The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1900-11-15

Chicago member and the most fashion
ably dressed man in the House-h
wore different suit of clothes ever,
day. He was lawyer and his nam
was Brons on Meredith. jamie love
him the first time he ever saw him
and whenever Mr.. Meredith clappe'
his hands Jamie would spring to hi
side before any other page had started
and if by chance Mr.. Meredith eve
gave resolution or bill to any of th
other boys Jamie felt twlnge OF jeal
ousy at his heart.
! Sometimes he would loiter an in
slant beside Mr.. Neredith's desk, and
smile from him made Jamie happ,
all that day. Jamie longed to toucl
him with his hand but dared not. The
only thing he could do was to pat Mr.
| Meredith's overcoat, with its soft, silk
en- lining, as it hung on his hook IL
the cloakroom. At night, lying in hls
bed, Jamie would close his eyes and
see Mr.. Meredith standing beside his
desk, his lips slightly parted in a smile
showing his white teeth and replyin5
so sharply to members who interrupted
him that they would shoot down into
| their seats with red faces and all the
other members would laugh, while Mr.
Meredith, raising his hand, would &c
on with his speech, saying:
"Now, Mr.. Speaker, as I was about
to remark when l yielded to the per.
picking question of the distinguished
gentleman from Pike"
Mr.. Meredith was not often on his
feet, as they say in legislative bodies
but when he took part in a debate all
the other members kept still and
listened with their hands behind their
ears, which they didn's do when eny
one else spoke. Mr.. Meredith Was a
leader-many called nim a reformer.
jamie decided that when he grew up
he would be 81 lawyer, leader and a
reformer.
Now, when the session was about
over there was a bill in the House
which almost all the Chicago mem bers
hoped to see made into IL law; but Mr..
Meredith was against it. The country
members, too, for the most part were
against the bill, and Jamie noticed
that wnen 1t first came over from the
Senate there was a stir in the House,
and that every time it came up, after
that, all the members would rush in
from the cloak-rooms, or the lobbles,
or the Supreme Court Library, or the
rotGnda of the State House, to speak
about it and to vote on it.
jamie did not understand the bill, or
know what it was for; he only knew
that it was something about fran
chise in Chicago, and that every week
a party of rich-looking gentlemen
would come down to Springfield and
stand about in the House, or sit on the
big red lounge behind the Speakers
chair, and whisper and try to get mon
to vote for it.
And Jamie knew, too, that it was
called Senate Bill No. 578; he Impress
ed that number firmly on his mind and
could never forget it. He soon OBJ
served that on any day when he saw S.
B. 578 on the calendar-which is
kind of program printed every morn
ing to tell what bills are coming up
Mr.. Meredith would be on his feet and
make motions and speeches, and that
the gentlemen on the Speakers red
lounge would scowl at him and the
other CITY members try to answer him.
And Jamie noticed that Mr.. Meredith
always succeeded in having the bill re-
ferred back to some committee, or did
to prevent it from becom-
ing law.
jamie read the newspapers now and
then. He always turned first to the
base ball news-the season was just
then to the legislative
news, although he never read that as
carefully aa he did base ball news.
OHon ho saw Mr. Morodith,s nana in
papers said he was making
q gallant fight against the franchise
grab. Jamie hoped with all his soul
that Mr.. Meredith would win in that
fight; not, of course, that he cared
about the franchise grab-he had, like
many older persons, very hazy ideas
about that-but he always wished to
see Mr.. Meredith win.
The spring had come, and as the
usually ends early in June,
and the work was piling up, the House
was meeting at nine o'clock in the
The House adjourned every
Friday at noon, in order that the mem
oers might go home over Sunday, and
It didn't meet again until Monday al
ternoon at five o'clock, and then only
for few minutes. The members who
had gone did not get back until Tues
day morning, and there were never
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