The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-13
THE REV. XII BUDGER LAST NIGHT.
Stirs the Animals up With Catchy
but Foolish Speech

Stirs the Animals up With a Catchy
but Foolish Speech
The Rev. Xxi Budger, alias HezeiSiah
Gudger. the noted Prohibition lecturer
and famous Sunday school speaker,
once a Democrat but now a leading
Republican spell-binder, held the
boards at the Academy of Music last
night and performed before three
hundred laughing, yelling negroes ana
half dozen white people. The negroes
enjoyed the occasion immensely, Tor
they were allowed the luxury OF sitting
in the cushioned opera chairs instead
of being fenced off up in the gallery,
and the half dozen whites were elevated
to the platform with the speaker.
Ki's coming had been extensively
advertised, the Academy OF Music had
been secured, and he and the commit
tee were expecting a great ovation.
But the ovation didn't oyate ana III
looked disappointed as he mounted the
rostrnm and shook hands with the
lesser liohts sitting thereon. Then
negro yelled like a man 'possum hunt
ing and deafening round of applause
followed.
XII wore a black suit and white
vest, which, with his coat buttoned up,
gave him the appearance OF man
wearing a pair of trousers much too
short in the waist for him.And his voice
was as clerical as his garb--long and
drawling-a voice that is just suited
for a camp-meeting prayer when the
excitement grows intense. 1t is equal
ly as good for telling dry joke and Mr..
Gudger used it last night for this pur-
pose with good effect. And well he
did for, ignorant as his audience was,
they might otherwise have detected
the glaringly sophistry and contradic-
tions in his argument, if his harangue
may be dignifed by such term.
The speaker began by making the
startling Announcement that the Dem
ocratic party was dead. This sad news
was greeted by laughter and cheers.
his auditors forgetting that he had
often said the same thing about the
Republican party. Then the Rev. HI
had the bad taste to proceed to speak
unkindly of the party he said was
dead. He said it was the simon pure
gold party and always had been, and
the Populists were the true silver
party. The financial ills under which
the country is suffering he held to
be worldwide and the remedy, he de-
clared, must be worldwide, interna-
tional. "And the only platform that
declares for international agreement
is that of the Republican party.
stand on the platform ad opted at st.
Louis without dotting an i or crossing
a IT,
Here the rain began to pour down
upon the tin roof and for several min
utes Ki gave pantolnimic perform
ance. For the first time since he had
commenced he took his hands out of
his pockets and began to gesture
wildly, but the rain only came down
the harder and not a word could be
heard. At last he gave up in despair
and awaited the pleasure of the ele-
ments. Ten minutes later the rain
| ceased and the Rev. HI proceeded.
The interruption had not been a
long one, but it had been long enough
| for the speaker to forget that he had
started out by saying that the Demo-
| cratic party was the gold party. He
| now began to abuse Mr.. Bryan, calling
him an anarchist and declaring the
Chicago platform to be communistic.
He said they were trying to rob the
working man by giving him free sill
ver-"they have followed free silver till
| they are hoarse. The Republican
party, ON the other hand, is for sound
| money, honest money and good. Free
| silver means robbery, it means repudia-
| ton" Then he told two or three
| jokes that have done campaign service
since the Vance-Settle contest, and
changed his sentiments again with the
| suddenness and completeness of a
kaleidoscope.
''The Republican party is the true
| silver party. (He said in the begin
ming of his speech that Populists were
| the true silver men and later that
silver meant repudiation.) The Re-
publicans have given more silver to the
| people than any other party in exis-
tence. They believe in silver; they
believe in plenty of money and they
will give it to you. 1t is the only hope
of the silver men of this country"
| He then launched off again into
abuse of the Democrats and said they
were in favor of everything free e1-
cept free niger and free ballot. A
| long string of this slush thickly sand
| WICKED in with stale jokes and final
| injunction to vote for Mckinley and
bury the Democrat so deep they would
| never hear the trump of Gabriel COM
| pleted the intellectual treat the Rev.
| HI Budger came all the way down
| from the mountains of North Caro-
| lima to lay before the Republicans of
Raleigh.