As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

It seems appropriate in an election year to post this transcription of a 1915 stump speech by Nate B. Gilliland, who was running for mayor of Portsmouth, Ohio. You'll probably think this speech could have been published in your local paper just yesterday!

By the way, Gilliland -- who decried the process of choosing candidates by caucus rather than by popular vote of the people -- did not win the election. He lost to his bitter rival, Mr. Kaps.

Transcription by Kate Maynard, 2008 

THE PORTSMOUTH DAILY TIMES                TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1915     PAGE NINE

GILLILAND CLOSES CAMPAIGN; 
CLAIMS A PART OF HIS SPEECH 
WAS STOLEN BY HARRY BANNON

    In closing his campaign for nomination for mayor on the Republican ticket, Attorney N.B. Gilliland spoke to a splendid audience at the corner of Twelfth and Rairoad streets Monday night. Shortly after he opened his address a band playing lively airs for the purpose of attracting a crowd to the McCormick meeting a half square west interrupted his address. When several men started to leave Mr. Gilliland shouted: “They’ve got money to hire a band but I haven’t. I am the poor man’s champion. If you want to go with the men who got the money, down there is the place to go.”
    Before the meeting Will Huddleson with megaphone appealed to men going toward the site of the McCormick meeting to “come, hear a Republican address and hear the next mayor of Portsmouth.”
    Conspicuous in the crowd and passing campaign literature was “Happy” [Baisden] who was shouting that “despite previous condition of servitude” he was to be the next justice of the peace on the Democratic ticket.
    In opening his address Mr. Gilliland stated that he was championing the labor cause and that he was a friend of the poor man and the laboring man; that he thought that man was placed on earth for something besides the pursuit of the Almighty dollar and that he was seeking the office of mayor not merely for the office alone but to better the conditions of the poor man and give him a voice in the city government.
    “I am not asking that the silk stocking brigade support me. If I did and was elected they would want to hold me under their thumbs. I am not here tonight to take the ball right off the bat with my bare hands," said Mr. Gilliland.
    Holding in his hands a copy of a political advertisement published in Monday night's issue of the Times Mr. Gilliland stated that he thought it was an outrage for them to rebuke poor little Charlie Hard because he wanted to be a political boss.
    "Kaps is owned and controlled by Hard -- but nobody owns me. I don't know but what the ad is right although I'm not sure who wrote it but I suppose Bannon did. Some people are always deceptive and are always out trying to get votes. I will not deceive in my efforts to get votes," said Mr. Gilliland.

Standing On His
Own Platform
     Mr. Gilliland stated that he was out on a square platform and thought he was responsible to the American people to make his principle clear and in the open. Further continuing his comment on the ad Mr. Gilliland said that it was in some respects a remarkable charge.
    "The advertisement states that Mr. Hard is behind Kaps, but who is behind McCormick? Mr. Bannon is. Mr. Bannon in trying to get the votes poses as a friend of the people but when he gets into court he is in favor of the corporations, especially the railroads," said the speaker.
    Mr. Gilliland stated that he could not say a word against the other candidates as men. 
    "But for political power they are fighting like cats and dogs. Their backers after they get into office will not care what becomes of the laboring man. All they want is power. I will go into office unhampered and untrammeled and will give you good appointments under me." 
    "I understand that there is a man driving a laundry wagon, I will not mention his name, who is out working teeth and toe nail for one of the candidates, who has been promised the position of fire chief. I will go into office with no pre-election promises and will be in position to be a man."
    "On past years the grand old party was torn asunder by the same tactics that the other factions are now using. They call Nate a kicker: that I was once a Democrat. I never voted the Democratic ticket in my life except for a few personal friends. I don't like machine politics. I am doing what I can for humanity. They are trying to make a slave out of the voters at the ballot box."
    Mr. Gilliland then went on to tell how the local republicans scenting a glorious victory in the state election went on to arrange for harmony.

Says He Was
For Harmony
    "They wanted to know if I would get together with them. I said I had never been apart. They asked me if I would go out and make speeches for them. I did, going out all through the country, staying away from home and working as hard for the Republican party as I am tonight. We re-elected the whole Republican ticket. We again placed the old Republican ship into the sea with the rudder patched up. They proposed the same thing this spring. I got my announcement in for mayor early. Soon there were four others in the field. I saw the old Republican bosses out working again, the same ones who had previously trailed the old glory of the party in the dust. Then they didn't want old Nate. They tried to frame it up how they could defeat me. They had four candidates out there trying to beat me. There was Osborn, Gims, Kaps and McCormick, the latter the young man from Kentucky. Bees commenced buzzing around."
     Mr. Gilliland then went on to reiterate what he has said in previous campaign addresses about the get together or harmony meeting held in Charles E. Hard's office. He told of how there were a few representatives of Mr. Osborn there, a couple of McCormick supporters with a balance of the men Kaps men. He told how Will Sellards, Willard Gustin and John Eckhart were a committee of three appointed to select fifty men who were to select a man for the mayoralty nomination.
    "Just think of fifty men selecting for the entire city of Portsmouth a candidate who was to be nominated," he exclaimed. He told how they imposed upon "poor Mark Crawford, Judge Holcomb, Charles McCormick and Willard Gustin" and how they "left the meeting in a huff."
    "Of course Kaps was the man chosen because thirty-five of the fifty men were Kaps men, "added Mr. Gilliland.
    Mr. Gilliland went on to state Mr. Eckhart's political activity. He stated: "Mr. Eckhart started out as a broom maker then, he was a Republican committeeman. He served two terms as infirmary director, one term as deputy sheriff and two terms as sheriff. Not content with that he got Brother Sampson Eckhart a job as county auditor. Does he want the whole Eckhart family in office? Now I understand John has been promised chief of police if Kaps is elected."
    
Claims Bannon
Stole His Speech
    Mr. Gilliland in reverting back to his last fall's campaign told of being out with Bannon, how Mr. Bannon would not let him speak first and when Bannon spoke how he stole part of his speech. Mr. Gilliland continued to emphasize the fact that the present fight was one between Mesers. Hard and Bannon for political supremacy and to settle a personal grudge. He stated that if McCormick gets into office Bannon will have his collar around him while if Kaps gets into office Hard will have a collar around him. He stated that Wells A. Hutchins and Pearl E. Selby would have a collar around Mr. Osborn if he is elected.
    "The time is coming when bosses are to be displaced. They are in the quick sands. They are all wearing long faces."
    In referring to Mr. Gims, Mr. Gilliland said that he had one good thing, referring to the county treasurership, that he was afraid to get up and wrap the gang  and closed with an appeal to the poor man and the laboring man to support him at the polls and overthrow the bosses.
    Grant Metcalf, a well known colored citizen, introduced Mr. Gilliland.

--End--