Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-09-27
SPEECH
OF
JOHN e. HU HIS SIT
SPEECH
ANNAPOLIS SEPT. II, 1895.

VI sue campaign on the l1tn, q
Annapolis was an immense success
Mr.. John Z. Hurst. the Democrat,
candidate for. Governor, was tn,
chief orator of the occasion. ii,
said:
'hr. Chairman and Fellov-citiasas
vt--My lsborians lifa rs q business
llan has afforded me but little tim,
or,eppcrtunity to acquire readiness
as public speaker, and / naturall,
regret very much my inability t.
present upon the hustings the issues
Of this campaign in such a way al
they deserve; but having been hon.
ored by the convention with the
nomination for the high office oi
Governor of this State, / feel it ia
be no less a privilege than a duty
to 60 out, as | have never done be-
fore, to meet the people everywhere,
and present as we'll as | can the
claims of the great party whose
standard bear in this campaign
to their continued support. Ofmy
qualifications it does not become me
to speak, and | shall, therefore,
leave to others to say what they
think upon this merely personal as
pect OF the canvass. ! may, how
ever, be excused for referring with
some satisfaction to the fact that,
thus far, no one has said that my
nomination was one not fit to be
made, nor averred that, so far as
the record of my life's work goes
to prove anything. the office will
find in me, if elected, an unworthy
or incompetent incumbent. The
line of attack that has. been, and is
being made upon the ticket does.
however, call from me sbme allu-
sions of another sort, personal s.
myself, and in this, my first Pile
utterance upon the platform, I wish
to express myself wi.h=, ,plainness
of speech that nobody can fail ia
understand.
THE OFFICE SOUGHT THE MAN.
did net seek this nomination
1t sought me. When / was first
asked to allow my name, to be. used
for it. the suggestion was gratifying,
but saw that its acceptance in
volved labor and sacfflice and the
undertaking, il elected, of new du-
ties and responsibilities which no
man brought up as have been
could contemplate witho misgiy-
ing. Finally, howeverI Welded to
the solicitations of my friends and
agreed to become a candidate.
did not enter into the struggle at
all, and can conscientiously say that
il ever there was a case when the
Office sought the man, and not the
man the office, this is that case.
Not unnaturally, | supposed that
such a candidacy and a nomination
made in that way would find favor
With the great body of the people,
for they would see in it an absence
of those personal opportunities and
methods which so frequently de-
grade our political contests. Here
tofore the cry has been that nomi.
nations should not be the result ot
scramble and struggle and self seek
ing, but that the candidates should
be selected without those incidanti
! which are always more or less sls.
agreeable, and oftentimes positively
disgusting.
The objection now made is based
upon the opposite idea, and Demo
Gratis are asked TO vote for the Re
publican ticket because ! did not
announce myself as atcandidat,
months or at least, weeks, befor,
the assembling of the convention
and 60 down actively to work il
the primaries.
Indeed, the point, so far as | car
gather it from the discussion in tn,
two newspapers which alone. of tn,
Democratic press of the State, ar,
opposing our ticket, is that the con
vention could not nominate AM
man who did not make such con
test in the primaries without there
by losing its right TO claim that il
action is binding upon the party
Il such an extraordinary pretensior
be conceded to have any force what
ever, where would Judge Fisher
nomination have come in, had b,
been selected instead of myself
He did not go into single primary