Meade County news., 1908-11-26
Judge SuI1ivans Speech.

The following IS the presentation
speech delivered by Judge Sullivan
at the reception given Judge Ran
dolph any wife few evenings ago,
by the court house officials;
MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT wish
ia the beginning to explain, as an apology for
the crudeness of this address, that it was
written on the spur of the moment and from
the impulse of necessity. County Clerk Pres
sley was originally delegated by the honors
to deliver this presentation speech, and he
even went as far as to have Miss Smith write
it for him, but at the last moment, for the
first time in his long and checkered career,
his nerve failed him, and 1 was thereupon
selected as an emergency.
/ was unable to decipher the hieroglyphics
that Miss Smith had SO kindly, and laborious-
ly wrought for Mr.. Pressiy's guidance and
was thus thrown on my own resources. 1
have been accustomed to speaking in public
for many years, and am not usually abshed
or embarrassed; generally speaking 1 am ready
to make speech upon any subject and upon
the lest provocaton; but-conditons and sur
roundings this evening ale different from the
ordinary: l am here surrounded by the chosen
select of Meade County: by those selected for
the different county offices on account of their
known probity, integrity and intelligence.
| see in this audience the faces of several
whom recognize, by superior marks of in
Intelligence, as being, or having been, teach
ers in the public schools: and 1 have always
felt embarrassed when speaking in the pres
ence of teachers, for fear that might make
use of split infinative and thus expose my
self to scorn: l ana plain, blunt man, and de-
liver my speech in monosyllables, which is
repugnrnt to teachers, for they prefer not to
S ;orm the intellect with pebbles because their
t ttanic strength permits them to hurl noun
| Tins. l remember once that had occasion
to observe two little children whose conduct
| was especially sedate, and whose speech was
especially polite: made some remark to the
effect that the said two children had been we'll
| raised, and was crushed to silence by the re
| ply of a school ma am who remarked, eyes
indeed! they exhibit elegant anthropological
| amalgamaton. And SO feel humble and
inconsequential in the presence of these as
sembled, and cannot understand why l was
selected to make these remarks, unless per-
haps it is because the ladies prefer to do their
| talking IN private, and because am a trife
less homely than the other male occupants of
the Court House. On behalf of the Court
House rats, Judge Randolph, present to you
this easy chair: accept it as token of the
esteem and friendship in which you are held
by those who have been associated with you
in Office for the past two years. 1t has been
alleged by some cruel, adamat hearted, mis-
i formed person that after next Tuesday you
will have no chair in the Court House: now
we deny this allegation, and defy the allig :
| tor, but, lest his evil words should be pro-
phetic, we provide you with this, that you
! may not, by any turn of the wheel of fortune,
| be deprived of comfortable seat Take it!
| Should our hopes be fulfilled next Tuesday,
you will retain your pres sent seat and have no
especial need for this, but in that event your
estimable lady can use it, and she will find it
very convenient to occupy while waiting in
the wee, hours of the morning for your return
from lodge, or (sub rosa) elswhere.
And in years to come, Judge, when we
who are together here now are widely sep
arated by distance, or the cares of life, after
| the busy day is done, and you occupy this
chair by your cory fireside. watching the
smoke wreaths curl from your Missouri meer-
schaum, your mind will retrospective grow
and in the cloud of smoky vapor will appear
features OF friends that you have known in
by-sone days: at such time if you recall the
| faces, and think kindly of them who greet
you here tonight to wish for yourself and
Mrs. Randolph all the blessings that fortune
| showers upon her favortes We will be con-
| tent.