Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-10-20
"a SLIM TURNOUT"

ludI Is the SoneTal TeudTk uduo
about the Long procession of last Sat
urday. 1t was too short to be s'long"
procession, and it will be a long time
before Jerry will have such short
turnout, although it will not be long
until Longs longing for a long visit to
Washington as the long representative
of the long seven tn district will be cut
short by the return of the Hon. Jerry
Simpson.
Early Saturday morning the faithful
were out hustling about to get the boys
in line. The Great Bend and Heizer
brass bands were promptly on the
streets, and by ten o'clock it was sup
posed that a concourse of republican
enthusiasm was gathering in the west
suburbs that would smother the Jerry
Simpson procession out Of sight.
1t came. We saw. And the remark
which heads this article, "a slim turn
out,'' aptly describes the parade.
First came chairman of the county
central committee, Mr.. Keeney, fol-
lowed by carriage containing the ex-
boss-Morg.-and trio of '.the boys"
who had been smiling" all morning,
and who smiled quite audibly as they
drove down the street.
Following came VIM. Longs dray
hauling the Great Bend band, and the
balance of the procession was mixture
of wagons, carts, buggies, carriages,
boys on horse back, and an ice wagon.
The HeiZer band, through some mis-
understanding, did not get in line the
whole time.
The writer stood on the Farmers and
Merchants Bank steps and counted the
vehicles. as they came north on Main
street and turned east around the
square. We counted SIS in all. AS a
number of the boys got ashamed and
dropped out of the procession down the
street farther, the count of those down
on Forest avenue would probably be
just, and that count gave the process
sion 81 vehicles-just about half the
number that was in the Jerry Simpson
procession on the 18th of September.
Several parties took the pains to
count the number of FARMERS We
hicles in line, and the largest count
was 13 (that unlucky number). AL the
balance were town vehicles.
The day was as fine one as has
been known this fall, and that the g. o.
p. did not get out larger demonstra-
ton was a surprise even to the demo-
Gratis and populists.
Seats and platform were arranged
on the north side of tie court house,
and Mr.. Long had good audience to
listen to him. Those who heard him
probably numbered as many as the
crowd which heard Jerry Simpson a
month before; but while the speaking
was going on there were but few people
on the streets.
Mr.. Longs text was"Jerry Simpson,"
and he stuck closely to it for a couple
of hours. Like Hallowell of two years
ago, he has but one speech, and instead
of its being improved upon with use, it
is becoming very threadbare.
In the evening State Senator Kirk
patrick spoke to good sized audience
in the opera house. Every negro in
town was present, and as the speaker
took especial delight in abusing, mis-
representing and maligning democrats
he of course got enthusiastic cheers
from the darkies. He made labored
plea for the old soldiers who are in the
peoples party to get back into line; even
warned them that if they persisted in
voting with the peoples party they
would lose their pensions. AS demo-
crat who desires to see such politics as
Kirkpatrick represents wiped out of
Kansas we would like to have had every
democrat in the county hear his speech.
for no conscientious democrat could
vote the republican ticket after hearing
the abuse and calumny heaped upon
democracy by the fellow.
THE democrats of Rice and Stafford