Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-11-20
Mark Twain's Experience.
TIE Developments foiievvsng his Nomi-
asstso for Gov~rsor.

YNh
TIE Developments foiievvsng his Nomi-
asstso for Sov-rsor.
Mark Iwsins experience as q
candidate Tor oflice, ob,aius u new
ln,erest at time when the Oregon
,an has Iust opened its walls of wrath
on ex-senator Mitchell. There is a
remarkable parallel in the cases
Great Scott Can it be possible the
Oyryonian takes it's cue from the
pleasantly Of the great humorist and
uses his sunbeams to shape its thun-
rbolts2-ED. STANDARD
A few months ago | was nominated
Governor Of the great State Of New
York. To run against Mr.. John 7.
Smith and Mr.. Blank J. Blank, on
an Independent ticket. l somehow
felt that ! had one prominent ad-
vantage over these gentlemen, and it
was-good character. 1t was easy
TO zee by tho newspapers that if ever
they had known what it was TO beal
n good name, that time had gone by.
II was plain that in these latter
years they had become familiar with
all manner Of shameful crimes. But
at the very moment that l was exalt.
ing my advantage and enjoying it in
secret. there was muddy undercur-
rent Of discomfort "riling" the deeps
Of my happiness, and that was
the having my name banded about
IN familiar connection with such peo-
Pile, l grew more and more dis
,urbed. Finally, ! wrote my grand
mother about it. Her answer came
quick and sharp. She said:
You have never done one single
thing in all your life to be ashamed
OF. not one. Look at the newspa-
pers-lsok at them and comprehend
what sort OF characters Smith and
Blank aie. and then see if you are
willing to lower yourself TO their
level and enter public canvass with
them"
But l could not rscede. l was
fully committed an must 60 on with
the fight. As l was looking listlessly
over the papers at breakfast I came
across this paragraph, aud l may
truly say ! never was so confounded
before:
"PERIuRy. y.-Perhaps now that Mr..
Mark Twain is before the people a.
. candidate for Governor, he will
sondssosnd to explain how he came
10 BE- convicted Of perjury BY "A wit
nesscs 10 Wakawak. Cochin China,
In 1868. tho intent Of which perjury
being TO rob . poor native widow
and her helpless family Of meager
plantain patch, their only stay and
support in their bereavement and
desols,ion. Mr.. Twain owes it to
himself. ~ we'll ~ TO the great peo-
ple whose suffrages he asks. to clear
this matter up. Will he DO it?"
thought I should burst with
smazement. Such q cruel, heartless
charge. / never had seen Cochin
China. I never had heard Of Wax
swak. didn't know . plaintain
patch from . kangaroo. I was
craxsd and helpless. I let the day
sIip away without doing anything at
az. Tho next morning the same
paper had this-nothing more:
=" SIaSIricAxr. Mr.. Twain, it will
DO observed. 10 suggestively silent
about the Cochin China perjury"
Mem. During the rest Of this
campaign this paper never referred
to me in any other way than "the
Infamous perjursr Twain"
Next came tho Gazette with this:
WANTED TO Know. the
new candidate for Governor deign to
explain to certain Of his fellow citi-
xens the little circumstance OF his
cabin mates in Montana losing small
valusbles from time to time, until at
last. these things having baen invar.
iably found on Mr.. Twain's person,
or in his trunk newspaper he
rolled his traps in) they felt com.
PEELED to give him friendly admon.
ition for bis own good, and 90 tarred
and fsa,hsrsd him and rode him on
q rail out Of camp. Will he do
this y
AFTER this, this journal continu-
ously spoke Of me as Twain. the
Montana thief."l
got TO picking up papers appre-
hsnsivsly-much as one would lift q
desired blanket which be had some
idea might have . rattlesnake under
Il. One day this met my eye:
"THE LIE NAILrD.-By the sworn
aAidavi, Of Michael O'Flannagan.
Esq. aud Mr.. Snub Rafferty, and
Mr.. Catty Mulligan. it is established
that Mr.. Mark Marx Twain's vile
statement that the lamented grand.
father Of our noble standard bearer.
Blank j. Blank. was hanged Tor
highway robbery. is q brutal and
graiuitous lie. without Q shadow Of
foundation in fact."
And yet l can lay my hand on the