way I acquired two addi-
tional names? "Twain, the Filthy
Corruptionist," and "Twain, the
Loathsome Embracer."
By this time there had grown to
be such q clamor for an answer" to
all the dreadful charges that were
laid to me, that the editors and lead
ers of my party said it would be po-
itical ruin for me to remain silent
any longer. As if to make their sp-
peal the more imperative, the follow
ing appeared in one of the papers
the very next day:
BEHOLD THE MAN The independent can
didate still maintain silence. because he
dare not speak. Every accusation against
been endorsed and rendered By his own
eloquent silence. till at this day he stands
forever convicted. Look upon your candi-
date. Independents Look upon the in
famous Perjurer the Montana Thief
carnate Delirium Tremens your filthy
Corruptionist your Loathsome Embracerl
Gaze upon him-ponder him well-and
then say II you can give your honest votes
to creature a:9, who Il, has earned this dismal
dares not open his mouth in any denial Of
any one OF them
There was no possible way of get
ting out of it, and 80, in deep humil-
iation, set about preparing to an
swer" q mass of baseless charges
and mean and wicked falsehoods.
But never finished the task, for the
very next morning a paper came out
with q new horror, q fresh malignity,
and seriously charged me with burn
ing lunatic asylum with all its in
mates because it obstructed the view
from my house. This threw me into
a sort of panic. Then came the
charge of poisoning my uncle to get
his property, with an imperative de-
mand that the grave should be
opened. This drove me to the verge
Of distraction. On top of this I was
accused of employing toothless and
incompetent old relatives to prepare
the food for the founding hospital
when I was warden. I was wavering
-wavering. And at last, as q due
fitting climax to the shameless perse-
cution that party rancor had inflicted
upon me, nine little toddling chill
dren of all shades of color and de-
grees of raggedness were taught to
rush on to the platform at q public
meeting and clasp me around the
1oos and call mo tPo p
I gave up. hauled down my
colors and surrendered. I was not
equal to the requirements of o Guber-
material campaign in the State Of |
New York, and 90 I sent in my with
drawal from the candidacy, and in
bitterness of spirit signed it.
Truly yours,
"Once q decent man, but now
"MARK TWAIN, I. p, NJ. T.,
B. s., D. T., F. G. and L. E."