The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-02-14
THE ARKANSAS sENATORsHIP.
How Representative Baker Yielded
to Mrs. Jones's Influence.

to Mrs. JoneS'S lnf1uence.
The following is a full report of Repre-
sentative Bakers speech in the Arkansas
Legislature on january 81 in casting his
vote for the Hon. James K. Jones, the
successful candidate for United States Sen
ator:
Mr.. Baker of Benton, when his name
was reached, rose to his feet and said: Mr..
President, cast my first vote in this SEN
atorial contest for Governor James I'll. Ber
ry, and | have continued to do SO up to
the present time know him and ike
him. He is a good man, and well quail
fed to fill the office; an honored citizen, a
brave soldier, and an able statesman; he is
high in the esteem of the public / am
rough man myself-a man from the noun
tains, and | am one of those men who
stick by their friends-I stick by my
friends when they deserve it, when they
are able and well qualified, until they fall,
and even then I'll not desert them-I fall
with them, hated to see Gov. Berry
withdraw from the field, but when [ saw
it must be, I looked about me and took
the thing under consideration and thought
on it. / thought long and carefully over
it, and slept with it. Laughter | saw
| must cast my vote for some one else, and
I must make choice of the other candi-
dates. I'll tell you how l did it. | looked
over the field | have met the other two,
and l had studied them. | met the Hon.
Poindexter Dunn, and saw in him many
good points | saw fine head on him, &
greatly admire fine head and | 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 settled it. This is how it
was: I met her and | went and called on
her; yes, I did The room was full of
beautiful women. 1 didn't hardly know
what to do, but she sat By the piano and |
asked her to play little tune on it for me
laughter II asked her that very thing
asked her if she could play My Old Cabin
Home. Sne said she would if [ would
sing verse of it, and | said I'd try.
[Cries, Sing it now, let's hear it. ] You
wait said would, and she touched up
the piano, hit the very keynote of the
piece-the tune I know and love best on
earth. 1t rang and echoed about the room.
The place was full of women, and pretty
women, too [Applause.] And among
them | saw Miss Roane, the daughter of
old Gov. Roane, the lady Of whom Mr..
McMilen spoke so beautifully while ago.
They crowded around, and right there /
stood and | sung the verse. Cries of
'Sing-sing us the verse. All
right, gentlemen, to accommodate you I'll
sing it; and, clearing his throat, the gentle
men from Benton struck up bear-tone
solo, and sung:
s'We'll hunt no more the grizzly
In the nook
Well leave the canyon all
So dry;
We'll drink no more of the
Clear crystal brook,
So, my log cabin home, good-by.
As the "good-by'' foated up among the
cobwebs in the dome of the hall, the dense
ly-packed throng burst into cheers and
shouts, tornado of applause shaking the
old house, while bursts of laughter broke
out like thunderbolts, and handclappings
sounded like hail among the confusion.
At length the orator succeeded in getting
silence again, after bowling and gesticulat-
ING several minutes, and said: "Hold on
wait, and hear the chorus and then he
sang:
s'We'll mind no more but play,
l 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 hull came he continued: "Well,
those ladies crowded around me, and when
Mrs. Jones stopped playing | seized her
hand and said, Madam, | am in love with
YOU TShouts 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. They looked so sweet
and nice | wanted to hug them all. |
know l do [cheers1 and never forgot that
visit. When met Mr.. Jones [ looked at
him closely, and saw in him man | could
well support. He had big head, too
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
we'll about me, after considering the matter
well, after sleeping with it, | have con-
Guided to vote for Hon. Jas. K. Jones.