Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-08-18
A TALE OF MIS-
souri, POLITICS.

When in Warrensburg, Missouri, few
years ago attending the wedding of Harry
Hartman to young lady of that town,
& Sheriff Jones met a liverynnan name sRuben
Oglesby. He had been railroad break
man and lost leg while on duty. Several
iuries awarded him damages of $4,000,
but after ten years lawing the United
States Supreme Court decided against him.
Last Spring he announced his candidacy
for Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner,
that pays salary of Sc, 600 per year. His
sweetheart, Miss Elizabeth Houts, who is
school teacher, took charge of his cam
paign. and in the late Democratic Conven.
tion at Jefferson City he was placed on the
ticket headed by Foulk for Governor, with
whoop.
This is how she did the trick -
Missouri contains one hundred and four
teen. counties, and Miss Houts conducted
campaign in all of them.
The greatest single achievement Of this
remarkable young campaigner was in the
case of the delegation from St.SJoseph, the
third largest city of the State. By her own
exertions she induced a number of leading
citizens of Warrensburg and from other
points in the State to go to st. Joseph a
week before the primary election and work
for Oglesby. The result was that she se-
cured the entire delegation.
One clever step adopted by Miss Houts
Mr. Oglesby credits with giving him more
than one close county. In most counties
where primaries were held the name of the
first candidate TO pay his assessment was
placed first on the ticket This position of
priority was much convicted by the candi-
dates for Railroad Commissioner. Miss
Houts discovered way of obtaining it.
Without waiting for the county committee
to name the amount Of the assessment, she
forwarded blank signed check to a trusted
friend in the county, with instructions to
fill it ont and hand it to the county COM
mittee the day the assessment was fixed
This plan worked like charm, and ex-
plains why the name of Miss Houts' friends
so often was first on the county primary
ticket.
One week Miss Houts spent fourteen
hours in the long distance telephone booth.
In one day she sent out several thousand
letters spent an hour OF more telephoning,
dispatched a score or more of kilograms,
made dozen trips to the bank, the photo
grapher's, the printers and the newspaper
offices, and still found time to attend to
her household duties and take her daily
ride
When the State convention met at Jeffer-
son City, Miss. Houts made the ten-strike of
Z her unique and persistent campaign. She
enlisted the aid of fourteen of her most
yinesome girl friends, with three attractive
matrons as chaperous. One of the young
ladies' was the daughter of United States
Senator Cockrell. Mr.. Oglesby secured
headquarters in the Madison Hotel, a fam
GUS old inn that has seen many hard
fought political battle.
The fair young leader and her friends
took possession of room No. 11s. Neither
wine nor any other drink stronger than
ice water was to be found at the Oglesby
headquarters. There were no cigars; but
there were bushels Of carnations the Ogl-
esby flower for the occasion-with many
deft fingers to pin them on the coats Of dele
gates. With these badges were strips of white
ribbon bearing a cut of an animated rooster
and the words, II crow for Oglesby.''
1t was a campaign COMMITTEES such as Mis-
souri, veterans had never before seen. Every
delegate had received one or more letters
from Miss Houts, and nearly all admired
the splendid fight she was making for her
sweetheart. So they fell over themselves in
making a rush for the Oglesby headquarters
and, once there, they capitulated.
After ii was all over, Miss Houts admitt-
ed that, in spite of the hard work involved,
she liked managing a political campaign.
Some people may criticise me, " said
she, but | saw an opportunity to helT
sRube z and made up my mind to do it.
1t has been exciting and have enjoyed il
greatly. went in to win, and l did
4 Since I could do the work, and had taste
for it, do not see any improperly in what
/ have done.
II will be interesting to this locality tc
know that Harry Hartman went out to the
Convention to aid Miss Houts and his old
friend sRubeu Ogelsby.
-e------
Notice.
The milk sold by us in the month of Jul,