St. Paul daily globe., 1884-09-19
FREE AND EASY"
Nordin's Central $50 As You Please
Blaine Club.

1t was three minutes of S last night when
Assistant Secretary of State Nordin assembled
the stairs leading to Pfeifer hall. He was
tugging at pair of black kid gloves which
he succeeded in removing before encounter
ing the ''hard listed yeomanry' in the hall.
Out of regard for the sign mo Smoking
his cigar went out as he entered, though 1t
did duty as figure head in his mouth for
some time. The hall was gaily decorated,
owing to the recent meeting of the German
Catholic societies, and when the meeting was
at its height there was, probably, $50 present.
This was the largest Blaine and Logan
meeting of the season, and seemed to
cheer the Office holders, who were present in
force.
1t was SIS when Mr.. Nordin called the
free and easy'' to order and asked for
business That seemed to be a scarce
article Deputy State Auditor Kenyon
mounted the platform with roll of paper, to
act as secretary and Nordin again called for
''business." Finally Mr. Wheeler moved
that six persons be added to
the executive committee. Upon this
momentous question being put Mr.. Nor
din turned to his compatriot on the platform
and, in a Son of Malta tone, said
''It is vote, Mr.. Secretary. You will
please so record IT,"
Then somebody named Robert Luhrsen and
Mr.. Eckhardt as two of the committee,
and again the sepulchral Son of Malta style
was repeated:
at is vote, Mr.. Secretary. YOU will
please so record it.''
Mr., IL fn- fofl
to elicit any response, and Mr.. Nordin pro-
ceeded to open the exercises by replying to
the GLOBE report of the last meeting. He
disclaimed the title of ''free and easy'' for
his club but as it was ''free;' to come
in and ''easy" to be bored after you
had gotten there, the title seemed ap
propriate in spite of the disclaimer. He also
''Yindicated'' Mr.. Davis, of Minneapolis,
from the charge of claiming that the Repub-
licans did all the fighting in the late war,
| and as warning to the audience stated that
any drunken blackguard would be elected.
The secretary so recorded it.
Nordin had evidently been impressed by
the fact that the Pioneer Press bulletin board
had baZoued TO the world all day yesterday,
in letters Of living chalk, that Capt. Henry
A. Castle would address the club, and he ac-
! cordingly announced that it gave him great
pleasure to introduce a man whose name
was household word.
The ''hOusehold word'' came to the front
with an oily grin and an odor of kerosene
exuding from his ears, and announced that
as he didn't believe in apologies ne wouldn' t
! apologize but would simply explain he was
not prepared TO make speech and trusted
the audience would bear with his apology on
! this occasion. The audience evidently felt
! that they were about to be bored for oil and
50 they accepted the apology of the ''house-
hold word" with ominous silence. If the
household word'' had stated that in view OF
the fact that he had nothing to say he would
/ slide back into his oil barrel and keep still
there would have been applause.
The ''household word" first turned his at
| tertion TO the congressional campaign in
| this district, and after announcing that the
Scheffer delegation to the district convention
had resolved to walk out if the Fletcher dele
/ gates from Washington county had
( been admitted, he urged Ramsey
county to be very loyal to Gilfllan. The
''household word'' then devoted himself to
+ defendidg Blaine's Mulligan letters and illus
/ tra.ing the defense by explaining a thimble
! rig game he had invented, by means OF
/ which he could cheat p. II. Kelly out of a
barrel of sugar. This idea elected
/ the first applause which had
1 greeted the ''household word" and showed
that his scheme for getting sugar had struck
a responsive chord.
/ When the 'houschold word" sat down a
sort Of dark cloud spread over the stage as
/ Mr.. Nordin announced that ''the Wade
/ Colored Glee Club would warble
1 and four African citizens ot
/ colored descent amblcd to the front and
ground out in horse fiddle style ''Blaine
and Logan" song to the the tune OF March
ing Through Georgia" The 'househOld
/ word" had evidently appreciated the situa.
/ ton and accordingly touched a match tC
/ one of his oleaginous ears and helped
out the gas light. 1t is doubtful
whether the eclipse of the 'Wade glee club
would not have been so complete that theil
dulcet horse fiddle notes could not have pen
etrated the darkness if the household word
had not loaned his ears for Illuminating pur
poses.
Mr.. w. II. Holman, who said he wasn't an
/ honorable was the next orator. His speech
was chiefly devoted To announcing that he Wa:
born in the Lchigh valley, Pennsylvania,
and how he had passed his boyhood and tn,
great men he had rubbed against, including
Logan whose noble eye he hat
looked into at Bill Washburn's house the
other day. He announced his birthplace Sc
many times that the audience became a it'll,
mixed and were in doubt whether to com
miscrate Pennsylvania on her iilustrioUs son
or whether there were half dozen OF hin
brought into the world at interval.
and consolidated into the distinguished
( speaker. The meeting seemed to consider
II settled that the speaker was born in Penn
eH-ty- ortfo q l.
din will correct it al the next meeting IL i
errs in stating that the Lehigh valley was th,
birth place OF Mr.. Holman. It is well L
make history accurate as you go along.
Another horsefiddle howl from the ''Wadt
glee club was followed by rambling inco
herency from being named Sundbeck
The leading point Of his discourse was tha
he was Republican because he wore No
IL boot
Mr. Nordin, who had very complimentary
introduced his glee club by saying that the
were ''in the shape Of men," called on tht
colored brethren to warble ''The old oaller
bucket that hung in the well.'' They did i
so hileously that it made the audience thirs
ty, and the crowd broke for the neares
saloon to get drink.
ST. John at Chicago.
CHICAGO, Sept. IS.-Twenty-fve hundre,
people listened to au address in Centra
Music hall tonight by ST. John, Prohibition