Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-20
REA AND EDGERTON.
n he school Boy and the Political
ROmancer.

Mr.. Rea and Hon. Henry Edgerton spoke
last night q. Republican meeting on Court
street. A band was out and a fairly good
crowd. considering the coldness OF the
night, and the fact that the theater was open,
appeared at the commencement of the Tex
ercises."
H. A. Barclay, ESQ, was made Chairman
of the meeting and Gen. Briefly was master
of ceremonies. After some music by the
band, Rae, the man who wants to succeed
Foate as Railroad Commissioner, was intro
duced and spoke his piece" That phrase
is used with consideration. From beginning
TO end the speaker showed all the signs of
having been most carefully coached" for
the performance. Indeed, he manifested
most Enthusiastically that the whole speech
was "cram" as the boys used to say in
school. Even the phraseology was commit
ted to memory, and so fettered was he in
his delivery that several times he got
''stuck" plump in the middle of a sentence,
and there he had to stop, not having sufi-
cfent Independence OF thought to finish it,
but going on to the next sentence. II he
left out the least particle of language he
had to stop, take new start on the clause
catch up the If or and he had dropped, and
so proceed.
II. u ID.
is well made and shapely in physique,
wears suit of plain black, the coat Prince
Albert cut, and all in faultless style. He is
said to have been raised on dairy farm in
Santa Clara county, to have married rich
girl while still mere youth, to have pros
pered since, and that he is now very
rich man.
His speech gave very Sophomore re-
view of the history OF the Railway Commits
sion. He held that it had done nothing for
the people, and based his claim for election
on that simple fact. He forgo. that the
Southern district had always elected the
one patriot who had made IA gallant fight
against two corporation tools; that the
Third district is rather proud of that record;
that the party he represents has elected the
President of the great corporation to the
United States Senate; that it proposes to
elect much more dangerous man to the
same position; that it will vote for the
Heath Amendment which cuts down
year anyway, and ieopardizes the collec-
ting of all that tax He forgot that this dis
trict is dead sure of Foote, aud will take no
chances on man like him, whose speech
has been put in his mouth, and who abso-
luteiy declines to say one word as to what
be will do ii elected to the office Be the
political complexion of the district what it
may, there are quite enough Republicans
who will vote for Foote to secure his re-elec-
tton In spite Of any influence" excepting
that of the Almighty Dollar"
Rea was followed by Hon. Henry Edger- |
II
most finished aud pleasant speakers that |
ever spoke at political meeting He is
known from one end of the State to the |
other for stump-speaking has been his |
trade" time out of mind in California |
While he is so pleasant to hear-and one |
likes him who does not believe word he |
says, SO smooth and courteous is he gener-
ally-he is at the same time one OF the least |
convincing men In the State. IT Is doubt |
ful II he ever influences the action of a |
voter who knows anything about him. The |
speech is alwas model of rhetoric and no |
less model Of romancing. He began as |
they all do: twenty-five years ago.. He |
referred to Father Burchard's famous three |
Rs, which, he claimed, elected Cleveland. |
He spoke of the amendments the g. o. p.
had az made to the CONSTITUTION, which, he
Republican politician and thinks a "strong |
central government an improvement on /
the system OF local autonomy devised by |
E, ihe centry
rich, was eulogized, The speaker forgot to |
say that the enriching all went into the |
pockets of very few. under that system:
up as a model. T He forgot got to s state % that the
Cleveland administration was beating their |
best record by $500 ol0,000 per annun. He
spoke OF the false, hypocritical, canting"
power, but did not refer to the sl3, 0O1 of
defalcations recently unearthed, with more
TO come later on. The mugwumps were
trehteu W severe Haylng, man1feStfng
very unchristian bitterness Of spirit on the
part OF the speaker towards those oldtime
and greatly esteemed associates Of his
party
From the change in the national govern.
nent, which Mr.. Edgerton SO pathetically
he got on TO the detection in the
State government of California. He
the history of the downfall of his
party in this State, eulogized Perkins,
B sgellated the. voters Of the State for daring
20 give Stoneman so large ma
Iority, and altogether betrayed q most
,hagrined and unhappy state OF mind
He said there was no reason to put the
Democrats In power. but as the people in
heir sovereign caracity thought otherwise,
I Is hard 10 see what Mr. Edgerton is going
o do about it,"
The Republican platform of 1884 was ap-
,ealed 70 In proof Of his oplalon. Its anti
lay was emphasized with much |
motion; but then what good did that do
vhen every man in the crowd was think
ng; Yes, but as soon as the fellows who
famed that holloy pretense got to sacra.
nento they showed how little they meant
by elcoting Stanford to the Senate, and
ou, Mr.. Edgerton, and they too, are this