Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-06-17
CAMPAIGN CHESTNUTS
Cracked at the Court House
Last Saturday.

CANDIDATES HAVE A GOOD 0PPOR.
TuNIrY TO ..BLOw OFF,"
And They 10 1t In Great S~hapc-Jim
Byrns' speech In Full.
A large crowd assembled TO hear
The speaking of the candidates at the
court house last Saturday afternoon.
Gov. Hardin was elected chairman.
After thanking the meeting for the
honor conferred he said the people
could call for who they wanted to
hear. Col. Clay was called and
responded with the first speech.
He said he desired to take advan-
tage of the crowd attending court
and otherwise in town to speak to
them. He announced that he was u
candidate for Representative and had
been solicited by numerous persons
to SO become; that he had been asked
to run early in the year, but when
Mr.. Cauthorn came out he thought
he ought to have no opposition, but
when Mr.. Cauthorn drew off he was
again importuned to run and yielded,
thinking that when a representative
man came out for the position which
heads the ticket he should have no
opposition. But no sooner had he
commenced his aco than q set of
politicians got MIR. Locke to come
out against him. He said the cam
paign lie was out at work against
him. 1t had been said he command
ed a niger regiment during the war,
but he didn't think he ever saw a
niger in uniform.
He came here in 1880 to make this
his home; thought he had been here
long enough to offer for office and
asked if the people of this county
wanted to retard immigration by put
ting it out that newcomer could not
get office here. That he voted for
TIlden in Mississippi in 1876 and had
been working for the Democracy
ever since. He served two terms in
the Legislature of Mississippi; had
fought carpet-baggers there and
voted for Lamar for the United
States Senate; that if he had won
any spurs it was in fighting carpet.
baggers in that state. He thought
he could represent the people credit
ably in the Legislature that he had
interests in common with them and
could plead their interests before the
Legislature; that MI. Locke was 8
good man and a good citizen and had
made a good county clerk, but he did
not see how that fitted him for the
Legislature; that a man should know
something more than how to overhaul
musty records; that Mr.. Locke
had been in Office nearly twenty-five
years and now he ought to be willing
to let somebody else in; that since he
had been here he had served on sew
eral committees and had been a dele
gate to conventions; that Mr.. Locke
never got on committees and went a:
a delegate to conversions.
He would support Cockrell for re
election and had not caught on to hi
coat tail. He then proceeded to TIT
discussion of national affairs. Wa
opposed to the demonstration o
silver; thought the time had COM
for a reduction of the tariff and tina
too much of the public lands hat
been granted to railroad corporation
by Congress. He then proceeded t,
speak of the bad features of some O
our state laws; thought the law t.
prevent fishing with a seine ought t.
+ be repealed. He said he would g
around among the people and fin
out what they want done in the Leg
6 ~islature and then try to have
brought out.
B. L. Locke then addressed th
meeting as follows:
-CITIzENs.-I know Co
Clay is the peer of any mar in Mis-
souri,; that he is the equal, as b
e says, of Gov. Hardin, Gen. McInty1
t and Col. McIlharey, and that I al
not a politician like they and Co.
: Clay are. But 1 know this, my fe
e low-citizens, that when Gov. Hardi
p was your State Senator and Col. No
/ Ilhaney was your REPRESENTATIVE a
unjust law was passed through th
Legislature; a law giving all Ii
school tax arising from the railroad
to the school districts only throug
which the railroad passed, thereb
cutting out the other school district
n in the county. I discovered this an
went to Gov. Hardin (then Senate
Harding and asked him why he ha
4 suffered so unjust a law to pass til
Senate, and he said she did not NJ
tice it." l said the same to yor
! Representative, Col McIlhaney, an
he, too, said she did not notice til
bill when it passed the House."
Q noticed it, my fellow-citizens, an
called the attention of your Senate
b Gen. Mcintyre, who succeeded Go,
Hardin, to the unjustness of the la
and he had it repealed and the none
distributed equally over the count
in the various districts. While
am not a politician and do not clail
to be a leader in the party, 1 d
promise you If you will elect me I
s the Legislature to give my close a
tention to the particular details
y Legislation and see that your Interest
, are guarded and see that no unju,
. bills slip through the Legislature.
t. Col. Clay says you ought to Gle,
e him because he has spoken for I'll
party that he has helped to make
Congressman, and that he can defen
the principles of the party, and thu
u / ought not to be elected b,
cause 1 have eve been on con
mittees and made political speeche
= etc. Now, fellow-citizens, this is q
true of me. The reason 1 have ne
d done these things. that Col. Cla
complains of my not having done
s that you gave me a trust to perforl
and / have not had the time to emit,