The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-07
CUTE TRICKS OF
THE POLITICIANS
Some Of the Devices BY Which They
Win Votes.
GOVERNOR BRADLEY'S 0vERc0Ar
1t Is an Old Greasy Garment which
Catches the POOr..Senator Calls
Famous Ripped Trousers. Tom
Carter and His High Hat..Other
Tricks in Q Campaign.
From the Philadelphia Times.

Tricks in . Campaign.
From the Philadelphia Times.
A few years ago when d. r. Francis,
leader of the gold forces in Missouri.
was a candidate for governor of his
state. the Republicans put forward
Mick" Ford. long. lank backwoods-
man. ! was on the floor of the Mer-
chants Exchange in st. Louis. when
Candidate Ford made q speech from
the rostrum. His lank figure, his cada-
verous face and his general bucolic ap-
pearance aroused the brokers and mer-
chants to much quiet merriment. They
nudged each other and chuckled under
their breath and winked and in many
other ways showed their contempt for
Candidate Ford. Perhaps the fact that
Candidate Francis had been trader
on the exchange for many years infiu-
enced the judgment of the members.
But the bucolic Ford came within
comparatively small vote of carrying
Missouri. and the Republican manag-
ers of that campaign have said ever
since that II the national committee
had given them a little money and
few speakers. they could have carried
the state for a Republican candidate
for the first time since reconstruction
days.
Senator Cockrell, one Of the leading
figures of the Democratic convention,
retains his popularity in Missouri
largely through his simplicity and his
genial manner to all who come 10
Washington from his state.s Tl9 Sena-
tor is just as plain and simple today as
he was when he first came to WASH
ington from Warrensburg. But cam
paign simplicity is not all natural.
Much of it Is assumed for the purpose
of making votes among the farmers
and laborers. That the plain people
have no sympathy with wealth and dis-
play was indicated plainly enough by
the feeling aroused twelve years ago by
the "Relshazzar feast given to James
G. Blaine, which many people still
think cost him the election. At least
1t cost Mr.. Blaine a great many votes
all over the country, and particularly
in New York state.
BRADLEY'S OVERCOAT.
Many are the devices adopted by cam
didates and their friends to cajole the
farmer or laborer voters. The trends
of Governor Bradley, of Kentucky, be-
lieve his success in the last election
was due in a great measure TO an an
cient overcoat which he wore when he
was stumping the state. This over
coat, which was hopelcssly dilapidated,
Mr. Bradley displayed as an evidence
that he was not an aristocrat. The IN
genuous mountaineers saw in the
grease-stained garment proof positive
that Bradley was one of the people
and they voted for him in such num-
bers that he was elected-the first Re-
publican governor ever chosen in Ken
lucky. 1t is hardly necessary to say
that this overcoat is not the one which
I,n,, l,a t- Of n,1-
paigning 1t is simply one of his poiiti-
cal properties" He keeps it at the
executive mansion, however, for use in
emergencies.
Mr.. Bradley's campaign device was
by no means new. 1t is practiced in
some form in almost all the western
states and in some of the southern
ones. Few newspaper readers have
forgotten the socklessness of Simpson,
Jerry Simpson, of Kansas. 1t was ex-
aggerated in some of the newspaper
stories about him, but there is no doubt
he made his best point when he made
a point with the farmer Populists of
his district of the fact that he wore no
socks.
I wonder how his constituents would
have felt il they could have been with
me not long after the meeting of con-
gress and seen their sockless represen-
tative returning from the launching of
one of the vessels of the new navy at
Philadelphia. The simple Kansan was
sitting in one of the cars of a special
train of the Pennsylvania railroad
drinking champagne and eating sweet
breads all at the expense of the Cramp
shipbullding firm. 1t was not long
after his initiation into Washington
ways before Mr.. Simpson was riding a
bicycle. / believe he never aspired to
belong to the smart set" but he cer-
tainly learned to wear socks and a
great many things less practical
SECRET OF CALLS SUCCESS.
Senator Call. of Florida. has been
going to the senate steadily since 1879
and no one understands just why. Per-
haps an incident of his campaigning
explains 1t. Mr.. Call goes out among the
common people when he is a candidate
for reelection. He travels about the
state, stopping over night at the
cabins Of the natives. He wears a pair
of trousers in which there is large
rent. Arriving at the cabin of the plan
ter Mr.. Call talks politics with the
owner. discusses crops and inquiries
after the children. Presently he is in
vited to stay to tea and to spend the
night. The Senator always accepts, and
as he is about to go to bed he says to
his host: I've bad rip in this pair
Of pants. Will your good wife put
few stitches in it for me?"
OF course, the good wife is overcome
with the honor of mending the trousers
of United States senator. She sits
up for an hour darning the rent until
II can hardly be seen. The Senator is
profuse in his thanks when he comes
down In the trousers next morning.
Waiting till he Is at a safe distance
from the cabin the Senator takes out
his knife and rips open the trousers
where they have been darned SO care
fully. He is ready now for the next ma
tive with whom he will spend the
night. And so the trousers are mended
all over the State of Florida. Mr.. Call
may not know so much about the Con-
stitutiOn as he thinks he does, but he
is well Informed about the character
istics Of the people of his State.
Mr.. Ransom, now Minister to Mexico,
kept his place In the affections of the
people of North Carolina by fattery,
and so extended his term in the Senate
to twenty-four years. ] am inclined to
believe his defeat finally was due less
to the political revolution in his State
than to q consciousness of his insincer-
ity which had been growing with his
people for many years. When | was in
North Carolina IA few years ago |
heard god many people speak of Mr..
Ransom. not unkindly, as an "old
fraud" But to the people in the back
country his insincerity was not so ap-
parent Whenever one of these went
to Washington and received attentions
at the Senator's hands he returned to
his home a confirmed Ransom man.
The Senator always showed everyone
Of his constituents the most marked
consideration. other Senators, who
knew the amiable weaknesses of Mr..
Ransom, used to stop good naturedly
when they saw the Senator from North
Carolina talking with a backwoods
friend. Then the backwoodsman would
pe introduced to the other Senator (with
whose name no doubt he was familiar)
as zone OF our leadin' citizens" and his