Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-01-29
HIS GREAT SPEECH.
How . Californian Secured the Nomina
ton of His Candidate.

How . Californian Secured the Nomina.
ton of His Candidate.
''I saw Tom Fitch in town the other
day." said the man with the wart on his
red. red nose, as he gazed out to where.
on the blue, unruff]ed expanse, a peli-
can with prominent lip was making life
precariously lively for school of fish,
land every time 1 see him 1 am re-
minded of his great speech in the Los
Angeles convention when he secured the
nomination as Attorney General for w.
II. H. Hart, now attorney for Florence
Blythe. Hart really hadn't the ghost of
q show. Thomas L. Carothers, of Men
docino, was the slate candidate, with
George A. Blanchard, of Colusa, Rob
bert P. Devlin and Carroll Cook
all showing some strength. Hart hadn't
over three votes to go in on, with no
county behind him. Fitch wasn't
delegate to the convention, but agreed to
place Hart in nomination if he could
get proxy. One of Harris friends went to
Boss Bill Higgins and asked him to-give
Fitch a proxy and let him nominate
Hart. Higgins was for Carothers first,
last and all the time, but said to the
pleader: Yes, let Fitch 60 in and talk
If he wants to. 1t won't do any harm.
Hart hasn't the remotest chance in the
world. Toms talk will please the
boys
80 Fitch was given a proxy, and
when the time came took the floor in
Harris behalf. Blanchard, Cook, Devlin
and Carothers had already been placed
In nomination, and the knowing ones
were all ready to cheer when Carothers
should be declared the choice of the
convention. Fitch took up Harris war
record, and went with him into the bat
tie OF Cold Harbor. In his vivid word
painting he told how Hart, then a mere
boy.was sent for during the thick of the
fight and given dispatches for a brigade
commander. On the carrying and de-
livery of these dispatches hung the fort
unes OF the day. 1t became necessary
70 take them through the enemy's lines
and Hart began his perilous trip
suddenly it was noticed that the
noisy convention vas still. The dele
gates sat as motionless as rows of
stones. Their mouths were open.
Their eyes hung out on stems. They
were interested in that story of mag
nlficent heroism so magnificently told.
Hart lodged here, crept there; cut
his way in one place, bribed it in an
other. About him hell was Kissing and
death hurting along the gale. Ex-
hausted, dust covered, powder-burned.
wounded, the gallant boy at last reach
ed the commander whom he sought
presented the dispatches, and saved the
day.
This boy was w. 81. H Hart, whom
now present to your consideration for
the nomination of Attorney General.
concluded Fitch.
"At once the convention broke out i'm
to the widest applause. Every BODY
was up shrieking like mailman. Hats
were tossed; canes broken. In the en-
thuS1asm of the moment Sam Short
ridge, Carothers man, moved that the
nomination of Hart be made by acclama-
ton. His wild motion would have zone
through had it been put Carroll Cook
jumped to his feet, his face radiant, and
withdrew in favor of the hero of Cold
Harbor. The balloting had hardly be-
gun amid the wild confusion when
Blanchard withdrew Then Deylin
pulled out. Carothers held on, hoping
that the slate would hold together not
withstanding Fitch's eloquent assault
But the slate was smashed into
smithereens. Before half the counties
were called Carothers had his name
withdrawn and Hart was unanimously
nominated. The convention had been
stampeded by the magic of one mans
voice.
"And the joke of it all was that Hart
wasn't in the battle of Cold Harbor at
aI-"-San Francisco Examiner.