National Affairs: Outraged Public

Some months ago Governess Miriam A. (“Ma”) Ferguson of Texas made a promise—that she would resign her executive position if she failed to beat young redpolled Attorney General Dan Moody in the gubernatorial primary. She was beaten by apparently an absolute majority, announced that she would call a special session of the Legislature on Sept. 13, after which she would resign. Texans keep their word, play square.

Then the news was spread that Dan Moody had failed to attain an absolute majority,* hence Mrs. Ferguson was not eliminated unless she desired to keep her prom ise. She decided not to do so, saying ambiguously “a challenge issued by Jim is not the acceptance of a challenge by Miriam.” True, able politicians like onetime Senator Joseph Weldon Bailey considered the campaign closed, refused to have anything more to do with the Fergusons, and Texans generally were sated with Ku Klux Klan claptrap. What difference? Jim made a speech:

“. . . Then the youthful Firpo charged the champion Dempsey and knocked him down and over the ropes and out of the ring, and for a short time it looked as if the younger man had won the fight. But Dempsey, pausing for an instant only, rushed back into the ring, waded into his youthful antagonist and beat him to a standstill, a triumph of brain and courage over youth and ignorance.

“So in this contest in Texas youthful Dan Moody, strong in the back and weak in the head, has charged the people’s champion, your Governor, and for a moment has appeared victorious. But the champion has only paused to catch her breath and she is back in the ring giving battle, and with the rising tide of outraged public opinion is winning a contest which will typify once more the triumph of brains and courage over youth and ignorance.”

The “outraged” public voted apathetically, again defeated “Ma” and Jim Ferguson, this time by a majority of over 220,000 votes.

* In Texas, if one candidate obtains an absolute majority over all other contestants, he is awarded his party nomination, such nomination in the Democratic party being equivalent to election; otherwise there is held a “runoff” primary between the two candidates obtaining the most votes.