Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-05

would never appear otherwise than in
his shirtsleeves if he had his own way
about it, but there are still countless
ways Of rubbing the doubtful voter the
wrong way and by word or act undoing
in minute the labor of a lifetime, just
as Burchard is said to have done when
he thought he was helping Blaine, or as
a youthful republican candidate in
neighboring state did years ago. when,
exasperated by Interruptions. he eXclaim-
ed: "Oh, that's just like a d. dumb DEM
ocrat.' and lost enough votes to lose
the election.
The skilful campaigner when inter-
rupted will turn the interruption to good
account, and one of the most accom-
plished artists at this is Rourke Cochran
of New York, who is usually to be de-
pended upon to make campaign speeches
just as soon as he finds out what side
he is on. Mr.. Cochran was speaking at
Evansville. Ind, in the first Mckinley
Bryan campaign. when a great turmoil
arose on the outside of the hall among
those who were hostile to the purposes
of the meeting. Noticing a disposition
on the part of persons in his audience to
go out and quell the disturbance, Mr.
Cochran said: do not leave. This noise
this confusion, this disorder is my very
best argument. Behold the Chicago plat
form In action"
Shaw a Skillful Campaigner.
ct in the same campaign. when interrupt
ed by shouts for Bryan, would ask the
shouters to tell him one good thing that
Bryan ever did in his life. He declares
that he found this had a very quieting
effect and that he once received an an
Swer that suited him eXactly-"He broke
up the democratic party" Former Secre-
tary of the Treasury Shaw was speaking
in one campaign while he was Governor
of Iowa and was persistently interrupted.
Pardon, me. governor, began the tire
less inQuisitor one time too often, for
Shaw's reply was, Certainly, I've par
doned many worse fellows than you in
my time. and it would be unjust to draw
the line"
OF course the man who interrupts at a
political meeting is never to be counted
upon as possible convert. and the cam
paigner never makes a mistake in apply
ing the steam-roller process to him. bu,
he must not let the machine run Gmuck
and inf1ict injuries upon innocent by
ISLANDERS.
It is related that Vice President Fair
banks once began a speech in Indianap-
oils by saying, Ladies and gentlemen
In yonder city of the dead, where are laid
the bodies Of so many of the great lead
ers of the republican party" and was
seemly If not altogether inappropriate
laughter. and on not few occasions dur
Ing the first Bryan campaign speakers in
Mr.. Bryan's behalf challenged the au-
dience to proddce gold money and found
that some manufacturers opposed to free
silver had been mean enough to pay off in
gold the day before. Back in the days
when the tariff was a red-hot issue, it
was the fashion of the democrats to dis
play upon the platforms from which they
made speeches an assortment of articles
manufactured in the United States that
were sold cheaper abroad than in this
country.
Turning a Neat Trick.
Gen. Henry Kyd Douglas. gallant Con-
federate officer who served on Stonewall
Jackson's staff was an opponent of the
late Judge Louis E. McComas in a cam
paign for Congress in the sixth Mary
land district. He had among other curios
an American-made coffee pot. purchased
in Mexico, and documentary evidence to
show that the price was much cheaper
there than what was asked in this coun-
try. He made this object lesson the ba-
sis of a very eloquent denunciation of the
iniquities of the tariff. McComas, the
campaigner, was quite a different man