Show THE FAMILY CANVASS OR THE I WAR OF THE ROSES I The political battle now flagrant in Tennessee between the Hon Bob Taylor and hisbrother the Hon Alf Taylor is attracting attention on both sides of the Atlantic Not only do all Americans feel a deep interest in the progress of this unique campaign but Englishmen who are curious in the matter of political novelties nov-elties are discussing the remarkable situation I situ-ation The English newspapers are full p of grotesque misinformation about the J great Taylor family The father of the Taylor brothers is a Methodist Episcopal preacher who went into politics before the war and served in the Thirtythird Congress when Bob was a baby The old gentleman was a j friend of his neighbor Andy Johnson and went to Congress a second time in 180G He is now an ardent Prohibitionist I and that party which is making considerable consid-erable headway in East Tennessee is seriously considering the expediency of running him Governor against his two sons Bob and Alf There are four other brothers and they are said to represent four more sorts of politics None of them agrees with Bob and Alf none of them I agrees with an3 > aof his brothers on the great Questions of the day As for the mother of this astonishing family she is said to be a warm advocate of woman suffrage Alf is the Republican candidate for Governor He is described by those who know him best as a sedate and conservative conserva-tive gentleman who lacks Bobs immense social vivacity People respect Alf but they dont hang around him lovingly and beg him to take down his fiddle and play theni mountain jig between drinks At tho last election of a Governor in Tennessee Ten-nessee the Democratic candidate had a majority of about 7000 Alfreds main chance therefore is in the hope that the old gentleman may run as a Prohibitionist Prohibition-ist and draw away eight or ten thousand votes from Bob The country knows more about Bob t the Democratic candidate for Governor He has run for Congress three times against Pettibone or Greenville and he was elected once The story of Bobs canvass in the mountains is historical He fiddled his way through every township t town-ship making friends and winning votes wherever he went and into Congress by a majority of 738 Thus Bob Taylor became be-came the Hon Robert L Taylor M C Although there is no fiddle in this canvass 1 can-vass the music of Bobs oratory is beginning begin-ning to be heard By an agreement with Alfred undoubtedly approved by tho old gentleman and Mrs Taylor the two brothers are travelling through the State I together and appearing simultaneously upon the same platforms This most interesting in-teresting joint progress and discussion began at Madisonville in the southeastern i southeast-ern corner of Tennessee a month ago i was continued at Athens on the following day and will extend to every part of the State during the campaign The method II is strictly fraternal The two brothers appear together on the platform First Robert introduces Alfred with a few wellchosen words of commendation and I Alfred delivers his speech Before he sits down he introduces Robert with a brief but neatlyturned eulogy and then the Democratic candidate holds forth There is no personal abuse nor bitterness bitter-ness noblackguard language exchanged between the candidates You may be sure that neither orator calls his opponent op-ponent a son of a gun or any other hard name or invades the graves of his ancestors The following is a sample of the Hon Bobs glowing oratory Is there any thing improper indelicate or unbrotherly in our meeting to discuss publicly pub-licly the interests of a great State and a great nation under these two ideas Weave We-ave not met to wrangle or quarrel or scramble scram-ble for the high office for which we have been made candidates The tender bond of brotherhood is neither severed nor abraded by our differences of opinion in politics nor caff the discussion of political questions disturb the delicate relations The red rose and the white rose bloom together and shed their odors upon the same atmosphere and gently struggling for supremacy glorify the twilight hours My brother represents today to-day the red rose and I represent the white Our political histories vary in this that in my budhood I was transplanted by tender and loving hands into the sweet gardens of pure Democracy while he like the last rose of summer was left blooming alone Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear Eull many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air But fellowcitizens when you shall have all taken a smell and then taken your choice of blossoms the red rose will have the happy consolation that he is the brother of the Governor It seems likely that this will be Alfreds sole consolation on the morn of the Wednesday Wed-nesday after the first Monday in November Novem-ber He will be able to boast that he is the brother of a Governor whom he has treated and who has treated him in most fraternal and magnanimous fashion and the old gentleman Taylor Prohibitionist will have reason to be proud of both of his sons |