WHEN POLITICS WAS POLITICS

When POLITICS WAS POLITICS

Typed as spelled - Lena Stone Criswell

THE DAILY DEMOCRAT

Thirty-First Year - Number 60

Marlin, Texas, Saturday, July 11, 1931

WHEN POLITICS WAS POLITICS

The tragic demise of Robert Lee Henry in Houston Thursday recalls some

political campaigns "when politics was politics," in the congressional

district he represented 20 years in congress, and in which he was the storm

center in more than one acrimonious political scrap.

In his first race for congress he won the nomination over Dick Harrison,

former senator and former assistant attorney general under Hogg. Henry had

resided in the district less than 18 months when he was nominated. It was

said that he "hit the district running"-moved in from Austin, where he served

as assistant attorney general under the knightly Culberson. In 1894 Henry

made an unsuccessful race for attorney general against Martim McNulty Crane,

whose political rapier had clashed with adversaries on many sanguinary

battlegrounds-politically speaking. In that campaign Falls county went for

Crane, who had been chosen at the car-stable convention in 1892 as the

running-mate of James Stephen Hogg.

Henry, on leaving the office of the attorney general in January, 1895,

checked his luggage to Waco. He was the brother-in-law of George W. Tyler of

Belton, who then was a political power in Bell county and leader of the

faction opposed to the Pendelton dynasty in the county of Bell. Tyler had as

an accomplished and versatile aide, young Huling P. Robertson, who recently

passed away in Temple. Frank Andrews, then a resident of Bell, also was a

staunch friend of Henry, and about as smooth a politician as ever manipulated

the wires. With this asset in Bell county, Henry chose Waco as his residence

and began laying plans for his political future which carried him through for

two decades. Although he was but 32 years of age when elected to Congress,

Henry had been mayor of Texarkana, served as assistant attorney general under

Culberson, and had made a creditable showing in a state wide race with a

seasoned political chieftain, years his senior.

In the election of 1894, George C. Pendleton had the race of his life for

re-election to congress over his populist opponent, I. N. Barber of Milam

county. Pendleton had enough, and did not offer for re-election. Others,

too, shied off at the political shadows then hovering as a result of 4-cent

cotton and the panic of '93, all charged up to the Cleveland administration.

So Henry had comparatively an easy race for the nomination, but rather a

strenuous campaign for election against the populist fusion candidate,

Douthitt, of Bell County.

That was in 1896, the year in which Bryan, the "Boy Orator of the Platte,"

had electrified the Chicago convention with his famous "Crown of Thorns and

Cross of Gold" speech, and won the nomination for the presidency at the age

of 36. Bryan's candidacy, though he lost, was the rallying point for the

democratic hosts of the South and West and had the immediate effect of

effacing populism from the picture. Blind Gore, Cyclone Davis, "Stump"

Ashby, and other lesser luminaries in the populist ranks quit that party and

joined the democrats. They said the democrats came over to them through the

Bryan candidacy.

Henry, an aggressive politician, "took" well in congress. He served on the

judiciary committee, and for four years was chairman of the committee on

rules of the house. He was a supporter of Woodrow Wilson during the latter's

first administration, but was in disagreement on some important issues.

Henry, in 1916, made an unsuccessful race for the senate against Culberson

and, therefore, was retired from the congress, being succeeded in the lower

house by Tom Connally of Marlin, who outdistanced Tom McCullough of McLennan

and Judge Robinson of Bell.

THE HENRY-THOMAS CAMPAIGN

R. L. Johnson, who died suddenly last year while a candidate for the state

senate in this district, was the political nemesis of R. L. Henry. They

formerly had been close friends, but had a "falling out." Johnson let loose

some political thunder that gave Henry considerable uneasiness, for a time.

Came then the Waters-Pierce Oil case, in which the law firm of Henry &

Stribling were alleged to have received a fee.

Cullen Thomas, who had served in the Texas legislature and was then county

attorney of McLennan county, shied his political castor in the ring of 1902,

as a candidate against Henry. He was young, aggressive, and fearless. Bob

Henry was the same, and Henry was personally popular. Since he had the

credit of putting the poplists to rout in this district, he was hailed as

"Our Bob" wherever he went throughout the district. He never forgot the name

or face of a constituent. He knew thousands by their first name. In this

respect he had the advantage, possibly, of Thomas, outside of McLennan

county. Thomas challenged Henry for joint debates, and the challenge was

accepted. There was a hot time, not only in the old town, but in the country

all around. The grand-stand certainly got the worth of its money. In fact,

more than was relished. It became too bitter. The history of that

campaign-almost 30 years ago - had been handed down from father to son.

Henry, the idol of his friends, almost was defeated. In those days - it was

before the Terrell election law - each county held its own convention or

primary on the day and date that best suited the committee in charge.

Executive committees were "osme punkins" in those days, and "Mr. Chairman"

was a real factor in the councils of the party.

THOMAS SCORES TWO STRAIGHTS

Bell and Coryell counties were the first to lead off, and they both gave

Thomas heavy majorities as majorities went in those days. Hamilton, a small

county, was next to hold, and it went for Henry. The fight then shifted to

McLennan, the of both the antagonists. It was lurid for several weeks,

but when the votes were all in and counted Henry had won the county by about

1200 majority. However, counting in the Bell and Coryell vote for Thomas

with that of Hamilton and McLennan for Henry, Thomas had a majority, with

Falls yet to vote.

SCENE SHIFTS TO FALLS.

As Falls went so went the district.. Both sides saw that.

And each side-Henry and Thomas-redoubled their efforts. Campaign committees

were organized, composed of one or more members from each voting box with a

"central campaign committee" in Marlin. Offices on the main street were

rented and banners swung out over the street-"Campaign Headquarters for R. L.

Henry," or for "Cullen F. Thomas," as the case might be.

Speaking dates were announced for every school house in the county by

candidates and by their campaign orators-and each one had a long string of

them. In fact, it looked for awhile like all of Waco was coming down to take

a hand in the scrap. Each had his loyal friends-no men ever had friends more

loyal. The Waco bar, the Waco police, and the Waco newspapers and

politicians were divided. Marlin and Falls county soon became the same way.

There was no fence riding in that campaign. The fence was torn down and

political arguments were the order of the day and night. Sometimes these

arguments led to blows-and in one or two instances real tragedies were only

averted by cooler heads.

THE MOOREVILLE INCIDENT.

George Robinson was then the editor of the Waco Times-Herald. He was a

supporter of Cullen Thomas. Robinson followed the campaign into Falls, as

did many other Wacoans, pro and con. They came down to try to help Falls

county decide something that they could not decide themselves. Henry was

speaking at a Mooreville political rally. The farmers for miles around had

taken a day off to settle the political situation. All the towns were well

represented, too. The precinct chairmen and the club presidents were there.

There were acres of mules, horses, wagons, buggies and folks there. No

automobiles then. In the midst of his speech, Henry made use of a statement

that aroused the ire of the Waco editor, who arose in the audience and

applied the "short and ugly word" to Henry. Quick as a flash, Henry seized

the water glass and hurled it straight toward Robinson. The Waco editor

"ducked" and the glass sped by, striking a perfectly loyal Henry man on the

head. Blood squirted from the cut the glass made as it broke into fragments,

but the Henry supporter was still able to shout "Hurrah for Bob" as he was

led away to wash the blood from his face.

At the conclusion of the campaign when the votes were counted it was found

that Henry had a majority in Falls county of about 500, giving him the

nominations in the district by about 250.

****

Henry also had a race later with W.W. Hair of Bell county, but won out after

a spirited campaign. Hair was an able man and very popular in his

county. This race with Hair was really the beginning of the end of Henry's

political career. Some of Henry's former supporters went over to Hair, for

Hair's attitude on a certain issue then pending was more to their liking than

was Henry's.

printing by The Marlin Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Tx.

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