The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-11-14
Gray Silver Was
Natural Salesman
Continued from Pare /

cOllJItflEh a J d@
stcckyards and instead of going
to the hotel as the other sellers, did
slept up over them that night to
make sure that no one stole any.
Monday morning one of the buyers
going through the yards, saw him
and said, "Son, get your bids, then
come see me-" He waited until
the other buyers had made him of
fcrs for the hogs, then went to
this mans office and announced
th&J he was ready to sell. The man
TUNED to a bookkeeper and said,
ENTER those hogs at such and
such a price" It was higher than
any bid Silver had been offered so
he took the money and started
home. When he turned it over to
Mr.. Wilson, the latter gave him
back S25 dollars. To a boy max
ing $3.50 a week this was the first
step on the road TO fortune. He
did not know until afterward that
h had gotten the top price for
hogs that day.
From then on Silver marketed
the livestock for the members of
the Grange in that community. He
was a natural-b0rn salesman and
knew when he had closed a sale.
To do that he had to know human
nature and be a student in psych-
ology. At the age Of twenty-one
he was a large depositor in the
local bank in connection with his
marketing operations and was
made a director of the institution.
When he was about thirty his
friends wanted to run him for the
West Virginia legislature. He told
them he could not leave his grow
ing business. Then they wanted
to put him up for a judicial office
and again he begged off. But at
that time Hal Wilson told him they
were going to run him for state
senior two years hence and for him
to get ready. When the time came
they announced his candidacy
without his knowing it. He asked
them what they wanted him to do
in the legislature and they said
they wanted a dog law to protect
their sheep. He was elected and at
his first session secured the pas
age of a dog law.
After that Silver had a reputa-
ton as a politician. He served
eight years in the legislature. At
the beginning Of the third session.,
by virtue of seniority, he was pre-
sident pro tcmpore Of the Senate.
That body was equally divided be-
tween the Republicans and the
Democrats. Silver was sick with
pneumonia in the far corner of the
state. His family plead with him
not to go. He was carried to the
train and with his doctor and a
nurse set out on the fve-hundred
mile Journey to the state capitol.
The doctor, realizing the POSSIBLE
tiles of the situation, gave out
health bulletins on the way. The
state was betting on whether Sill
yer would reach Charleston alive.
He was taken in an ambulance TO
his hotel. The next day at noon
he was carried on his bed into the
Senate chamber, and rising up on
his elbow. he raped for order.
Only the fifteen Democrats were
present, not one of the Republicans
The latter shut off the heat. hop
inc to freeze Silver out, but the
Democrats al gas hose up to the
second story window and kept him
warm with stoves. Without a ma
however, they could not
organize and transact business.
sent word to a defeated
Democrat to come to Charleston
to be sworn in, and adjourned the
until the next day. That
DR.. H. ID. Hatfield, a Repub-
lican Senator. came to see him at
the hotel and told him that he was
to pair with him until he got
well. That left the Senate dead
locked, fourteen to fourteen, and
did not have to go again.
In q few days the pneumonia pass
ed the crisis and he was out. Still
the Republicans refused to come
into the senate chamber. SO the
defeated Democrat was sworn in
and tho Gapafa o1,no ,7i1aJ ,,-i+L C;1