The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-05

THE DOMINANT AND A DISCORD.
Nobody back in Illinois heard from
Shacklett for year except Mckee and
Mary Stoddard. He wrote discouragingly
to both, one Of his letters to Mckee being:
Friend Mckee: You might do well here
in mining stocks, but / left them alone
because 1 don't know mining. If I could
find a country where farms were owned by
corporations and the stocks listed / would
take flyers and come out all right. But
here there is little chance for a tender
foot-that is, for all but one out of thou
sand. 1 have had ten cases in court now
and lost six of them, but I have learned
some things out of them. You might do
something here around the Legislature, but
it's not as good a graft as there because
the good people with the schemes never
have any trouble getting them through,
and don't have TO do much fine work.
have not been here long enough yet to tell
how ! am going to come out, but I will
have a little fun soon, as am going to
join the reform element here in the city to
bounce the mayor and some other people
that don't like. You will get some papers
after while roasting me for a reformer.
and if don't write often it will be because
I don't want them to catch on to my for
mer address and get any news from there
about me. You might come out and watch
me a while"
The reform forces won; and. while the
preachers and deacons and elders and other
really good people felt the dissatisfaction
of work well done, the people in the city
hall laid the blame on Shacklett. There
was little noteworthy in the campaign ex-
cept the application of modern and prac-
teal political methods in favor of the side
to which they are generally found in oppo-
stion. and the side which is generally ut
terly ignorant of them.
His work was remembered In the autumn,
and candidate of his party for the Legis-
lature appealed to him for help and got It,
Shacklett had never made a dozen speeches
east of the Mississippi river, but he found
that his direct methods of expression and
perfect frankness won more votes there
among the mountains than the highest ora
tory of the schools, scholastic or political.
In fortnight a candidate in the adjoining
district had him over there helping him,
and in month the chairman of the state
central committee had offered pretty
good thing If Shacklett would go out into
all the close and opposition districts for
rapid campaign tour.
Shacklett went on the tour, but declined
the pretty good thing in a way that made
an impression Of sincere philanthropy that
stunned the chairman. Shacklett said that
he was too new TO the State to expect
much, and that he would return to his law
practice and make money at that as soon
as the campaign was over. In each legisla-
tive district he had short but lucid talk
with the candidate to whose aid he had
come. The lucidity was in the talk and
not in the understanding. however. The
talk eliminated in agreement that the
legislative candidate, if elected, should re-
spond without fail to any one demand that
Shacklett might make upon him In the Leg
islature; and the understanding of the pros
pective legislator was that this demand
would be to help along the bill of some
friends of Shacklett's in the city, which bill
might or might not come up-just providing
for possibility, If the candidate thought
there should be something coming from
him, Shacklett said.
The result of the election was great eclat
to the candidates in the large number of
close districts which went for Shacklett's
party. and special reputation to the several
candidates of his party who were elected
in opposition districts. A few men at state