Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-13
! DELEGATES STORY
EXPERIENCE IN RUNNING .
COUNTRY PAPER.
It Was In Tom Watson's Interest In
Georgia and His Career Was
Full Of Incident.


A great many Of the delegates to the
International TypographeIs' convention
have seen service on the editorial side of
a newspaper as well as the typesetfing
side. Several of them are connected with
labor publications in this capacity, and
others can tell interesting stories about
their editorial experiences on country
newspapers. A delegate from Georgia was
entertaining little knot of friends yes
terday evening at his hotel with stories
Of the strenuous campaign Of Tom Wat
son for United States representative In his
state about eight years ago and particu-
larly of the part he himself played in 1t
as the editor, reporter. typesetter, press
feeder and general defender OF a county
semi weekly there. After relating won
drous tale concerning a method Of blowing
field and cutting the corn by means OF
razor-back hogs. he launched into the fol-
lowing account of his own actual expert
epce:
MY home was originally In Minnesota,
but was sent down In Georgia to start
Up populist newspaper, to roast a paper
that was already running there and that
was supporting with great effect the mi
nority Of democrats In the county. I felt
sure that there were enough men Of my
party in the county: to carry their ticket
easily anu 81 L StS hOOul eHCOuIdBtH8
them in the way the opposition editor en-
eouraged his following. and incidentally
giving It to him pretty lively after the
manner Of country editors. OF course he
got back at me just as hard or nearly so.
well. that democratic editor used to
make fun in his paper Of my party right
along. because as he said, the men carried
pistols and things like that around with
them all the time, and he used to hint
pretty broadly every now and then that
myself was in the habit Of going about
ready at a moments notice to shoot any
body that looked like he was on the other
side OF course. that wasn't true about
me. and I don't think 1t was true about
my friends, either; at least not true enough
to make all his fuss about disturbing the
peace justiflable.
"Once or twice wrote a column or so
in answer to his humorous remarks but
the principal thing J. did was to lay low
and wait for my chance.
After while 1t came. 1t happened that
they had quiet little Sunday school fes-
tival or something like that at the hall
in the town where we were located. and
was there just looking on and enjoying
myself watching the children. without
once thinking of my, paper. My friend on
the other side was a young fellow, only
twenty-one years OF age. but he was near
ly twenty-one feet high. too. Still al
though he was the tallest mani ever
knew, I wasn't a bit afraid of him. Sbe-
cause was SO strong in the arms and
chap got out on the floor pretty soon and
began to dance around with some of the
pretty girls. I was looking at him right
closely to see whether he could dance any
when. all Of sudden. thought I noticed
peculiar-looking bullying of his coat
tails just where his hip pocket ought to
be- l was going to keep perfectly quiet
and never mention a little thing that I
hadn't any more proof than that for
when. what do you think happened? The
beautiful dancer gave a little twist-and
| 1t was a little harder than 1t ought to
have been-and out in the middle of the
floor dropped a great big horse pistol or
course. everybody saw 1t; and II went
home Immediately and wrote a couple of
columns OF the most humorous stun ever
wrote In all my life, before or since.
THAT number Of our paper was a beauty
thought L mad him sure. The next morn
| Ing after 1t came out I was going to the
| post office, which was only half block
from my office. when 1 noticed several
men, with clubs and shotguns standing
around the platform. in front of the office
| But that didn't bother me in the least.
was going to the post office to get my mall
and went-but 1 didn't get my mail as
| soon as 1 expected. Just as I walked be-
| tween the men with the guns and clubs
and started to step up on the platform
which was about a foot high. my big ed
| itorial friend stepped forward and knocked
me over into hole of yellow mud that
was In the road. OF course jumped up
as soon as 1 could, and started on into the
ONCE. but suddenly I found myself fiat in
the mud again. This went on for some
| time. me wallowing III the mire and scram-
bling to regain my unsteady feet again and
again. all In vain After fifteen or twenty
minutes. one Of the audience of shotguns
| said In surly tone:
:. Amt you got enough?
Wen. l don't know but I have said
| as good naturedly as I could under the
circumstances.
t'Then thew lo,~ho5 ooA
ieI me get up. I walked into the post
once Immediately, just as was, all COW
ered with yellow mud from head to foot
Ge.ung my letters as If nothing had hap
pened. l came out without the least con-
Germ. ana stood On the step a while before
| ! started up the street for my Office I
iVed In the same building. and when my
wlie saw me she wanted to know what I
Had fight said.
| w men told her more about 1t. she
wanted to start out and shoot the whole
! you. l felt mighty glad that she hadn't
happened along with it during the fray
| a Fray.
We'll. about three days after that 7
Degan to get mad from thinking Of 1t, and
by the fifth day I was mad that sat
down and wrote regulation tear-up ar
vindictive-but not a word that wasn't
true IN the light Of what had happened
Carrying pistols wasn't in It, beside what
| said about him, after the way his crowd
Of DULLES had watched him beat me in
front of that post office
After the fellow had read what wrote
ana realized that 3 Gwas In 1t for all 1
could get. he never Peeped again. He didn't
speak to me, and he refrained even from
saying anything against me that didn't
have some slight foundation, which was a
great sacrifice on his part. assure you"
ana did you carry the county for the
popunsts! one Of the isteners asked.
"Of course We did-but their pesky cleo
tion BOARD counted, the votes. so that we
couldn't be seen at 'alI.and by the way,
Tom Watson was defeated by the vote of
savannah which cast some 10000 for the
other man. out Of possible 10000.
But. I tell you, we don't have those
good oid times any more now. The print
ing business, even down there. is pretty
peaceful and uninteresting, compared with
what 1t was in those times"
|!
London Brokers Fail.
LONDON, August 13.-F. w. Remnant