News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-02-26
ARKANSAW TRAVELLER.
BAKER, OF BENTON, rs IN THE LEG.
lSLATURE AND MAKES HIMSELF
HEARD.
He Gives his Reasons for Changing from
Berry TO Jones.

The Arkansas Legislature was voting
for United States Senator. Baker, of
Benton, spoke, and we give his remarks
for the Legislative report:
Mr.. Baker, of Benton, when his name
was reached, rose to his feet and said:
MIR. President, I cast my first vote in
this contest for Gov. James Fl. Berry.
and have continued to do so up to the
present time. l know him and [ like
him. He Is good man, and well quail
flied to fill the Office; an honored citizen.
brave soldier, and an able statesman,
he Is high in the esteem of the public
am rough man myseIf-a man from
the mountains-andI am one of those
men who stick by their old friends: I
stick by my friends when they deserve
1t, when they are able and well quail
flied, until they fall, and even then I'll
not desert them; | am like Collins's
sheep when they fall fall with them.
hated to see Gov. Berry withdraw
from the field, but when I saw it must
be, 1 looked about me and took the
thing under consideration and thought
on 1t. l thought long and carefully
over it, and L slept with it. I saw /
must cast my vote for some one else, and
l must make choice of the other can
didates. I'll tell you how [ did it. I
looked over the field. l have met the
other two, and [ had studied them. [
met the Hon. Poindexter Dunn and saw
him in many good points. 1 saw fine
head on him q greatly admire fine
head) and I saw in him great coming
man. But tell you what did the work
for me. met Mrs. Jones-the wife of
the Hon. James K. Jones-and that set.
tied it. This is how it was. met her
and l went and called on her-yes,
did. The room was full of beautiful
women. I didn't hardly know what to
do, but she sat By the piano and asked
her to play a little tune on 1t for me. I
asked her that very thing-asked her if
she could play My Old Cabin Home
She said she would if [ would sing a
verse of it, and said I'd try. I said I
would, and she touched up the piano,
hit the very key note of the piece-the
tune know and love best on earth. 1t
ran and echoed about the room. The
place was full of women, and pretty wo-
men, too. And among them 1 saw
Miss Roane, the daughter of old Gov.
Roane, the lady of whom Mr.. Mcmillan
spoke SO beautifully while ago. They
crowded around, and right there stood
and sung the verse Cries of Sing
sing-giye us the verse. All right,
gentleman, to accommodate you I'll sing
1t" and clearing his throat, the gentle
man from Benton struck up bear-tone
solo and sang:
''WeH hunt no more the grizzly
In the nook,
Well leave the canon all
So dry;
Well drink no more of the
Clear crystal brook,
So my log cabin home, goode-by."
As the "goode-by" foated up among
the eobwebs in the dome of the hall the
densely packed throng burst into cheers
and shouts, tornado of applause shak-
ing the house, while bursts of laughter
broke out like thunderbolts; and hand
clappings sounded like hail among the
confusion. At length the orator sue
ceeded in getting silence again, after
bowling and gesticulating several min
utes, and said: "Hold on-wait and hear
the chorus" and then he sang
THE CHORUS.
'We'll mind no more, but play.
/ never shall forget
That log cabin home
That log cabin home far away"
Again the storm broke forth, and it
was several minutes before he could
proceed. When lull came he cont1n-
ued: "Well, those ladies crowded
around me, and when Mrs. Jones
stopped playing [ seized her hand and
said Madam, I am in love with you
Yes, told her had fallen in love with
her, and she said she wished I'd fall in
love with her husband as well. She
treated me nice-they all did, too. Now,
[ am rough old man, but ladies have
great attractions for the old mountain
boomers. know L do, and never for
got that visit. They looked SO sweet and
nice wanted to hug them all. When
L met Mr. Jones I looked at him closely
and saw in him a man l could well sup
port. He had big head, too-a head
like washtub, eyes set away back in
and a deep thinking look in them, and
so, with all this to think of, after looking
well about me, after considering the
matter well, after sleeping with it, I
have concluded to vote for the Hon.
James K. Jones'" Cheers, long and
lOud I