The life of John Worth KernBowers, Claude G. (Claude Gernade)
History
The life of John Worth Kern
Bowers, Claude G. (Claude Gernade)
Kern, John Worth, 1849-1917; Politicians -- United States -- Biography
From Chicago Mr. Kern plunged into the south, making his first speeches
in Alabama. All the Kern meetings in the south were remarkable
demonstrations. His meeting at Birmingham was a huge success. On his way
from this industrial capital of Alabama to Atlanta he spoke for ten
minutes to the mill hands at Anniston. These were the men to whom he
made a strong appeal.
At Macon, Ga., when his train drew into the station he found a cheering
crowd to greet him and the meeting in the evening was one of the most
rousing he addressed during the campaign. Here he took occasion to reply
vigorously to the attacks of Mr. Bryan’s enemies on the ground that he
was “unsafe.”
His meeting at Asheville, N. C., in early October, was one of the
stirring old-fashioned sort, the greatest political meeting that had
been held there since 1896. A picturesque touch was given to this
demonstration by several hundred mountaineers riding into town from
miles around on mules. Here he was introduced by former Governor Glenn
and followed by the brilliant James Hamilton Lewis.
Having in two weeks spoken in Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina
and South Carolina, he closed this part of his canvass, hoarse from a
cold and from over-use of the voice at a great meeting at Huntington, W.
Va., on October 10, and on the following day he reached his home in
Indianapolis.
Here a great trouble awaited him. John Kern, Jr., had been stricken with
that most distressing of maladies, infantile paralysis. During the next
three days the candidate spent every moment possible at the bedside of
his stricken boy, but the 14th of October found him engaged in strenuous
campaigning in New Jersey. In the afternoon he spoke to the business
men in Elizabeth, and at night to two remarkable meetings at Newark and
Jersey City. At the former meeting the meeting was preceded by an
old-fashioned parade with marching clubs, and the faithful in
automobiles, the streets aglare from the red lights carried by the
marchers, and by occasional bonfires along the streets. From Newark he
was hurried to Jersey City, where he was greeted with a great crowd at
Phœnix hall. It was at this latter meeting that he attacked the source
of some great fortunes. Referring to the comment of Judge Taft that one
way to reduce swollen fortunes would be for the possessors to give
generously, Kern said that “Judge Taft advocates the pillaging of the
people and trusting to the generosity of the pillager to pay back some
of the ill-gotten riches.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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