The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-10-31
POLITICAL MEETINGS.
Sam Jones Tells OF One In His
Native Town.
&c Was a PopuIist Gathering with Some
Democrats and Republicans Present
Why the Evangelist Didn't
Hear the Speakers.

This IS the day of crowds of political
gatherings. Ihaye sat on my porch to-
day and seen the thousands gathered
in this town t hear the political orators
Of the day. Mr.. Watson and John Tenn
pie Graves were the orators of the day.
The crowd was immense, the speeches
greatly enjoyed and frequently APP
plauded. The enthusiasm was pretty
lively. But il is not so much Of the
speakers and speaking that 1 want to
write. It is the anxiety of all that gath
cred to listen to the speakers that en-
cages my interest and thought. They
came to-day from the regions round
about and from all directions. The
well-to-do farmer and the poor fellow
who steers u pillow, the landlord and
tenant were in the throng as they
passed to and fro the masses seemed to
be anxious to learn and anxious to know
more about something Or somebody. Gu
riosity, Fellowship, kindred thoughts,
make them all akin at these great gath
erings.
While 1 dictate this letter after sup
per Of the day OF the greatspeakingth they
naNG dIA LCL1lGA W HnCII AOAnGSo Lucy
are sitting down at home talking to
wife and children about the speaking
and the speakers. They will have some
thing to think about for several days to
come. This was a populist gathering,
though there were many democrats and
a few republicans mixed up with the
crowd. It was largely a free silver
crowd. They cheered to the echo every
utterance of the speakers bearing on
the free and unlimited coinage of silver.
They are looking to Bryan and Watson
as the Moses and Aaron to1ead them out
of the land of Egypt where they have
made brick with butlittle straw. They
are thinking only of the land of Canaan
that flows with free silver and high
prices for their products. They are
not concerned about the wilderness
with its 40 years of sojourning, with it's
snakes and with its grovelings. They
imagine that they will leap the Sd of
November with one bound into silver
up to their chins and that prosperity
will come to the farmers, whatever may
happen to the monopolists, million
aires, bankers, merchants and manufac-
turers. They dream with their eyes
open and wide awake. Their reveries
are pleasant to them. It is not a mir
age to them. It is a lake of clear water
surrounded with willows and deer and
cattle. Like thirsty travellers ON the des-
ert when thirst famishes them, they see
the clear lake not far distant. It is a
pity to break into their reveries. It
is a pity to disturb their dreams; but.
it is all a dream, and their thirst will
but be augmented when the fact breaks
upon them that it is only the mocking
vision of a mirage. / could see that
this throng Of people was happy to-day,
happy going and happy coming from
the great speaking. They will have
dreams upon dreams tonight; but aft
er all, the dream of the day is as deIu-
sive as the dream of the night will be.
They will wake up on the morning of
November 4 saying: 1--WE have fought
a good fight and we will try them again
four years hence"
I love the pops. They are good fell
lows. They are all good meaning fell
lows; but Lor' me, a crowd that can't
run a farm successfully can't run a
government successfully. But the
procession moves. Some were crowded
in their wagons, some in buggies, some
horseback, and many were afoot. 1
had much sooner take their chances for
Heaven than their chances for the
white house in Washington or the con-
%gressional hall. Mark Hanna with his
barrel and gold standard procession
will be sitting quietly down waiting
when the populistic procession
up and will no doubt invite the crowd
to the second table, and they will be
welcome to what is left. Bleeding Kan
sas, with her reign of p~opularism, is an
everlasting menac to the future hopes
of the dear old pops. Whiskers and
sockless men and ''sexless'' women
won't get in often and won't stay iii
long. Experience teaches us that re-
form parties in politics are mere par
ties at last and partyism tends towards
rings, rascality and rum. No state in
this union wants to duplicate the re-
form movement of South Carolina. 1t
is frequently true that the blunders of
fools are more ~irreparable than the per-
ndy of rings. We can watch our ras-
calls, but human foresight can never
foretell where a fool will turn up next.
Our whole business community closed
its doors and attended the great gather
ing to-day. As some of them passed
along down the street a little late ]
told them to hurry up, for the price of
cotton would be advanced by hat au-
gust gathering before they could get
there, and they wouldn't share in the
honor of having raised the price. After
all the dust and furry of the day the
old sun set right smack in the west
again; the chickens went to roost as
usual; the hog feeding ard milking
time came just as it did the day before.
Oh, that men could learn that to do
your own job well and stick to it is the
only road to personal prosperity, and
personal prosperity is the only founda,
ton for national prosperity.
/ didn't get oyer to the meeting To-
day myself. My wife positively for
bade me going ever, and when she saw
how earnestly my heart was set on
joining the procession she then gave
me TO understand that if l went agains,
her will and wishes to the great popu.