The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-10-23
WASTED ELoouENCE.
A Slim Gathering Under the Gas Light
Greets the Straightout Ora
TORS last Ni0hf

WASTED ELOQUENCE.
A slim Gathering Under the Gas Light
Greets the strafghtout Ora
tors Last Night.
1t was queer meeting, that of Nor
! ton & Co. last night. There were no
s. glowing torchlights, no beating of
q drums or strains of martial music, no
yells OF applause from enthusiastic
adherents. In fact olly $50 or 200
people were assent led altogether,
and over half of those were democrats,
who, prompted by curiosity, had turn
ed out to listen to what these opponents
of Simon-pure republican, might
have to say. Calling the assemblage
TO order, DR.. w. G. Philips in a brief
talk, introduced the Hon. A. b. Nor
ton, the
sTRAIGHToUT CANDIDATE
of the republican party for the office
of governor of Texas. An odder
looking candidate for so exalted a
place, perhaps, was never seen. Long
:. flowing locks that "father time" has
bleached to silvery whiteness, give
to the old. man venerable, patri-
archial look that was strangely
at war with his grotesque,
puerile manner, that at times smack
ed more of the idle vaporings of a
second-rate demagogue, than the wise
counsels of philosopher or states
man.
- He began by saying that in the old
en- days he was Il Henry Clay wing;
afterwards he stood with Sam Hous-
ton in defense of the Union and the
constitution, and his loyalty to the
Union had characterized his whole
principle, and on this line he meant to
fight 1t out. At Fort Worth it was
too soon to make nomination, at the
Houston convention it had been too
!, late to put out state ticket, and so
nothing was done but recommends
ton to the republican voters to sup:
port Wash Jones. Support Wash
Jonesl AS far as his personal charac-
ter was concerned he was friendly to
Jones, but who could tell where this
candidate stood? He had said that
he would not support Blaine nor
Cleveland nor Butler for the presiden-
rcy. He could scarcely support st.
John as his
DAILY HABITS
were not of prohibition,
sort. Then in the name of
Heaven, who would Jones support?
Belva Ann was the only candidate left,
and he supposed the BasUrop states
man would have to rally around her
/, flag. ca colored citiZen-"hurrah for
( Jones."O AS for the speaker, he ex-
pected To get the votes of all true re-
publicans who were loyal to the party
and their country. He had been cho-
sen for his past record and party fealty
/. to make the race for governor, and as
for those who called themselves repub-
icans, yet were willing to support
man who was not of them or for
them, let them get out of the party,
land the quicker they left it the better.
In 1878 he had made the race for gov
ernor, receiving some twenty-seven or
twenty eight thousand votes, and he
felt satisfied with the result. Jones,
in the coming contest, wouldn't get
the vote of the republicans, wouldn't
get as many greenback votes as he did
before, and when the election was
over it would take
= AN AFFIDAVIT
to know that he had been in the race
{ at all.
The speaker then entered into an
eulogium of the party to which he
belonged: 1t was the party that had
emancipated the slaves, the party of
ty of free schools and equal rights.
He had been accused of waving the
: bloody shirt-this was not true; he
had only told the truth. But he was
in favor of aiding the
BLOODY SHIRT
crowd, the poor laborers Of America
whom the democratic party were try
ing to delude with their accurSed
idea about free trade. Goods might
be ever SO cheap under the dispensa-
ton of free trade, but unless there
was money to buy them how could it
benefit the people, 1t reminded him
of the man who couldShave bought
magnificent tract of land for pair of
boots and the only reason he failed to
do so was he didn't have the boots.
Eulogies on Blaine and Logan fol-
lowed, interspersed with few anec-
dotes. Blaine and Logan would be
: elected on the 4th of next November,
and, all things being possible with
God, the speaker might live to be
elected to the gubernatorial chair.
(HurrahS for Jones from an inebriated
darkey.) When he got in he would
make the people good goYernor-bet-
ter than they had had for years. I'm
der his benign reign there would be
no grumblings about free grass or
LEASE LAWS,
and the people would enjoy tranquil
lily and happiness. He would treat
everybody well, for he was devilish
good fellow, and when people came to
see him they would be treated to
glass of good whiskey, for
he lacked a great deal of be-
ing follower OF st. John.
With scathiDg allusion to Col. De-
Gress, whom he stigmatiZed as
{ deserter to the ranks of the green
hackers some years ago, and only
returned when he caught scent OF
the flesh pots afar off, the orator
wound up in somewhat forid flow of
rhetorical gush, in which he predicted
the success of the national ticket.
Following him came Sam r. John
son, San Antonio lawyer, candidate
for state treasurer, who bored the
crowd with dreary platitudes about
the tariff for the space of some thirty
minutes. His conclusion was great
relief to the audience, for whatever
else Mr.. johnson may be, Providence
did not foreordain that he should star
tie the world with his oratory.
Louis @. Groathouse was introduced
as candidate for the Office of attor-
ney-general. and the concluding SEN
tence in regard to the previous speaker
will fit Mr.. Groathouse quite handily.
The last speaker of the evening was
: the Hon. A. j. Evans, who, on ascend
ing the stand, made one of his charac-
teristic addresses. During the course
of his speech some ruffian threw an
egg that narrowly missed the orator,
who stopped and remarked that was
done by some Cleveland man. A voice
from the crowd yelled that it was
thrown by a radical. 1t was not re-
. peated, and Judge Evans proceeded as
calmly as ever. When hehad finished
it was announced that the meeting