Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-23
DOLLlVER ON STUMP
THE SENATOR'S BROTHER VIC
TOR, HAS BEEN LONG
scHooLED IN POLITICS.
Newspaper Correspondent At the Ma
tionaI Capital Tells of Some of the
Experiences 'owan Had When
Speaking in Interests Of Mckinley.

washington. Jan. 2l.-Some good
stories of the stumping abilities of
Victor Dolli.er, brother of the senator,
are told in Washington among the
newspaper men and politicians. AS a
campaigner he is rated by many as
| quite equal to the senator.
| One of the best known newspaper
men here, who in his earlier days had
| much to do with Ohiospolitics. related
| recently the circumstances under which
Victor began campaigning in Ohio.
That was back in the early '90s,
when Mckinley was running for gov
ernor
"one day" said he, when the cam
paign was beginning to warm up was
sitting with Col. Charles Dick, state
chairman, in the state headquarters at
Columbus. While we We're talking a
raw-boned, angular-looking individual
blew in through the door. He wore
| a wide brimnled soft hat of western
vintage and a long Prince Albert. My
names Victor Dolliver,' he announced.
I'm from Fort Dodge, Iowa, and as
I've come down here to do some talk
| ing for you and I'd like to arrange
| some dates Well, he didn't look like
| a prodigy of oratory and his manner
was SO breezy that Col. Dick didn't
exactly take to him. He didn't know
whether he could speak or not. FL
nally, Col. Dick told him there would
be q meeting in Columbus that night,
that number of speakers would adj
dress the crowd from the capitol steps
and II he wanted to he could take
his chances. That's all right said
Dolliver good naturally.
But therell be several speakers
you know, and you'll probably have to
speak last said Colonel Dick, who
half hoped the man would be discour-
aged.
"'Oh, that's all right said Dolliver
who seemed to be satisfied with any
thing.
when it came time for the meet
| ing there were several prominent
speakers and it was nearly 10 o'clock
when the opening came for Dolliver.
Besides. 1t was Saturday night. The
crowd was getting tired and was
who Dolliver was and although there
| had been several thousand at the
| meeting when it opened, not over 500
We're left when he began. He hadn't
talked minute before they began
to wake up. They crowded forward
close to the platform and in less time
than 1t takes to tell. the audience had
| swelled to- thousand people. Inside
! of ten minutes an audience of 1000
had sprung UP from somewhere out Of
the darkness. Dolliver made them a
magnificent speech and held them
spell Midnight came and he
said 1t was Sunday morning, he knew
they were tired and he would stop.
Q, hell. go on yelled an old man in
day. the better the deed All shouted
for him to go on and Dolliver went on.
1t was l o'clock before he closed. The
speech was one of the sensations of
the campaign. The papers next morn
ing featured 1T. Col Dick was amaz-
ed. That mans an orator. he said.
After this, he can speak anywhere
Victor was kept in Ohio the rest Of
the campaign and he did splendid
work.
Il remember one day after he'd been
| speaking in the state for awhile, he
came to headquarters and asked to
| speak with Mckinley. Col. Dick assent
| ed and it was arranged that he should
speak at GAINESVILLE. where Mckinley
was to be in a few days. The meet
ing was to be in the opera house but
1t was expected the crowd would be
| large and SO an overflow gathering
was provided for. Mckinley was to
| speak in the opera house first and
then was to address the overflow
| meeting, while Dolliver addressed the
crowd in the opera house. The crowd
came up to expectations in size and
| the opera house was jammed to its
capacity while Mckinley spoke. No
sooner had he gone than the crowd
followed him to the overflow meeting
to hear him again. Not more than
200 people stayed In the hall. Dolli-
| Yer spoke to them and they enjoved
| his address but those that strayed
away after Mckinley would not come
back. Dolliver told me about it at
forwards and laughed over the exper-
fence. He thought McKinlev was pref
j ty strong competition. I certainly got
caught in the cogs down there at
| ,ZanesYille,' he said.