The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-10-18
Rnt there Ma, a lad change h

and buoyant, but tonlght ene
meeting assembled in a dead
silence. Each member took his
seat in q forlorn and hopeless
manner and hung his head de-
jectedly. Nothing was done IN
til the old time-worn demijohn
was brought from the darkest
closet in the room. A good stout
bracer was just what we needed,
and as had been my custom while
serving the ring I took four. In
a few moments I felt immensely
edited and built up. l had just
commenced a eulogy on u last
representatives. for legalizingdrunk-
enness in the town, thus allowing
us to stagger on the back streets
and give out q little in campaigns,
when in walked Judge Blythe and
Tom Valentine. A SILVER ran
dowr my spine. Gentlemen"
l said, ''these men are not entitled
to a seat among US, and l move
that they be rejected at once.
They r spies from the camps of
our enemies. They have been
known to utter blasphemies
against our beloved family circle.
"They'-Here Judge Pace, our
honored chairman forced me to
my seat, and w. G. Rector, our
representative took the floor.
"Gentlemen," he said, "these
men are not spies as you think,
but men who have shown them
selves worthy to wear the purple
and become members of Jul own
family. The epistle Bro. Blythe
sent cut just before the citizens
mass meeting was the right grade
of stuff. That was the strongest
piece of vituperation ever penned
by a member of our circle. Kick
'em into line is his sentiments, Sc
is it mine, Put them under the
last. They have dared to rebel
against US. They have no right
to think or act for themselves
and if they are not dashed into
supporting us our organization il
doomed forever. You remember
that Mr.. Valentine printed the
call for the citizens mass meeting
as an advertisement and then used
his editorial page to abuse his ad.
vertisers. A man with gal,
enough to do that would do any
thing we might require at hi'
hands. Such men as these are
the kind we need and must have
in this campaign He resumed
his seat amid more or less Ap
plause, but SOC the whole audi
ence became more serious and de
jected than ever.
Each member was now called
upon to give his opinion of tn
condition of affairs and sugges
? any plan he might have for tn
prosecution of the campaign. l
| soon developed that the situation
= was serious indeed if not absolute
D ly hopeless. Each one could tel
l of dozens of republicans VIII,
= were going to vote the citizens
= ticket, while the democrats ,wer
, standing firm almost to a man
D None of them had any particula
I plan, but most of them feare
that to keep up a campaign o
r slang and ridicule would run tn
9 remainder of the republicans int
8 the citizens ranks.
Judge PAGES depression o
spirits was growing extremely pitt
full. At length he staggered t
{ his feet and in q tremulous voic
addressed as as follows:
my faithful L~ieutenants, yo'
grieve my heart beyond expression
t by these sad reports. SomethinI
is certainly wrong. The peopl
l have found out too much abou
the workings of our organization
: It won't do to let them know any
: thing. They are determined t.
know everything about county at
I fairs and have q fair deal, and on