Dodging several men rolling up their sleeves, slipping past a pallet on the sidewalk, you make it to the alley and to safety. Just as you stop to catch your breath, you hear a shot ring out from the street, and you start running again. You run for perhaps five minutes, losing yourself in a series of sidestreets and back-alleys. When you finally do stop, you look about and notice a large crowd nearby. Your first impression is that you've accidentally run in a circle, back to the mob! A second examination reveals you're in a quieter, more residential part of town, and you calm down. What do you suppose all these people are here for?

 

The crowd has converged on a nearby house. It's a pleasant-looking three-storey affair, fairly nondescript except for the obvious throng of people around it. You turn to an elderly man standing nearby and ask him what all the commotion is about.

"We're here to listen to Senator Harrison speak! Don't you know you're standing outside of his own house?"

"Speak? You mean he's going to give a speech right from his front porch? Does he do that a lot?"

"Oh, yes, fairly regular. He's been giving about one a day ever since he got nominated back in July..." A roar comes up from the crowd as you see the front door open and a stout, white-bearded man come out. You can just hear the codger next to you shout "THERE HE IS!!" as a nearby brass band begins to play "The Battle Cry of Freedom." The crowd is all flailing elbows and waving hats for three minutes as Harrison moves about the front, shaking hands. When the music finally stops, he resumes his place on the porch and the crowd quiets, giving you a chance to examine him more closely.

Hmmm. If anything, you would say he looks like Santa Claus. A slightly more reserved Santa Claus, one who looks a little uptight and ill-at-ease, as if he's not at heart a "people person." Just as you are contemplating this, he begins to speak. It's introduction sort of stuff: he hems and haws for a while about the great state of Indiana, and his loyal supporters (the crowd) who have turned up to give him such excellent support...

Your thoughts begin to stray. Is THIS all the speech is going to be about? When is he going to talk about his party's platform? As you think this, you perk your ears and notice that Senator Harrison has been speaking about the Republican party for a good minute; quickly, you resume your attention.

Listen to the rest of the speech...