The 13th District: A Story of a CandidateWhitlock, Brand
General
The 13th District: A Story of a Candidate
Whitlock, Brand
Didactic fiction; Elections -- Fiction; Political campaigns -- Fiction; Political fiction; Social problems -- Fiction
A great volume of "Ayes" rolled from the throats of the Garwood
delegates, while the Sprague delegates began to cry:
"Roll-call! Roll-call! Roll-call!"
Randolph had advanced down the aisle until he was opposite Rankin. His
mane was tossing savagely, his face was aflame and as he shook his fist
at Bailey his lips moved rapidly, though his hot words were lost in
the general din. All the while Bailey calmly looked on, and kept up a
careless tap, tap, tapping with his gavel. The spectators who had hung
in the rear of the court room pressed forward among the delegates.
Randolph approached to the very desk and shook his fist under Bailey's
imperturbable, long nose.
"You promised us a roll-call, and you've got to be fair and give us a
show! If you don't, damn you, I'll----"
Bailey hung far over the desk now and said in his drawl:
"Hal Randolph, you damned--little sucker--you, if you don't go--sit
down--and behave yourself--I'll have--to lam--you one--with this
mallet."
And then he calmly resumed his tapping. After awhile, his persistence
won silence, and he slowly wriggled in his ill-fitting garments as if
they were really as uncomfortable as they looked.
"The convention--again--will be--in order," he said.
Randolph assisted in quieting his band.
"If the convention--will permit--the chair--will explain--the
parliamentary situation--in which--the convention--now finds itself."
He paused and silence hung again upon his words.
"The gentleman--from Polk--presented--a report--from the
committee--on permanent organization--and moved--its adoption. The
gentleman--from--ah--Moultrie--then offered--a resolution. That
resolution--the chair--declared--to be--out of order. Thereupon
the gentleman--from Moultrie--appealed--from the decision--of the
chair. That appeal--the gentleman--from Polk--moved--to lay--upon
the table. The question, therefore, recurs--upon the motion--of the
gentleman--from Polk--to table--the appeal. Upon that question--the
yeas and nays--or, rather, a roll-call--of the delegations--has
been--demanded. Those of you--who favor--the motion--that is, those
of you--who favor--tabling the appeal--and the adoption--of the
report--of the committee on permanent organization--will vote--'Aye,'
and those--opposed--will vote--'No'--upon the polling--of your
respective--delegations, and the secretary--will call--the roll--of the
counties."
The gavel fell, and Randolph turned, smiling complacently as one who
had already won his fight.
"Vote No!" he called to simplify the issue for his men.
And Rankin shouted:
"Vote Aye, boys; vote Aye."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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