St. Paul daily globe., 1886-03-06
EXTENDING THE LINES.
The story of Hon. Tom Fitch's Con-
gressIOnaI Campaign.
Merchant Traveller.


Merchant Traveller.
You Eastern fellers talk in a high key
about close elections an nip-an'-tuck races
for Office, an unanimous majorities of one
an runnin' like scared wolf, but L tell
you that you haven't got no political wire
pullers east of the Rockies. The last time
Tom Fitch made the rifle for congress it
was the biggest scratch of the season.
Tom, YOU know, is the silver-tongued
orator of the Pacific slope an he clears
enough every presidential election 10
keep him over four years. Tom, he stumped
his district night an day for goin' on
six weeks, an flooded the minin' camps
with Valley Fan, kissed all the babies which
were scatterin' in that deeStrict corraled
the Cinnamon, voted the cemeteries an
went over the line into Utah an held po-
litical meetin's an barbecues, an when his
opponents guyed him about canvassin' the
Mormons an asked him if he expected to
get enough Utah votes TO elect him, Tom
wunked wink that made me believe there
was hen on, and. of course, changed the
policy of the paper an swung her over to
Tom an lost hundred and fifty subScrib-
ers. Tom told me privately that he knew
the Utah fellers couldn't do him any good.
but he was tishin' after their moral support
to the ticket.
s'Wall, election day come, an it was red
hot an peppery. The town hearSe made
regular trips between the polls an the
cemetery every half hour, an the corpse
was ALWAYS on time an didn't keep ii
waitin'. Out of siXty-three Cinnamon Tom
voted only eleven of them was able to sit
I'D that night an discuss American politics
IN their lOcl1-sttch lingo.
THE returns came in an Tom was de-
feated. While the other side was havin'
hurrah at the White Elephunt' in walks
Tom. with a gold-headed cane. big dia-
mond pin in his paper dckey an smile
which went way aroun IN under MS ears.
T" Take suthin' with me, boys says
Tom.
"'Whut fer?' asked Ben Hawkins, one OF
the leaders of the opposition.
""Cause I'm elected an 1 want to be
generous-like.'
= ''.Elected nuthin',' said Hawkins. ''Y ou
\ are wiped oft by 200 majority
:. No. you are mistaken, said Tom. You
mean well, but you don't know. Ii was
close. but got thar IN great shape
"You don't want to gamble on hit dc
yer?' said Hawkins.
"'Yes, I'll go you thousand on it. said
Tom.
wall, the outcome was that Tom hooked
his dimund, an borrowed all he could an
bet everybody. an along come United
States government surveyor, an he said
that when Nevada was admitted as state
the boundary lines had never been run
regularly, an he an his men worked about
week, an I'll be cussed If they didn't run
the eastern boundary line of the state OF
Neyada ali aroun' precinct of MormOns
over in Utah that Tom had talked to an
got to organize an turn out election day an
vote, an their votes was counted. too, an
that give Tom seventy-fve majority. No
sir; you Eastern fellers don't know the A.
b. c. of politics"
THAT was fine work, truly" ! said. ''By
the way, did the Hon. Tom Fitch do any
thing for you for your supportw
"Wall, l spoke to Tom about it just be
fore he went to Washington. an he sale
that the fact was he had 10 have those Utal
votes to counteract the influence OF ny
paper, the support of which made vote:
agin him. suppose it's all right. Toms
a rip-roarin' smart man, you know"