The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-26
POLITICS IN TEXAS.
ACCIDENT IN A CAMPAIGN AGAINST
~ SENATOR MILLS.

r,msly BIT Of Advice From the Out
-,.,r,s Of the Crowd.
So. ar the acme of his fame Roger
Us los Mills of Texas came near being
Su "nt hack into private life by raging
s e"od of prohibition sentiment IN his
,;St,ict which was then the center of
u .not emotional movement in Texas.
n"o hold speech saved Mills. 1t was
on So at Waco, under circumstances
inS .r much like those in the Breckin-
10 case--that is to say, the wonel
,.7 ,nrowu themselves into the fight
noaipst Mills because he would not
Voc 70 their notion that the rum power
'sould be paralyzed at one fell swoop.
s'~ndreds of them had organized them
Ices into bands and had gone all
.'..orch the district threatening and
',''.,lIne the men. Their able coadjutors,
49,. r0eachers, had proclaimed against
Mills from their pulpits, and this had
oroused a religious frenzy against him.
Services Of prayer and shouting were
SoId in the streets and in the woods,
and the Great Jehovah was appealed TO
70 nut stop to the public career of
Mills
The opposition was led by the Rev.
r. Cranfill, Baptist minister of
considerable renown and campaign
orator of great power. He was the idol
not only of the Baptists, who were nu-
merous and influential in the district,
INIT also of the entire religious element,
who were waging war Of externina-
tion on the demon rum. In all of his
sneeches DR.. Cranfill was terribly abus-
i've of Mills. His vituperation was as
hitter as that which New England
preachers used to apply to Thomas
Jefferson because of his supposed athe-
ism.
Mills had gone through the campaign
without returning Cranfll's abuse. In
fact he had scarcely referred to him in
anv way at all This led to the belief
in the circles of the opposition that the
leader of the tariff reform hosts in con-
gress was afraid of the preacher
A coward can succeed at nothing in
Texas. While Texans are not as blood
thirsty as they have the reputation Of
being, yet they prize courage above all
other traits Not until the campaign
was nearly over did Mills come to real
ize the absolute necessity of meeting
DR.. Cranfill with his own weapons OF
abuse The last big Democratic rally
was held at Waco just few days before
the election All the railroads ran ex-
,v,f ha httsf
city that day, and thousands of people
from all parts of the big state took adj
vantage of the low rates to hear Mills
closing speech. The Prohibition visitors
were as numerous as the Democrats
Waco was the home of DR.. Cranfill,
and everybody entertained the secret
hope that he would challenge Mills for
Joint discussion. Sure enough this was
arranged after Mills reached the city
The CONGRESSMAN made the first speech.
He made no reference to DIR. Crantill' s
continuous personal abuse of him. 1t
was disappointing IN its mlldness ana
dignity The doctor followed, and from
the opening sentence turned loose an
avalanche of vituperation which would
have destroyed less strong man than
Mills. Ten thousand people shouted and
Missed. The women cackled Justify and
clapped their pretty hands until they
must have been blistered as Cranfill
proceeded with his ''skinning opera
ton.
Through it all Mills sat like sphinx.
No waves of anger swept over his
rugged face once while DR.. Cranfill
was scoring him When he arose &c
make the closing speech, his own fol
lowers did not applaud him. DIR. Gran
fill started to leave the stand. This was
Mills opportunity. In a resonant voice,
quivering with emotion, he imperiousiy
commanded the preacher to keep ms
seat. The crowd heard this and were
ready for a tragedy.
Mills looked about him for minute
or two while the people were getting
seated. Cranfili Rlared at him viciousiy.
The suspense was terrible. Tie con
gresham continued TO view his audi
ence in silence.
"Give him hi, Millsp' screamed
Democrat from the outer fringe OF the
crowd who had not yet lost hope
Mills craned his neck in an effort &c
see who it was that had given him The
advice. Then he turned toward Dr
Cranfill He gazed pityingly on TIT
preacher for second. and then Ill
white face flushed. Moving up close e
the chair occupied by Cranfill, he point
ed long, bony finger at his traducer
and turning again toward the audlenc'
he Missed between his teeth:
Hell is so full Of such preachers a
this man that their feet are sticking gu
of the windows.
That was all he said. He didn't get
chance to say anything else that ola!
from the rostrum. The air rang with
mighty shout for nearly half hour
Mills tried to quiet the frenzied people
but the more he waved his arms at then
the louder they shouted. Finally
crowd surrounded the stand and CARRIE
him away He won the fight, ana d
would have lost it if he had not mao