212 POLITICAL LIFE-X 



together into the large room adjoining the stage, I keeping 

 close watch over the orator, taking pains to hold him 

 steadily in conversation, introducing as many leading 

 men of the town to him as possible, thus preventing any 

 opportunity to carry out his purpose of taking more 

 strong drink, and to my great satisfaction he had no oppor 

 tunity to do so before we were summoned into the hall. 



Arrived there, I made my speech, and then the orator of 

 the evening arose. But just before he began to speak 

 he filled from a water-pitcher a large glass, and drank 

 it off. My thought at the moment was that this would 

 dilute some of the stronger fluids he had absorbed dur 

 ing the day and cool him down somewhat. He then 

 went on in a perfectly self-possessed way, betrayed not the 

 slightest effect of drinking, and made a most convincing 

 and effective speech, replete with wit and humor ; yet, em 

 bedded in his wit and humor and rollicking fun, were argu 

 ments appealing to the best sentiments of his hearers. The 

 speech was in every way a success ; at its close I congratu 

 lated him upon it, and was about to remind him that he 

 had done very well on his glass of cold water, when he 

 suddenly said to me : &quot;Mr. White, you see that it was just 

 as I told you : if I had n t taken that big glass of gin from 

 the pitcher just before I started, I could not have made 

 any speech. &quot; 



&quot;All s well that ends well,&quot; and, though the laugh was 

 at my expense, the result was not such as to make me es 

 pecially unhappy. 



But this campaign of 1884 ended as I had expected. Mr. 

 Cleveland was elected to the Presidency. 



