West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-07-11

| (MA was To speak before the Lmekilr
M Club ON the general situation
= TX brought out q crowd which pack
ed Paradise Hall from corner to roof, ant
lief, 500 would.be listeners on the outside.
The speaker, who is known as the Sive,
Tongued Orator of the Magnolians, provet
To be tall man of severe expression OF
eountenanee, aud he carried in one hand q
yellow bandana aud in the other a small
American flag
In introducing him, Brother Gardne,
stated that he had broken out of iail and
walked 900 miles in order TO join the Pos.
sum party, and that at the conclusion of his
address he would offer for sale three dozen
rabbits feet which he had accumulated en-.
route. Amid cheers for brother Gardner,
rabbits, the speaker aud the yellow ban
danna, the Hon. Comedown advanced to
the edge of the platform, waved his flag in
dignihed manner, and begani
"Mcn of Dis Limckiln Club,-Dar am
liars among yol tCheers for liars Oar
am thieves among yor tCheers for thieves. |
Oar ann rascals an swindlers an scalawags
Surroundin' me on cherry hand and lislenin'
to my voice from ebery co'nah of dis hall !
lWhoops aud yclls.l In speukin thus
frankly to yo, in saYin' dat four.6fths of
dc people yere tonight ought to be doin'
time in state prison, hev no ntenshun Of
hurtin' yo' feelin's. [Cheers tor his CON
sideration.l am simply sayin dat nobody
could expect yo to be other dan what you
am. De fault am wild dc times we lib in an
dc men who surround yo'. DE white man
sots dc pace, an dc black man tags long
behind him. lChcers for white and black.
"ln olden days derc was city called
Sodom an another called Gomorow. Dey
was hustlin, boomin' towns fur bizness.
Ho' could sell a mewl or trade dawg in
one OF dose cities befo' yo' had walked Two
blocks. II yo' went into a sloah to buy
hat, yo' had it on yo'r head an was out on
de sidewalk befo' yo' could count hundred.
Dcy nominated man fur Office one day.
'lected him de next an hung him for thief
on the the third. Laughter Yo' hev
read dat Sodom an Gomorrow was DESTROYED
fur deir wickedness. How much wicked.
ness was to be found2 Yo' kin h'ar mo-
cussn' in Mobile in one day dan yo' could
hev heard in Sodom fur a month Oar am
mo- thieves an gamblers walkn' about
New Orleans dan dc two cities could scrapc
together. Da hain't got town of 5000 in
dis kentry which can't show mo- liars dan
tomorrow an mo- swindlers dan Sodom.
lCheers for American enterprise. Chi
cago has got mo- wckedness on six blocks
dan wus known to de hull world when dose
two cities was destroyed. fCheers for Chi
cago.
"Yes, Sodom an Gomotow was de-
stroyed, an not one single stone left upon
another, bekase dey had a few dozen liars
an raseals an unbelevers within deir walls
see some Of yo' beginnin' to look skairt
and natvous; but kin assure yo' dat dar
am no danger [Sghs of relief Times
hev changed since dat date. If wickedness
was to be wiped out, dc whole world would
have to go, an dats too big a job to be
tackled.
Yes, yo' am liars an thieves an swind.
lers, an theists, an yo ought TO be wiped
off de face oh de airth; but I ain't blamin'
20. Yo's had de example befo' yo', and
yo'ye follered il. De white man has led de
way, an yo's tagged on behind. lCheers
for the white man. DE moral siiuashun of
de world today am jcs go times as bad as
Sodom or tomorrow. If an angel should
come down from heaven TO warn dc people.
she'd be lied about by de newspapers an
hev dc wings stole off her shoulders by
thieves befo' she had ben on airth ~ hours.
lUproarious applause
'Dar am slealin', lyin', cmbezllin. rob.
bin an KILN on ebery hand, an nobody
in society am too good or too high fur de
tongue of scandal to pass by. It's all right,
howebcr. ain't gwinc to preach no ser
mon on morality. Yo' jest 90 right ahead
an keep up de pace, an enjoy yo'seIyes.
Yo' couldn't stand out ag'in de wckedness
If go wanted g., an it's fur better to be in
dc swim wild dc crowd GCheers for wick.
edness.
"Now, let US J ook at dc political si,ua.
shun. Oar amt State widout lis scandal.
Oar amt town or city widout its nng.
Oar ain't a ward widout its boodlers. II
would take so thousand y'ars to find one
single, honest, conscientious politician, an
by de time 20 got him derc would be nuf-
I'm but his boots left Applause and
laughlerl
"Dar's siealin an lyin an chicanery to
beat dc band. Oar am a hundred thousand
men in Office to-day who'd rob the vault at
Mount Vernon an sell de bones Of Wash.
ingion il dcy thought de job could be brunp
off, lCheers for Washington.I
"Ebeybody am scekin' fur Office an
sidyin 10 git rich, an de ledge on dc bench
am bcholdin' 10 dc rascals who put him dar.
I'm tellin you dat child 10 y'ars old has
only 10 read de daily papcrc Of dis Gentry
fur week TO realize dat political corrup-
shun stalks through dc land like dc march
Of a pcsiileucc. An So black folks-yo've
dun gone an got up a pably Of 80
own--de Possum PATTY Yo imagine dat
JOS gwinc to make dc white man open his
fingers an let some crumbs drop fur yo'.
Yo's gwine 70 Try am run dis pabty ON diff.
fcrent lines. You am ialkin' Of de sacred
constilushun, Of patriotism, Washington an
Jefferson. lChecrs for w and J.l
"Yo' pore critier' Yo've got about as
much chance Of bcatn' de white man as
woodchuck would hev Of diggn' down de
Rocky Mountains.
81 Amt yerc 20 discourage yo'. ] say, 90