The intimate papers of Colonel House arranged as a narrative by Charles Seymour.

THE SAYERS CAMPAIGN

33

and we had practically reached the end of our strength,
Crane in a fit of depression withdrew from the race.
'The Dallas News called me over the telephone at twelve
o'clock at night and said that Crane had sent in his written
withdrawal. They asked me if I had any statement to make.
I replied I would make one in the morning. I lay awake for
nearly an hour, enjoying the victory, and then went back to
sleep. In the morning before I arose I reached for one of my
pockets, secured an old envelope, and wrote in pencil our
opinion of Crane's withdrawal. I took occasion to compliment Crane upon his great patriotism in bowing to the will
of the people, and I declared that it was certain that Mr.
Jester and Colonel Wynne would not be lacking in as high
patriotic motives and that the electorate of Texas could look
forward with certainty to their early withdrawal. The result
was that both Jester and Wynne began to deny they had any
intention of withdrawing. But the deed was done, and Jester
actually withdrew within a few weeks and Wynne did not
stand the pressure much longer.'
Major Sayers displayed at the moment a gratitude and
modesty which the elect of the people are not always prone
to manifest.
'Your success in the management of my canvass [he wrote
House, May 17, 1898] has been unprecedented in the history
of political campaigns. You have taken a disorganized and
probably a minority force at the outset and driven from the
field the candidate of an organized majority. You have not
only done this, but you have also held in line the lukewarm
and trivial of our own party and have made them brave,
vigorous, confident, and aggressive. Your generalship has
indeed been superb, and considering that your own candidate
was absent from the State and has not made a political speech
outside of his own district in more than twenty years...