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.
Copyright permission
granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing by The Marlin
Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Tx.