The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-02-15
An American in Politics
A RACE FOR NOMINATION
By ERNEST MrGAFFEY.


where | resided was a stormy one.
Every year there was an aldermanic
contest, one of the two aldermen OF
the ward finished his two year term
in the city council, and his colleague
holding over until the year following.
This practice of alternating, together
with a mayoralty election which in
cluded with it a batch of 80 alder
men to be elected in the various
wards, and roster Of city and coun-
ty officials, kept the political pot boil
ing in all the wards, and especially
the doubtful districts, the ''debatable
ground" of both parties.
The Office of alderman was one OF
the most important, If not the very
greatest, in the gift of the people, as
the people themselves saw it; that is.
in many wards. Ii mattered COM
paratively little who was mayor, it
nattered less who was president, but
it made a big lot of difference as to
who was alderman.
Now it so happened in our ward
that the opposition party had pracu-
cally determined on rolling" their
nominee. To roll a candidate means
to shelve him. and put him out of
business" The selected victim in
this instance had served one term as
alderman, but while perfectly honest,
he had not proved acceptable to his
party, so he had been marked for
slaughter. The nomination was as
sured him: also defeat at the polls.
This fact being generally known, ex-
cept to the sacrificial individual him.
self, grand rush was being made on
our side for the aldermanic nomina-
ton; it being considered in the ma
ture of what was commonly known as
"a raw-hide cinch" to beat this NOM
inee, who was, in the language of the
vulgar, merely "a fall guy" put up to
have large and juicy lemon handed
to him.
Certain downtown elements began
to get busy on my behalf about this
time, loudly proclaiming that l was
toe very man for the place. q faci
which / fattered myself was fairly
apparent. But there were elements
in the ward which wanted another
man, and still another faction which
espoused the cause of third man,
and so the race stood, a triangular
fight, with myself and another man
leading, and one "also ran" trailing,
hoping to get some of our delegates
in case of split, and not enough for
either of us to win.
Tell it not in Gath, but you can
not run a political campaign without
money. Money to thoroughly circu-
larize ward with your platform and
promises; money to hire help to adj
dress envelopes and hire boys to dis
tribute hand-bills; money for print
ing; money for halls; money for
bands; money for cab fare to speak
ers; money for the precinct captain
on election day; money for campaign
literature, money for this, that and
everything. And in many instances a
big roll for the saloon keepers in
your ward, if it was saloon ward
My ward was not strictly speaking a
saloon ward, but there were great
many saloons in it. My plan of cam
paign, however, did not include sa-
loon canvass. This, needless to say,
kept to myself, but as l was not a
hanger-on around Bullets" it was
probably surmised what my course of
action would be- / never could see
any logical reason why a sane man
should go into saloon after saloon,
throw down a ten-dollar bill for about
s3.40 worth of liquor, and have the
''bar-keep" sweep the cash into his
till without insulting you with the
return of any beggarly change. 1t
looked quite as reasonable propo-
sition to me that he should go into
all the other legalized places of
business in the ward. after meat, gro
ceries, hardware, furniture, cigars,
drugs, clothing, and follow the same
course, winding up at the undertake
ing establishments, and arranging for
cluster of funerals.
/ was singlIlarly well equipped to
look at this matter in strictly con-
sentative light. / had never been in
toxicated in my life, nor had / ever
taken the pledge. When in the course
of human events it became necessary
for me to take drink, l usually took
one. In the summer time, being a
lover of buttermilk, went into sa-
looms frequently that carried a line
of this cheering beverage, and got it
and paid for it. If happened to want
a glass of beer, or 'schoppen" of
Rhine wine, and settler, l got that.
Or If / desired Is cents worth of
the demon rum took that. / be-
lieve there is considerable intemper-
ance in eating as well as drinking,
and that much human misery may be
laid to over-indulgence in the demon
pie crust"
However that may be. taste this in