The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-04

had all the Earmarks OF a Iaoas,ss.
was only Question of Majogities. Re ~
the Job nailed down on four Sides s,,a -
clinched underneath. 1t was An o.
cept few faint Cries of Fraud and -
being Sworn In
He was out every Night with a lot Of pa.
Punchers and Mayhem Specialists -
showed him how 10 convert his -
Money into Popularity He was ~,
Slayer, so he had to take Settler n -
Stop. He would come Home all Gu
ated. worse than a Soda Fountain a..
with his Pockets full of pale. dapes,o,-.
looking Cigars that his Wife had 10 rer,,,,..
from his Clothes with Pair OF Tageezers
Sometimes he wondered If the Other ra,-
low would get any Votes at all.
The whole Body of Registered yo,s-.
seemed TO be falling over each other in ths,-
Mad Rush to get into Line for him. Entlr.
Families were Hopping 10 his Support ana
working for him stronger than an OK. So IA
was told. Two Men who sold him Ticks,.
TO the Piano Movers Ball reported TIA,
they had organized Marching Club az ! 80
in the Fourth Ward. Incidentally thew
Pulled his Leg for Bass Drum. The- %
even up so that he would not run with
Flat Wheel. they stretched the other Leg
for Flag TO carry at the Head OF the Line
Every other Ward was organized in The
same Way. The Campaign Committee gave
it to him Raw two or three times Week.
They would get him into Back Room AZ
Headquarters and pull down the Blinds and
plug Cotton in the Key Holes and Talk 10
him in Stage Whisper. What they had 10
say could have been talked through Meg
aphone at the Street Corner without any
Harm being DONE but all this Hush Bust
ness and the Subdued Tones are a part Of
the Game. Besides, ii was better 10 nave
him in the Back Room so they could helm
him to count his Money and work the Short
Change Racket without any Fear OF Police
Interference.
Once or twice ne Bucked a little and said
that inasmuch as 95 per cent of the Voters
had Declared for him, he did not see the
Necessity OF Coughing so frequently They
said it was for more Printing. He never
saw the Printing, but they rubbed his
Shoulders for him and assured him it was
All Right.
What he spent on the Jacks and Biles
and their Accomplices would have got him
the new Surrey and repaintec the House
and put a new IL on the Kitchen for the
Girls Room and paid for all the Works Of
Z. p Roe and T. S. Arthur. which he was
very anxious TO add to his Library.
AS he saw his Balance melt he was
cheered up by the knowledge that he would
get it back several times over in Salary and
Fees, and probably be able TO turn a few
Tricks on the Side.
Just before Election everybody runs
around in a Circle and kicks up so much
Dust that no one but a Clairvoyant can size
up the Situation. Even the Garden Seed
Man. who had kept his Finger on the Pub
lie Pulse, could not accurately estimate his
Majorities, but he had little Table that
he had made with a Fountain Pen and a
Ruler, and il showed that he was merely a
few Votes shy Of the Unanimous. He was
expecting that some one would get up and
Move to make him City Clerk by Acclams-
ton.
The Ballots were counted and the Garden
Seed Man carried one Precinct in the Sec
ond Ward and two in the Seventh. The
Legless Man with the Ringing Show could
have Run almost as well.
At IL o'clock on Election Night he sat at
Headquarters. whence all but him had fed.
and tried to figure out that 1t would require
the Official Count TO decide. They had TO
lead him Home. He did not want TO face
his Wife. The Other Man was 1900 ahead
and still Running.
Instead of taking 1t as a Joke, the same
, as Other People did, he got Sore on HUI
mainly in General and Joined Third
Party, that was Opposed to anything you
could mention.
He never bought the new Surrey or put
the Il" on the Kitchen.
MORAL-Dont Bank on a Certainty until
the Goods are Delivered