The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-11

degree, and there was one gentleman
who took great delight in getting into
the paper as frequently as possible, the
reference to Mr.. Bates as the political
highwayman of Worcester county.
l did not propose to go into the details
to any great extent of that most UNI
, happy campaign. You know some Of
the circumstances. We have always
been proud te call Worcester county
the banner county," From this coun-
ty was sent the first anti slavery con-
( gresham to the house of representa-
| tives, followed soon after by Joshua
Giddings From the old common in
Worcester the anti-slavery cause, we
may say, was started on its mission
that has accomplished such wonderful
results Cor this great nation now grown
to seYenty-five millions of people. But
in my humble opinion no more con-
temptible methods, no more unsavory
methods, no more unfair methods were
ever pursued toward any man than
We're taken up against me without
cause or provocation.
had helped these gentlemen all
along the line for 10 years, and as long
as I was a diligent worker, ready to
respond on all occasions, booked for
one year. as | recently found a placard
among my papers for six nights a week
for five consecutive weeks on the
stump, as long as l was doing their
work and doing their bid
ding-and here let me say no town
committee ever paid me cent Of mon
ey for carfare or any service I ever
rendered-so, as long as I paid my own
bills and did the work of the party 1
was a flrst-rate good fellow, but when
asked that the draft should be hon
ored that had been drawn and signed
by others, then was N. @. (Applause.)
SLATE HAD BEEN MADE.
The offices, did not know it, but by
the little coterie and ring in this city
had been assigned to others, and 1 as
a countryman, the poor boy from North
Brookfield back in the woods, had no
right which the white man in Worces-
ter was bound to respect. 1 do not
think If you should search the press of
this commonwealth, from one end to
the other, that you could find by the
record any such severe, harsh, unfair
unworthy epithets as were published in
The Worcester Spy against me fro.2
week to week.
/ have said nothing yet about the
Only" I will speak of that later. Per-
haps l may incidentally refer to one
of it's little yarns right now, The Tel
egram was started just about the time
of the beginning of the campaign of
1886. The proprietor-Q aughter) is
well known to all of you. The pro-
prietor had been, as he thought, some
what harshly treated by certain of the
republican leaders. At various times
he and his representatives called on me
and suggested that under certain con-
ditions it might be possible for me to
have the support Of the Telegram in
that campaign. (Applause.)
Now, there were a number of condi-
tons, | do not care to enumerate them
all tonight because may have coca
sion to see you later, but want to
speak of one. Having failed in one an
other was tried, and I will speak Of the
second one first. l was requested If l
would have the support of the Tele-
gram to take the flag, lead the process
sion, go out in front and oppose with
all the vigor I possessed, the reelection
of Gen. Sprague, T. S. Johnson and
Major e. I. Raymond (applause), and
had Y done that l would have had the
support Of the Telegram without fee
or reward. 1 stated to the gentleman
who called on me that there was one
thing I did prize in this world more
than money, and that was the continu-
ed friendship of my friends (applause),
and although I was assured that these
gentlemen had no love for me, and
would never be found advancing my
political interests, I told them that mat
tered not.