The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-09
Talk About Campaign Orators

chair. This aroused the curiosity OF
the crowd and it became quiet at once.
Then / drew a big forty-four-c aliber
revolver from each OF hip pockets, laid
one on the table before me and held
the other in ny.right hand.
" Fellow citizens 1 said. Permit me
TO call your attention for a moment to
the clock on the wall at the rear of the
hall
Everybody turned to look at the
clock, and as they did so fired. hitting
the ,timepiece In the center OF its face
and knocking off both hands. / was a
crack shot In those days.
Now, my fellow citizens. I said, as
they turned to face me. every mouth
open in wonder. Now, fellow citizens,
1 came here to make a speech. This is
free country and I propose to do
what ] came for. / have been informed
that an effort would be made to pre-
vent me from speaking. 1 give fair
warming J. said, that If any man in
terrupts me or attempts to make an
unfriendly demonstration i will shoot,
and you have seen that 1 can shoot
straight
Gentlemen, IL was a cold bluff, but
il worked. / never had a more atten-
tive audience IN my life, and when I
finished they gave me a cheer that j
felt sure was genuine. The leader OF
the opposition came up and shook
hands with me, my committee gener-
ously agreed to pay for the clock, and
the whole town accompanied me to the
train: but it was an experience
wouldn't care to repeat, and it is only
one of many disagreeable experiences
that caused me to get off the stump as
soon as a decently could. ! work for
my party as hard, but ( stick to my
own county"
81 never made speech but once in
my life" put in a commercial traveller
from Chicago, but 1 got some OF the
campaign orators strawberries and
cream that day. and 1 rather enjoyed
the experience. II was during the
! ber everything was red-hot and poll
tics was the main business of three
fourths of the inhabitants. l was
working a new territory and got off
the train one day at town in Indiana
to find myself In the midst Of a great
crowd Of excited people. They were
cheering and hurrahing to beat the
band: they really did beat the band,
! for it was there and valiantly strug-
Cling to make itself heard. I was
! looking around for an exit when a
number of silk-hatted fellows stepped
up to me and one asked if 1 was the
| Hon William HerimetO Watkins.
admitted that was my name, though /
| privately had some doubt about the
handle they gave IL. The spokesman
| introduced himself. and then intro
| duced the other silk hats, and then
everybody hollorrred 'Hurrah FOR Bill
! Watkinsl' 7 was not accustomed to
receptions of that sort, and you can
| imagine that I was a little embar-
raised. But ] says to myself that I'd
see what il was all about anyhow and
/ if there was any explainin' to do the
silk hats could do It. So. while the
! band played Hot Time in the Old
/ Town the silk hats trotted me out 70
a carriage. and away we sailed up the
main street, which was all decorated
with flags and bunting. On the way ]
saw some big posters, and on 'em was
my name in letters long as my arm,
but / couldn't read the rest of 1t, we
were moving so fast, They stopped
at hotel and took me UP to the best
| room in the house, and then / conclud-
ed il wasn't no joke, and I'd better find