The head and front (and backbone, too) of the opposition to Beasley was
a close-fisted, hard-knuckled, risen-from-the-soil sort of man, one
named Simeon Peck. He possessed no inconsiderable influence, I heard;
was a hard worker, and vigorously seconded by an energetic lieutenant, a
young man named Grist. These, and others they had been able to draw to
their faction, were bitterly and eagerly opposed to Beasley's
nomination, and worked without ceasing to prevent it.

I quote the invaluable Mr. Dowden again: "Grist's against us because he
had a quarrel with a clerk in Beasley's office, and wanted Beasley to
discharge him, and Beasley wouldn't; Sim Peck's against us out of just
plain wrong-headedness, and because he never was for ANYTHING nor FER
anybody in his life. I had a talk with the old mutton-head the other
day; he said our candidate ought to be a farmer, a 'man of the common
people,' and when I asked him where he'd find anybody more a 'man of the
common people' than Beasley, he said Beasley was 'too much of a society
man' to suit him! The idea of Dave as a 'society man' was too much for
me, and I laughed in Sim Peck's face, but that didn't stop Sim Peck!
'Jest look at the style he lives in,' he yelped. 'Ain't he fairly LAPPED
in luxury? Look at that big house he lives in! Look at the way he goes
around in that phaeton of his--and a nigger to drive him half the time!'
I had to holler again, and, of course, that made Sim twice as mad as he
started out to be; and he went off swearing he'd show ME, before the
campaign was over. The only trouble he and Grist and that crowd could
give us would be by finding out something against Dave, and they can't
do that because there isn't anything to find out."

I shared his confidence on this latter score, but was somewhat less
sanguine on some others. There were only two newspapers of any political