St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-28
ADDED HILARITY TO sLIMLY AT
TENDED REPUBLICAN MEETING
LAST NIGHT,
ALMOST AT DoRAN's PORTAL.
TT WAS THE COLORED REPUB-
LICAN CLUB AT WABASHA AND
ISABEL.
OLD "BLooDY sH1Rw TROUBLES
Divert the Roysterers, Attention
From the Issues of the Present
City Campaign.

With brass band, four kegs Of beer and
half-dozen boxes of cigars as an attraction,
about 100 voters, two-thirds Of them white,
were induced to attend the meeting of the
Sixth Ward Colored Republican club at the
corner of South Wabasha and Isabel streets,
last night. 1t is probable that a large percent
age of the audience was composed of Demo-
Gratis, as it is no violation of Democratic prin-
cples to drink Republican beer and smoke
Republican cigars. 1t may not be out of
place to suggest in passing, however, that if
any Democrat consumed one of those cigars,
he must be sufficiently tough to be eligible
for membership in the Republican ranks.
w. T. Johnson filled the position of chairman
with appropriate grace and dignity, and after
wards superintended the distribution of the
beer and cigars with an impartiality that be-
speaks fine judicial capacity. But Mr. john
sons abilities are not limited to aptitude as
presiding officer over political meeting Of his
distinguished fellow citizens and the dignifed
mien with which he can superintend the dis
tribution of free beer and cigars, for he is also
an orator of no mean pretensions. This fact
is shown by the speech Mr.. Johnson made on
the stars and stripes; the old maxim that char
ity begins at home, and several other matters
of vital interest to the Republican voters of
the ward in manner that won the hearty ap-
plause of his hearers.
The other speakers were ]. NJ. Hawthorne.
who had the floor when the brass band was
coming toward the door playing yankee
Doodle"-or something else. But Hawthorne
kept right on until the chairman stepped for
ward and quietly requested him to stop, so the
audience could hear the music. This made
Louis Liverpool laugh so that the noise of the
band was drowned out.
E. P. Wade, the state house 'scyclone," was
the next speaker. He said-but everybody
read the speach when Wade first delivered
1t, some ten years ago.
A colored man named F. w. Parker waved
the bloody shirt for few minutes, and then
Col. Kiefer took it up and waved 1t a few
minutes more. Coming down to municipal
matters, he said, in substance, that If the
Republican ticket is elected the people will
have to pay no taxes, and they can buy $40
gold pieces for S. apiece, but if they elect
the Democrats they will not have a bit of
work to do that can be done abroad. They
would have to compete with Chinese, who eat
rats, and they would have to come down to
the same kind Of diet. Then getting back
to national politics again, he called attention
to the fact that Republicans in congress are
favoring his Superior Mississippi canal
scheme. The increased value of the land
for twenty miles on either side of the canal,
when built, he said, would more than pay
for it.
George Gerlich, the man of the rose the
man who stood around the corridors Of the
city hall and court house a whole year until
he finally succeeded In being made night
watchman so he could draw salary for time
spent making campaign speeches was the
only other orator of the evening
M. J. Bell talked of his love for the poor
workingman and the negro, and recited the
many instances in which he had befriended
both.
Frank Pendleton apologized for having at
tempted to desert the g. o. p., and the meet
ing closed with speech by Mr.. Doran, whose
appearance saved B. F. Latta's life. Latta
was just in the throes of an oratorical effort
when Doran entered, the crowd set up a
yell to hear him, and Latta was saved.