The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-10-23
Child of the Missouri Wilds and His
Viewson Democracy and "Forty- Rod"
Mixed in with Rather Tall Story About
Blacksmitb's Feet-GroWing Responsible.
tiles That Changed His Politics


RzZj)S Z Though the night was
IL s. cold, he wore q straw
hat, and his shirt was
open ct the throat. He
was not pious man, and he interlarded
his sentences with frequent apt II profane
quotations. He inquired for and was told
who was the man in charge Settling him.
self in chair he said that he wanted it
understood that he was Republican.
Pm Republican cause all nice. decent
sort of fellers like me is, he said. Funny
why sum is Democrats Jes' case my folks
was most on 'em says. l Amt that way.
My dad an mother. seven brothers
and two sisters is all Democrats. i WAS
raised down in Mizzoury. an yoa may not
b'lieve it. but John c. Breckenridge has
often toted me on his knee. l he'd the
bringing mp of q Democrat. my dad an
some of my brothers iii in the rebel army.
but | he'd les about sense enough
10 pull out of the hole and jine
sought q restfn g-place on a choice corner
of the city editors desk. one hand gave an
additional twirl to the demoralized mus
tache. and he asked: Ever see real i've
well. you never want to. Pll tell you
how them fellers vote down where L cum
from. They all 90 barefoot down there.
an don't do much but drink wbisky-forty-
rod whisky. You feIlers never drank any
of il CT you wouldn't BIO so spry
around here. They used ter 20
barefoot, an TO show you how hard
their feet nd GIT. our blacksmith
would weld a red-hot iron on the sole of
his foot. an never make mark on 1t. He'd
all the tools but an anvil, an used his foot
fer that. Funny, amt it'll" he inquired. as
general smile went round and MS huge
- ha daak
He'd agur down there In them days, an
all you could get that nd tech IL was to
take green cucumber put 1t In bottle,
pour pint of this ERE forty-rod whisky
on it, let 'er set fer month. an then drink
it. The Lor' bless We, boys. you could no
more drink that ERE mixter then Yer
could strychnine. ner half so we'll. reckon.
Can't more'n a quarter of 'em read down
there, SOS when they 90 ter vote they're as
liable fer prohibition es any thing ef 1t
wasn't fixed fer 'em. and this is what them
blamed Democrats do. They jes' PRINT
cucumber at tn head of the ticket an
bottle OF whiskey at tn bottom. an they
put her In straight every time."
By this time the other foot had joined the
one on the table, the nat had gone on the
Ho0r, and the stranger had made himself at
home. IL only needed q smile TO encourage
him. Some one smiled.
Now. there's this ere Mckinley bill.
It makes me sfcker'n blind
boss, with a case of epyzootic, SPAWN on
: these ere Democrats talk about that bill
They don't know no more abont il en q
razer-back hog knows about the laws of
gravitation. Why, you gimme 81 an Pll
20 down TO any store IN town, an when L
some out an walk mp Jh street, they'll yell,
Look at the doodv That's right. How
much dyOu s'pose this ERE suit cost me?
Saw it down here tonight. sort of struck
me as being right clipper. an jes went in
and bought it," This last was said with
IN air of utter abandon and as though
10 buy SUIT of clothes if one struck his
fancy was an hourly occurrence. He ex-
getting on his feet and wheeling around to
show off its points.
'You fellers is judges o. cloth. Now, how
much d. you s'pose IL COST"
Guesses were any where from $40 to So
he laughted and doubled himself all up In
knot, and then roared: why, yer a set
the ignorantest people 1 ever zee. Cost
NE just S3.75, an a cane throwed in. Loft
The cane to home fer my baby ter
play With. Yes. sir. 1913. an I'm
afraid every mlnnit AT I'll be took fer q
dood. Speaking of my baby. that's mother
reason why Pm Republican. l s'pOse q
Teller as amt got no wife an no baby. ner
any family ter bring up, could be a Demo-
crst pretty easy. Man amt got no resDon-
sibility TILL he has er baby, an when he
gets responsibility he's Republican.
quicker'n any thing knows of, although
always wuz one, an always intend TO be.
These ERE sore-he ads break me all up. Told
one OF EN- downain my neigh borhood the
other day what l thought of him, an he
aint spoke to me sence. faint. likely
he ever will. Makes me think of O story
heerd down In Tennessee. Family lived up
In tn mountains Never seen q railroad.
or pair or shoes, er o seegar Chawed
their terbacoy in the leaf. and cut their
hair with the same knife "a they did their
bread. The ole man run fer Mayor of lit
tie Joint mp there an was elected. His
two boys run home to tell their nanny,
an when they got 20 tn door they yelled:
Nav, paws been 'lected Mayor. Are we
al. mayors nowf The ole woman jes'
looked at 'em a minnit an she says Nav.
way with these sore heads Thought tbeyss
all goln' q be Presidents, an when they
found out they wasn't. they got mad. Fun
ny about these furrIners comes over
here. amt itG They tells me as how some
on EN- runs an votes the Democratic ticket
before tn salt water stops drippln' from
their britches. Well, we'll 'lect Harrison
this time. an next time we'll stick new
plank In our platform an keep these ere
furriners out of the country" He
paused for awhile. and when some
body proposed going home he said, as
he steaded his left knee with his
right hand: Ppm a Re publican. boys an
man calls me Democrat, I'm like a Teller
chat owned a fast boss down In Kentucky.
You could tell that man that his wife was
cross eyed, that his daughters washed
dishes fer a Twin. that be had one son In
the penitentiary an mother in the Ken
tucky Legislature. that he had an uncle
that stole sheep. an a cousin tibet tried TO
pizen his hull family. an be- wouldn't say
q word TO you. but you jes' tell him that
his boss was balky, an You'd been a dead
man in minnIt. That's the way am
about being Democrat Good night boys.D
He shook hands all around. brushed off the
mud his feet had left on the table, got q
aiQhf ON the door and was Qnna