The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-06


with the prediction lacks both the
courage of his braggadocio and the
quality of due consideration for the
feelings, not to say opinions of his fell
low man. Two men meet on a race
track or at a ball game and make
bet Their money is placed with a
third party That is the end of the
incident except for the collection of
the stakes. There is none of the UNI
seemly jabbering that distinguishes
political discussions and none of the
growing over correct but unreaSonlng
opinion that parallels the collection of
stakes by the gambler in opinions who
has bored you during the campaign.
In the one case, it is money that talks:
in the other you get a plethora of words
at all stages of the play. No man can
say that it is advisable to bet, but
there has been many a victim of the
wordy wagerer on elections who
would gladly have paid the amount of
a reasonable stake for a measure of
golden silence"
Strangely enough and. 1 believe sig
nifcantly, the great majority of sports
of the sort / have described are this
year vociferous of their belief in the
triumph of the Magisterial Sambo OF
the White House. Parker enthusiasts
and believers have been literally deaf
oneQ Dy the Oh lIlS llOI NC
of political wiSeacres ranging from the
bar clerk out of a job to statesmen
with SagaciouS broWS-the one as lg-
norant of existing conditions as the
other. They pervade the homes OF the
land, they deaIen evening calls and
balls and social functions; they stand
in wait on the street corners and in
the stores: they thicken the atmos-
phere of hotel Hobbies with unsought
condolences that one has heard a hum
dred times from as many lips before,
they interrupt the proceedings of
courts: they render travel on trains or
street cars we'll nigh intolerable. OF
late their number has increased in
direct ratio with the interest in the re-
suit of the great Quadrennial ebulli-
ton until they are inevitable and UNI
avoidable.
American slang which sometimes
seems to be the malformed child of
genius contains. as it generally does,
word to fit the case. 1t is PIN
Head''-and what could be more ex-
pressivei Small to an insignifcance.
yet hard as steel. unconsidered in the
business function of the pin and yet d
necessary quantity. Could anything
more aptly describe the great mass OF
these 'pin head" gentry whom poll
tics pushes into the body of our pain?
l heard three of them on a car the
other night-a grocer. a subordinate
bank clerk and an insurance agent.
Between them. all talking at once
like women at a tea party, they fought
next Tuesdays battle to a finish ana
buried Judge Parker alive under a
heap of ballots.
Parker quoth the groceryman
with the utmost conviction, has
ruined any chance he may have had
in New York by his attack on Cor
telyou (only he pronounced it Ko-
telli-you). He has estranged August
Belmont and all the big fellows. And
that was the only chance he had. 1t
was a great mistake'-and the gro
GERS voice dropped into the deadly
tone of confidence of his breed-"the
mOnied interests will never support
him now.
The bank clerk spoke with the sim
pering certainty of a man long used
to wait for his opinions at the window
of the cashier:
"Mr. Parker quoth this gentle
man "wiIl not carry single state ex-
cept in the South-unless he carries
West Virginia and L don't believe he
can even do that"
The Insurance Agent broke in upon
the satisfied "Hee! Heel" with which
the Bank Clerk concluded with the
brisk up-to-date air of a man who
affects light box overcoats and en-
broidery on his patent feathers.
''They ought never to have let that
bloke Bryan break into the campaign"
said he. HE has thrown a scare into
the business interests and the
agents chest went out-"and Parker
has been fool enough to pander to his
theories. Much as L hate to see it,
Roosevelt is the man. Parker carry
Indiana! Why Tom Taggart don't
know what he's talking about. l tell
you''-and again the old confidential
tone crept into the voice-'We'Ve Just
about given up"
Now all of these men were Demo-
Gratis and after Judge Parllers tele-
gram to the convention they had been
as positive in predictions one way as
they are now the other Neither of
them know more than does the aver
age "pin head" literally or figura-
tivel" speaking. And the beauty of IL
is that they have followed the lead or
a few big campaign bettors in form
ing their opinions. The result is that
the pin head" opinion is strongly IN
clined to Roosevelt ana such pin
head money as is bet is placed that
way. If Roosevelt wins the amount
of money lost will not be comparable
to the sum that would change hands
if Parker We're named. And as the
betting does not affect the vote. as mas
been repeatedly proved, the Guessing
Rule comes on the stage with skirts
unhampered to dance derision at the
Crowd
Therefore, on the one ground-that
Dame Fortune Blind Chance. the
Psychology of the fondness of men to
err. what ever you will. does dearly
love to beat the talent" mark the
tip: cit IS Parker, hands down. =
if Cortelyou hasn't stacked the deck
state Democratic Campaign Speaking.
The following gentlemen will ad-
dress the people at the times and
places given below:
Hon. Charles Il. Aycock. Governor of
North Carolina
Goldsboro. November z. at night.
Hon. II. b. Glenn. Democratic candi-
date for Governor
LeWiSville, November 9TH.
Hon. Francis ID. Winston, Democratic
candidate for observation-disclosures o.
Everetts, Martin County, November
7th
Hon G. G.. Daniels
Nashville, November 9TH.