Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-07-27

over the house, eliminating in a storm
of applause that made North look
around involuntarily, though he did
not think of appropriating the compli-
ment until Warner, who was just at his
elbow, whispered sharply:
why don't you acknowledge your
reception, North? For goodness sake,
do keep your wits about you better
than this
Thus admonished, North turned to
the audience with profound bow.
which was greeted with fresh bursts of
applause; then, as the chairman-a
pompous old gentleman whose lengthy
list of titles, all with the prefix Elk"
testified to 4 long life of active public
services, now gracefully laid aside
rose to call the meeting to order, North
took refuge in an arm chair in n retired
position on the stage, where, though an
inconspicuous figure himself. he could
command a comprehensive view of the
house, and settled himself with slight
shrug and with feelings that can be
more easily imagined than described,
to survey the large audience who We're
soon to hang spell-bound, SO he humbly
ventured to hope, upon his eloquent ut
tera0ceS.
After the brief preliminary remarks
of the chairman, which Were received
with good-natured demonstration, as
If the audience at least had assembled
themselves together with the best in
tentions imaginable. whatever might
be said of the speakers, and meant to
applaud and hurrah, whatever hap
pened, tall. solemn man made a short
address in which he said Il great many
sensible things in very tiresome,
mournful, utterly unimpassioned way
which had soporitic effect upon the
audience and set even the best-inten-
toned ones to yawning surreptitiously.
He was listened to unresponsively until
he closed his remarks with the an
nouncement that ''he would now yield
the floor to others who would occupy
it more acceptably." Then the audi
tocium rang with the loud applause,
which might have been construed either
as hearty Endorsement of his final
statement or as the involuntary ex-
preston of the self-congratulation of
the audience for two separate and dis
tinct causes. to-wit: First, that the
gentleman's remarks had been brief
ana, SeCOnulS, CItiC the
marks were now ended.
He was followed by several other
speakers, of that class SO well known
to a long-suffering public; orators who,
with nothing at all to say, talk en- for
ever in the blind belief, perhaps, that
this American republic is to be pre-
served and perpetuatcd through the
same agency that once saved Rome. AL
the clements that ordinarily enter into
a heated political demonstration were
present there-the rantlng denunciation
of all opposing parties; the magnetic
enthusiasm" that caused the audience
to howl with patriotic fury; the glow
ing tributes to national heroes dead and
gone, whose illustrious careers had
about as much to do with the local elec-
tons of " as the great men them
selves would have had, if they had been
living; the heavy thunder of the big
guns and the rafting fusillade of the
lighter artillery which was brought
into use for the first time in the present
campaign. The political situation was
duly set forth in various styles of ora
tory-the ornate. the sprcad-eagle. the
laboriously off-hand. and, rarest of ALL
the plain, practical common-sense style;
and, as North listened critically to
every word that was spoken and noted
the effect upon the audience, he gath
cred many valuable hints for his own
speech, which he was quick to appropri-
ate and apply.
Then as the last speaker, one of Ollin
North's fellow-candidates, sat down,
flushed with his enthusiasm and the ex-
hilarating effect of his eloquent ges-
lures, the audience settled themselves
with an air of expectancy for the chief
event of the evening, their future city
attorneys address.
There was brief interval between
the acts, during which the orchestra
played choice selections from ''Pa-
thence" and Martha" and other we'll
known light operas, interspersed with
popular SENTIMENTAL and patriotic airs,
the whole forming pot-pourri adapted
70 the various tastes of the audience. |
A hum of voices filed the house. The
gentlemen in plain view on the stage