OCR Text |
Show HE WAS THE WHOLE SHOW. (Kansas City Journal.) It is related of a certain candidate for a state office in the last Kansas campaign cam-paign that he billed himself for a speech in a southern Kansas town on a certain October day, and wrote ahead to a number num-ber of friends there to give him "tips." One of them told him to see a certain colored man on his arrival In the town. "If you can get the vote of this negro," wrote the friend, "you can get the vote of the whole negro population in this town. Don't fail to see him and get him to your way of thinking." About the first thing the candidate did after registering at the hotel was to look up this negro. It was only a little while after the introduction that he was calling the negro by his given name, filling l.i.i pockets with cigars, passing him compliments and generally "giving him the taffy." The negro took it all and enjoyed tho occasion immensely. im-mensely. The candidate spent several hours in the negro's company, and after he thought the proper degree of warmth had been obtained, broached .the real object of his friendship: "Say, John, I want the negro vote of this town." "All right," replied John, "I'll vote fo' you, sah. I'll vote for you. I'm fo' you. sah." "That's all right," said the candidate. "That's all right. I'm sure you will. I'm sure you will.. But I want to have the whole negro vote of this town., I want to get it all." "Dafs all right," responded the negro. "I done said I'd vote fo' you. I'm you' friend. I'll suttingly cast my vote fo' you." "But, say. John, I know that," said the candidate. "See here, I'll be frank. The fellows told me that you are a big man among the colored folks down here and that if I coud get your vote I'll pet the whole negro vote in this place. Do you catch on?" "Sho'," replied John. "Sho' I c!o. You'll git de whole niggah vote all right. Dey won't be no trouble 'bout dat, s:ih. Yo' see. I'm de only niggah in dis here whole town." |