The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-12-20

How Georgia Legislators Scrape Their
Way to Office.


There are few people who know what
an il portant part the fiddle plays in
Southern politics. OF course the country
at large knows how Bob Taylor, the boy
Congressman from Tennessee, fiddled
his way into Office two years ago., and
how he failed this time because he
thought he could run on his brains
rather than his bow. Certain local peO-
pie know how Uncle jim Harris, ia
nous for his taking ways in Fulton,
snatches popular music from his fiddle
IN our country contests. But there are
few men who know how general and
how potent the fiddle is.
Several members of the present House
are expert fiddlers and fiddle their way
into office. Tom Watson, the brilliant
member from McDulfe, is the best fid-
dler in the House. He says:
Il have the best ana most intelligent
consistency in the State, in my opinion.
My opponent was a good man and a good
farmer, but was not a practiced speaker.
L felt that speaking might be considered
q sort of natural gift, or due to profession
so / didn't press him on that point.
But playing the fiddle was a purely ac-
auired accomplishment, and incidental
to no PROFESSIONALISM as many OF my
younger constituents are fond Of dane
ing and like the music of the fiddle, |
crowded him on that"
"He couldn't fddo?"
ooh, mol And you should have seen
the look Of silent despair on that good
old mans face as he stood in the corner
of q room, while I sat on a box, like a
king ON his throne, and made my old
fiddle talk, while the boys and girls
danced to my music. I made it a rule
to get every girl to promise to make her
partner in the reel vote for me before
she would dance with him. / tell you
a fiddle is a big help in a fight where
you have young folks in the question"
What tunes did you find most popu-
lar?n
s'1he best yote-making tune" said the
Hon. Tom, refiectively, "that ever came
out of a fiddle is Mississippi Sawyer
next to this / think is WALLER Gal, Come
Out Tonight"
Ibid your constituents require any
other physical accomplishments at your
hands,"
"Some Of mysyoung constituents love
to go in swimming. We have several
good ponds in u county. and any day
in the campaign you m ght have seen
me with a crowd ofstriped voters diving
in a curve from a stump, my graceful
anatomy spread out in the atmosphere
as I executed a somerset
Mr.. Buck, Of Luinpkin, contests with
him the palm as a fiddler. Beyond a
slight disposition to call his fiddle a vio-
lin, he is perhaps as good as Watson.
He says:
"My constituency is a quiet one, and
had to work, therefore, very quietly.
One of my constituents claimed that all
iddiers ent to the devil. The boys and
girls told me to play ahead and they
would all follow the fiddler, no matter
where he went. That satisfied me. I
found the miners very susceptible to
music, and they liked it lively and
bright. As for country breakdown,
where no mar would think of cutting
the pigeon wing until he. wa eight feet
in the air, and where your pretty girl
partner rebuzzes away from you three
feet at a slide, you won't make the music
too quick or too strong. If you've got
the right motion to your elbow and the
right twist to your fingers, AMI good
resin to your bow, you ought to get
every vote in a crowd like Jhat.u
The Valley Of Death.