12 Conservative
THE CONSERVA-
A MEETING AT ,
T1VE maV b ° tt
trifle tardy in re
porting the proceedings of a political
gathering at Browuvillo in Nemaha
county which stirred up a tremendous
amount of excited oratory. The aud
ience was large , intelligent and combus
tible. It was convoked by the announce
ment that Bird B. Chapman , Allen A.
Bradford , Col. J. L. Sharp , B. P. Rankin -
kin , Napoleon B. Giddings and Gen.
John M. Thayer would address their
fellow-citizens on that evening , in Octo
ber , 1855 , upon the political topics of the
day.
day.The
The auditorium in which all those
pioneer politicians were to spell-bind
the plain people was an unfinished cottonwood -
tonwood school house. It had been
roofed , sided and floored. But it rejoiced
in no windows , no plastered or ceiled
walls and no seats except rough boards
resting upon stumps and blocks of wood.
There were neither oil lamps , gas jets
nor electric bulbs to illuminate that
frontier forum. But into the studding ,
upon which the lath were to bo fastened ,
had been driven nails between which
tallow candles glowered and glimmered
in a weak sort of way , to make light for
the occasion. There was much abuse of
Bird B. Chapman in many of the
speeches. But Col. Joseph L. Sharp
avoided all personalities and waxed elo
quent for an hour or more upon the ac
quisition and annexation of Cuba. His
remarks were replete with valuable and
interesting data as to the agricultural ,
horticultural and commercial possibili
ties of that then most fertile and beautiful
island. It could , the Colonel said , be
bought for thirty millions of dollars ,
and , at the mention of that mighty sum ,
the citizens of the United States then
and there present were aghast with be
wilderment. Col. Sharp , however , ex
plained how easily the United States
could extract those dollars out of the
tobacco and sugar trade of Cuba in a
relatively short time. Then the audience
were witli him and whooped it up for
immediate annexation with great power
and warmth of lungs. The thirty mil
lions of dollars minimized under the
persuasive handling of the artful orator.
Then others spoke , and finally Bird B.
Chapman , who was running for delegate
to Congress , addressed the multitude.
He was a pleasant-voiced man. His
features were regular and refined. His
manner WHS mild and fetching. He had
not been long upon his feet before his
influence upon the men before him
could be seen by all. With agreeable
words and attractive tones ho was win
ning the voters over to support his can
didature. This visible effect aroused the
wrath and malignity of Judge A. A.
Bradford. In those days , in the early
fifties , there were many apostate Mor
mons scattered along the valley of the
Missouri. They were denounced by
their church , hated by their geutile
neighbors and persecuted by nearly
everybody along these borders. So
common had the hatred of these poor
people become in Eastern Nebraska and
Western Iowa and Missouri that no
term of opprobrium was more cutting
or offensive than "Mormon. "
Therefore Judge Bradford , in his
anger , arose and , pointing his pudgy ,
fat finger at Chapman , screamed in a
squeaking voice :
"Bird B. Chapman , be it known unto
you that I , here , in this presence , pro
nounce you a d d renegade Mormon. "
Immediately the tallow dips between
the nails in the studding were extin
guished. Darkness settled down upon a
struggling mass of men who were fight
ing and swearing among flying bricks
which some of those who had been for
tunate enough to gat out of doors were
heaving in through the windows.
THE CONSERVATIVE was timorous , and
only a tenderfoot then of twenty-three
years of age , and discretion directed
him to proceed with celerity to the log
tavern of the Rev. Joel A. Wood and to
ascend' , with all possible alacrity , the
ladder of hickory poles leading up into
the half-story sleeping apartment of that
primitive hotel. No time was lost. The
Wood domicile was reached , the ladder
climbed , the bed found end THE CON
SERVATIVE adjusted under the cover
lids in less time than it takes the pencil
to trace the fact. Self-congratulations
as to an escape from danger and bodily
harm were rioting in the head that had
planned and executed the retreat when
a voice from a bed at the opposite side
of the loft said :
"Pretty warm time down there in the
dark with fists and bricks flying about
promiscuously thought I'd come to
bed. "
It was Colonel Sharp , twice twenty-
three years of age and more ; he had
made better time to safety and bed than
anybody and was as tranquil and con
tented as the lovely skies he had de
scribed in his Cuban speech , forever
hanging over and smiling down upon
that delicious isle.
The first political meeting held at
Brownville in the autumn of 1855 time
unceremoniously adjourned , sine die ;
and the speakers and the audience , with
here and there a stahvart exception ,
years since went out on the long trail
over which trains and troops of men ,
women and little children are always
going and none is ever coming back.
COKEY TO HANNA.
A copy of the following letter was
addressed to Senator Hauua by J. B.
Corey of Mr. Quay's state :
My Dear Sir : The public press credits
you with the great honor of having
prevented that political mountebank in
the executive chair of the Keystone state
from succeeding in setting at defiance
the constitution of our state by perpetra
ting such a travesty on decency as the
appointing of thatpriuce-of-boodler-pot-
house-politicians , M. S. Quay , to a seat
in the United States senate.
If you are entitled to the credit of
having rendered the people of Pennsyl
vania , and of the United States , such a
distinguished service , you certainly are
entitled to our lasting gratitude , and
will receive the thanks of every patriotic
man or woman in the United States for
having prevented the continued degra
dation of this highest branch of the
legislative department of the govern
ment of the American people.
You will also permit me to add , that
in this distinguished act of true patriot
ism , you do in some measure , and to
some degree atone for that greater
travesty upon the American people and
charged to you , that of having fastened
upon the highest office in the gift of the
American people , the presidency of the
United States , that prince of political
demagogues , Wm. McKinley. I am
dear sir , Very truly yours ,
J. B. COREY.
Pittsburg , Pa. , April 25 , 1900.
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