The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-10-18
THE INDEPENDENT RALLY AT
BRANDON.
There onl " Lacked $40 of Being 600
Present-Brooks and Hartsell Speak.

There only Lacked $40 of Being 600
Present. Brooks and Hartsell Speak.
To the Editor of the Comet
Last Saturday was day eagerly looked
forward to by the soap>tails of this county
II was to be tile day of the campaign.
Brooks and Hartsell, Iudependent-soaptail-
Greenback candidates, were booked to
speak, and it was given out that their crowd
would come en- n0Sse- that they would
number six hundred, and that they would
have music, cannon and banners.
The people of this hamlet were on tip
toe. They had never seen that many soap
tails at one time. Their expectations ran
high. Even the small boy was in higher
spirits than he has been for years. He was
ubiquitous. He ran from one corner to
another. He was all over the town. Finally
I missed him. But he wasn't gone long.
In lust q minutes l met him coming down
the street swearing. In reply to the ques
ton what was the matter, he responded be-
tween two oaths cts the blamest lie l
ever saw. There amt but fifty>two of them
ar soaptals, and they amt got no cannon;
ard they amt got no music; and, by golly,
thew amt got no banners. It's the derndest
dirtiest ,nosd, hungriest- looking crowd l
ever saw and his profanity went on In
few minutes / heard a noise. The small
bow said it was drum, but it went like
green coon skin stretched over large sized
oyster can. But the small boy was correct
In fact his statement of the procession was
literally and substantially true. To his credit
be it said, he had told the truth. know
he seldom violates his rule But in this
instance he had absolutely stumbled upon
the truth. There were only tifty~two soap
tails, and they had no cannon, no banners,
and no music. The only thing they had
was shoddy drum and the ragged rem>
nant of a United States flag tied on piece
of fishing cane. The procession-with the
exception of the 548 who staid behind to
take care of the cannon, banners and must
cal instruments-rode their mules down the
street, turned up back street, hitched, and
repaired to the courthouse.
| As soon as it was ascertained that there
was such an unsmothered demonstration
going on, all the citizens of the town, who
| huoiDaaa without n1trl-
ment, made break for the courthouse,
and it was about two-thirds filled. 1t was
the first Independent Greenback speaking
that was had here, and all were bent on
satiating their curiosity.
Immediately Hartsell began speaking.
He spoke nearly an hour, and made mod
erateIy fair speech, from his standpoint.
He seems to be man of liberal ideas, and
the fact was soon demonstrated that he was
no dirt Singer, nor is he the man to I'M
dulge in the vituperatlon of opposition can
| didates. He is a gentlemanly sort of fell
low, and the regret is that he is found fell
lowshipping with such an ilk. The only
fault find in Hartsell Is his company, and
| that he, in common with the rest OF the lndl-
viduals who have sloughed off from the
Democratic party, refuse to consent to
division of time But he is by far the most
decent man on the ticket, and as an expos
nent of Observation-Disclosures
principles, he probably stands without a
peer in the county. His name gives a
good deal of responsibility to the ticket,
and il is said that he will distance Brooks.
Brooks then cleared his throat and took
the stand. Brooks is better known in this
county than Hartzell-by the men as being
chronic candidate for the Legislature
since the war, and by the women MS being
| the collector of taX-in>kind during the
war. But neither Of them are Nlississip-
plans. Nevertheless these people all know
Brooks. He is no stranger to them. 1t
| is the same turbulent stream that has in
vidously striven (biennially) for tho past
decade, to crookedly course its way to the
CITY of jackson. But its efforts have been
futile. 1t can't get there. The farmer,
figuratively speaking, won't take kindly to
| it. and the merchant reposes no confidence
in the reliability of the land it irrigates.
It's attempt to go to jackson is absurd.
There are too many hillside bitches, and
other impediments in the way. 1t matters
not how much fall rain we have nor how
much its current is swelled the result is the
same. It had better abandon all such futile
homes. for its efforts in the future, like
those in the past, will certainly prove I'M
successful. II is the same muddy stream
that Pat Henry stepped over, and Robinson
rolled up his pantalooDs and waded in "a.
1t hasn't widened a particle; and it has filled
perceptibly. II is becoming exceedingly
shallow.
But left Brooks, the chronic candidate,
in the stand; and be might stay there until
father Gabriel blows his omnibus horn, for
all the votes he'll get by such performances.
Il is due Brooks, however, TO say that he
is funny speaker; and I'm going to say 1t,
but / don't mean that he is humorous.
Its not that" but bis gestures are 80