The Coolidge examiner., 1938-08-11
A r | Z 0 N A
A * Tex
ecc@~ Hancock
MUSTANG POLITICS

When | was a kid | bought a
Mustang" pony. If you ever had
one l do not need to tell you any
more. The critter had a way of
doing the most unexpected thing at
the most unexpected moment
Whether you liked what it did you
at least were always anticipating
something the Lord, if he
did. knew what it would be.
Politically speaking, it seems that
Texas has a lot of that mustang
blood in it's veins. Tre dangedest
things happen down there. The
first jolt, or squirt, was the cleo
ton of MA" Ferguson. The next
when they elected her again. Then
things settled down to seeming
normal. But that seeming normal
is the mustang. Just when you
think your critter is over the spell
and you can losen your reins a biz
he will give sudden jump and if
vou can grab something before you
go out the cart backward you are
lucky.
Fortnight ago Texas went to the
polls to elect a Governor. 1t was
the Democratic primary but that
means election in the Lone Star
State. Final election is simply
formality. They hold it to make it
legal and the Republicans ran
man to uphold the ticket.
About seven weeks before the
primary man who never expect
cd TO be Governor" announced that
he would enter the campaign at
the urgent request of several thous-
and folk who had listened. to his
radio broadcasts in which he ad-
verified his flour. 1t was a case OF
..Thev laughted at me when | walk
ed up to the piano Five other
candidates. big guys, laughed at
Lee O'Daniel He was not poll
tician. had never held an offlce'
and was known as a Hillbilly sing
or and orchestra leader who sold
his flour thru his jazz broadcasts.
But the laughs didn't last long.
1t seems that the Texas folk all of
a sudden decided that Il like noun
tain music. good old mountain
music. ta-ta-ta-ta-t -ta-da-ta
THEY flocked to O'Daniels raj
lies like flies after molasses. And
when the votes were cast they vot-
ed for O'Daniel the same way.
A SONG FOR A PROMISE
O'DanieI sang instead of making
promises. He had not paid his poll
tax. He said politics was too rotten.
He didn't feel that a professional
political candidate was worth pay
ing $1.75 to vote for.
He didn't have a platform.-that
is. no politician platform He did
say that his platform was the Ten
Commandments and the Golden
Rule but no one took him seriously
in that. The Texas people had seen
and heard enough of platforms
to know the Ten Commandments
were as much apt to be fulfilled
as political platform.
ODaniel did say that if he was
elected he would pay pensions to
those over 65 years old and would
try to give a business administra-
ton. That was all.
MORE JAZZ
Tomorrow, up in Kentucky, an
other primary will be held. Hap
nv" Chandler. Governor of Kentuc-
XIV. is seeking the senate nomina-
ton against Roosevelt's my friend
Barkley". Happy Chandler is sing
ing and shaking his way thru the
state of Kentuck something like
O'Daniel did in Texas. Some OF
the Old Timers have sorter sn1ck-
cred at his singing but lately they
a remore worried than amused. TO
morrow the votes will be cast. Ii
is predicted that it will be close
race. Happy" Chandler is having
to run against the whole Roosevelt
WPA. PWA. XYZ machine. He may
not win but he is giving the New
Deal gang the biggest headache
of the summer.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES