The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-10-03
THE U%NTERRIFIED MEET.
HON JoHx Fow BLOWS Has F0GH0RS AND
EDITOR MEYERS TALKS FREE TRADE
An.e. arsEIse. 81 v1arl .sz 80.

/ evening oil iaSL week. fDr weeks past the
Chairman of the Democratic COMMITTEES had
been advertising two able snd eloquent
speakers will be present and discuss the
burning issues of the campaign Many Of
the Republicans Of the town, together with
their friends from the country who were IN
attendance at court. concluded that they
would like TO hear the I" burning issues" Dis
eussed from q Democratic standpoint. 80 at
tended the meeting. When Chairman Chi
arose to call the ~assemblage TO order he
found the house comfortably hlled-an IN
usual thing at a Democratic msetingin SOM
erset-fnliy one-half the andieace being Re
pGblicans. Mr.. Thi named Peter 5 Hay, Of
Salisbury, as president Of the meeting, with
the usual complement Of vice presidents and
secretaries. As soon as the organization was
fully completed. Gen. A. II. Coifroth step
ped forward and announced that a large del
egation was expected from the south of the
county on a special train, and that while he
regretted having to open the meeting before
this large and a~nxionsIy iooked-for debega-
ton arrived. be had no doubt that they
would put in an appearance before the close
Of the meeting He then took great pleas
ure in introducing to the audience that dis
tinguished lawyer. able speaker and elo-
quent orator, Hon. John H Tow. Of Phils-
delphia.r
When the Hon. John came forward n
great many of his auditors exchanged smiles
and knowing wiuks with each other. as they
recognized in the able speaker ''old fOg-horn
Fow,n who has been knocking around the
State in every political campaign that has
taken place for years past.
The Philadelphia statesman had only
blown his fog-horn for a few minutes when
he was interrupted by a great noise on the
street, ami by some one rushing into the
COURTROOM. exclaimiug, make room for
the delegation from the south. Speaking
for the tinle-being was suspended, and
benches and chairs we're hastily carried in
to seat the delegation 50 a%nxionsly expected,
and whose absence Gen. COfiroth had 80
greatly regretted From the loud cheers for
Harrison and Morton that were heard from
the outside, many q the audience were on
siderably in doubt as 10 the political com
p!exion OF the approaching delegation, but
finally. when tue M~eyersdale band anne
marching in, softly playing, safe in the
Arms OF Jesus, followed By about two doz-
en- smooth-faoed young boys in handsome
uniforms, and bearing torches, all doubt as
TO its being a Democratic delegation were
set at rest.
After the newcomers had been seated. the
/ Hon. John once more blew his horn. After
attempting to demonstrate that the Republi-
can victories in the recent elections held in
Oregon, Vermont. and Maine, were really
Republican reyerses, he turued in and heap
Ell abuse on the Republican presidential
candidate, and the leaders Of the g. o. P.
generally. At the mention OF Blaineis name,
whom be denOminated the Uucrowned Re-
publican King the audience, a We said be-
fore. being largely composed Of Republicans,
sent up a cheer that fairly shook the building.
The spontaneous outburst AZ the mention of
Blaine's name somewhat confused the speak
er but. gathering himself together be launch
ed OF into a discussion Of the Mills bill, and
the tariff question in general. lie founder
ed around for quite awhile, trying to prove
that the Mills bill was not a direct blow al
American manufactures and American in
dustries, but was altogether in the interest Of
the American laborer. He said that the pat
ent on Bessemer steel rails is owned by a
small syndicate Of mill owners and made so
many other glaring and inaccurate stale
ments in regard to the tariff on wool, gui-
His closing remarks were devoted to show
ing that the Democratic party had crushed
the rebellion. Show me your crusher.
said the Hon. John, and will show you a
Democrat. He spoke Of Reynolds, Meade,
Hancock; and other Democratic generals who
had participated IN the battle Of Gettysburg
and argued that they were entitled to the
credit Of crushing the rebellion. He neg
lected to inform his hearers that every sol
der who fought in opposition to Reynolds
and Meadeaad Hancock At Gettysburg w1sa
Democrat, and hat every man who followed
Lee in bis retreat from that bloody field.
aeruss the Potomac and on into the South,
was and still is a Democrat, and that they
are the men who in the present contest the
Democratic free trade party are depending
upon for 4 solid South.
In the hour or more in which the Hon.
John spoke, he fully demonstrated that Gen.
Coffroth was mistaken when he introduced
him as an able speaker, even if, in the Ian
guage Of one of our lamented feilow-,ovns-
men, ~he has Il very good pair ofIung in bis
head.
After the band had played one OF its
choicest and sweetest selections Gen. Coifroth
again arose and introduced another able
speaker, etc, p in the person of Hon. 3. f..
Meyers, formerly OF Somerset, but now Of
Harrisburg. Mr.. Meyers spoke for about an
hour and i half, mainly ON the tariff ques-
ton. The Hon. D.. f. is a ine-lookug,
scholarly gentleman, who during the war
edited a Democratic paper in Bedford, ex-
tracts from the flies OF which make mighty
interesting reading now, but be IS not an
able speaker Under other ci~rcuIustan-
ees, if bis audience had not been previously
afflicted with such a tremendous dose from
the fog horn. they might have listened to
him more patiently, bur Is it was they at
first grew FESTIVE, then commenced 70 quiet
" pass out. while many of those who re-
mained dropped asleep. Mr.. Meyers said
that he had almost made up his mind 10
never again make a political speech in som
erset county that he had about concluded
tat Somerset people, Ike Ephraim Of old,
were joined to their idols and that he had
concluded to give them over to perversity Of
spirit and hardness Of heart, but had hnai-
IL Hen persuaded to make one more at
tempt. Ills hearers would probably have
been as well satisfied if he had stuck 10 his
original intention.
AZ the close of Mr.. Meyers tiresome re-
marks, General Coffro,h once more arose
and introduced another able speaker, etc,
Thomas II. Greyy, Esq, the Democratic
nominee in this district for Congress. Mr..
Greevy stated thai he did not expect 10 be
elected, but wanted to run his full party
vote.
BY this time the audience had mostly left
the court room, or gone TO sleep, and the
quiet that prevailed when Mr., Greevy sat
down was only broken by the snores Of sew
eral dozen of the unterrifed who were
stretched on the benches in the rear Of the
room.
The speakers and leaders shook hands
with one another, while the ~janitors Of the