Douglas Island news., 1917-02-23
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$sSN%%Ne%s%%tsse&Au~~~~~NS To Mcssrs Isaac sowcrby and John
 Beck
 Greeting:
 In being nomiriated as candidates for legislative honors you were placed in line for having thrust upon you Che knowledge that this is a cold and cruel world; also, that David rang the bell when he said in his haste "Au men are liars
 The Stroller remembers an aspir- ant for municipal honors in Dawson some years ago who never realized the truthfulness Of thc above until he had been twice defeated for the city council. That man was Colonel Charles Racheubach. at one time @ member Of the firm of Chublainious. Toccornious & Racheubach, dealers In shoestrings and leadpencils in Jerusalem. On the occasion of his last defeat he confided to the Stroll Ter There are 752 of the
 liars in Dawson that ever lived. as out of 500 who promised Co vote for me. only 4S delivered che goods.
 And SO you will find it in your cases. Men will drink your coca cola. grape juice and Red Raven Splits. smoke your cigars, slap you on your backs and make an kinds of unsolicited promises and then con- ude Co the Dutchmau over on the corner that. had he been nominated. he would have backed you both into thc bay.
 The Stroller has had some eNpcri- euce iu politics. also in defeat and Che latter was brought about in the following uudcrhand manner.
 la municipal elections In the South party lines are not closely drawn for Che reason that iu most towns and cities che colored voters predom- mate and the support Of the colorcd people ls usually necessary Go yic- tory.
 The Stroller was thc nominee on Che Citizens ticket for the office or town clerk and Bn Smith was the nominee on Che Peoples ticket for Che same position. The Stroller thought he was SO far in the lead as Co insure. as he thought, an over wheImug majority, he arranged for 60 big rally the night before election. At a cost oG S25 he secured a colored band for the occasion and before that musical aggregation had played that tune SO dear Co The negro ear and heart. the Essence of Virginia. |" ten minutes. every negro in town was there and cheering for the Stroller. And right there Is where the enemy got iu his work.
 In that town was a saloon that had on hand a barrel of brandy and peaches which had been too rank to sell for ten years. A dnution Of gtrychniue and arsenic was weak .u comparison Co it. And while the Stroller was standing on a storcbox and telling Che "coons' how much he loved them and how their inter ests would be advanced by voting for him. the opposing candidate went Co the saloon in question and pur- chased the entire barrel of brandy and peaches which he rolled out on Che street. opened and had passed around among the Stroller's audi euce. telling the crowd that it was Che Stroller's treat.
 Before that poison had been in circulation fifteen minutes Che band was playing several tunes at one time and ten minutes later the Stroll Ter had been crowded off his box by ten or a dozen Of his sworn friends. an of whom insisted on mak- ing speeches. Free fights became thC order or the meeting, the air was filled with razors and the soil for a block or more was baptized with blood The Stroller was arrested and marched Co the mayors office where he was forced Co give $500 cash bail or SO Co jail He called on a lot of friends who came Co his rescue and he was permitted to go to his home for he night.
 But next morning his boom was the dcadest thing ever seen in that part of the Land Of Flowers. Tho, streets were lined with drunken negroes, brass horns and other mementos Of the previous night. Fully 200 of the Sroller's most ardent supporters were dead Co the world and re- maiued SO until after Che polls closed. while those who did awake were told that Che affair was an attempt on Inc part of the Stroller Co poison an the colored people in town.
 The election resulted in Bin Smith being the unanimous choice for town clerk. and the ministers referred tc the Stroller in their sermons the fol. lowing Sunday as being a menac, Go the well-being Of the community