The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-08-07

not going to permit you TO come INTO
this town and fool the farmers with
your smoother presentations. am COM
| ing up to that platform and throw
YOU out of the window"
stood stiil watching him thread his
way around the aisle-debating In
my mind whether to, remain and race
the issue or sso4t down tb the doop ther
AS he came charging belllgerently
stsse sehato of a ths
very very prominent in Northern Mime
sofa politics. Bengt, without saying
a word. arose, grasped him oy ms
window, leaned far out, dropped
him on the earth below, and resumed
his seat without uttering a WORD ord s,b-
sided 1 remarked: Now that free
silver has suffered another big drop,
we will proceed with the meeting"
At Parkers Prairie the Saturday
night before election large crowd
was assembled for a meeting at the
Baptist church. The night was ex,
| built in the huge old-fashioned sheet
| iron stove to warm the edifice. 1 had
not proceeded far in my i address a ne5
threw about half pound of red pep
per on the red hot stove. In a few
minutes everybody in the hall was
sneezing like a flock of patients, in
sitting. I called upon my old drum
mer, Captain Hoffman, to lead the
procession; marched the audience out
marching around that church to the
music Of the drum singing "M i:
Through Georgia" Dixie" Yankee
the affair developed into genuine lark.
I do not believe a single person went
home, but the cheering, singing crowd
was constantly augmented by villagers
who had not intended to go to the
meeting.
1t was fully an hour before the
people could re-enter the church but
finally they were packed in, and af-
ter remarking that while had held
some very enthusiastic meetings dur
ing the campaign that this was the
went on and finished my address.
At almost every meeting something
out of the ordinary and unexpected
occurred. Some attempt was made to
gathering and l am of the. opinion
that very many more people turned
out to see what was going to happen
of those attempts redounded to the
advantage of the Republican party.
Verv fortunately for the Republi-
cans the Free Silver forces were
paigl. While in 1894 1 was elected to
Congress out of the district by
plurality of 1872, the Republicans lack
over all so the Free Silver forces ma
turally figured that with a complete
fusion between the Democrats and
Poprlists, aided by the Free Silver
northern part of the state. the Repub-
licans were in hopeless minority
This view was shared by the leading
Republicans of the state; CONSEQUENT
ly they gave the campaign but little
attention regarding the Free Silverite
candidate for Congress as already
tisliy in October, however, the Free
Silver leaders in the state came to
| realization that the early. quiet, unos-
tentatious but exceedingly energetic
| tn. Republicans was having it's effect,
and they were in danger of losing
their pet stronghold. Then there was
a rafting among. the dry bones and
| a. feverish but futile attempt was
made to regain what they had lost.
e. f. Lommen, my opponent, start
day; all their local orators were draft
| ed into action and sent into the coun-
| try school houses. and the big guns
| Of Free Silverdom were hurried into
the district to fire their broadsides.
Bryan was shunted off from his reg
ular itinerary and spent an entire
day in the district, flying through the
country on a special train, and making
/ six speeches to vast concurses or peo-
pie.
| Senator PETER spread his long whis-
| kers to the winds of Minnesota and
his verbose eloquence over Minnesota
audiences.
Machine Gun" Mary Ellen Lease
| turned her rapid fire vocabulary loose
in each of the county seats in this dis
| trict.
| With a man like Elmer Adamas
managing the campaign it is hardly
| necessary to state that the Republic
cans were not caught mapping, and
| that this desperate eleventh hour
word singers was most vigorously re-
pulsed.
Shorthand reports of their addresses
were taken by skilled stenographers
and their statements sharply chal-
llenged in every Republican newspaper
| Senator Nelson followed Bryan in
each place he spoke, dissipating his
Inebulous theories by his convincing,
! common sense arguments.
| Logical c. ]. Gunderson trailed Sen
ator PETER scattering his mental de-
lusions as the Minnesota winds scat
tered his whiskers; while | chased
after Mary Ellen Lease pitting my
Imagination against hers with some
/ effect.
The invasion came too late. The
Republicans had done their work too
thoroughly and laid their foundations
too deeply to be dislodged.
From the first Chairman Adams
acted on the theory that majority of
the voters of the district were natural
Republicans and if the facts could be
placed before them in such way
1 tention and calm consideration, and if
their interest and enthusiasm could be
aroused sufficiently to get them out
to the polls to vote, tie Republicans