The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-18
CHAPTER XXX.
IN THE CRATER.

feel comfortable with a lack OF understand
ing Of political situations under his very
nose. He knew he would enjoy spending
two days in the midst Of the whirl there
without having any part or any interest in
it-except a natural curiosity which a pro-
fessional mar always feels in a remarka-
BILE case involving the law of res gestae,
the operation of a~ntitoxins, or the psychol-
ogy of pauperization, depending upon the
profession. There were few of the men
left in the capital with whom he was ac-
quainted in the old days, when he was a
member of the third house, but he could
not see that their successors were any far
Their along in the process of evolution. He
knew all the leaders, who arrived a day or
two before the state convention met, and
he found that he knew many OF the dele
gates as they came into the corridors of
the Leland, after registering at one of the
cheaper hotels. Shacklett himself always
went to the Palace, for old times sake. but
soon found himself made entirely at home
in the rooms of the party managers at the
Leland. He sat almost silent most of the
time, although he listened so well that each
man in the room thought him a specially
fine conversationalist. He seemed TO be
seeing little that was happening, but he
managed to get a better insight into the
situation than did even the trained Chicago
newspaper writer's, with all their familiar
ity with arms and men.
There were three candidates for the NOM
ination for Governor. and the great prob
lem was, which one would the intangible
force put up in the top place on the ticket?
The force OF the organization became al
most fanoihla In tho treunandopc nraQS11ra
there in the hotel, as even oxygen may be
liqueied with sufficient retardation of its
molecules. In this case the delegate mole
cules were so many, and the hotel so in
sufficiently large. that they were COM
pressed until 1T seemed to the newspaper
men who had the best grasp Of things that
the invisible had become visible, and that
the motion produced by the intangible
force could be seen by a discerning eye.
But each paper, when it arrived from
Chicago the next morning, showed that
each staff man in charge of the work had
seen the vaporous drift moving in a differ
ent direction, and each candidate was an
nounced as the choice of the machine-or
of the organization-according to the fealty
of the paper. And this meant that the or
ganization was running its machine so
smoothly that the character of it's output
could not be guessed. Everybody believed
that there would come a time when a
quickly spoken word, passing over the con-
vention like a shadow over a field Of wheat,
would announce the choice of the nomi-
nee, but that might come very late.
Richardson was the best newspaper man
on the ground because of his recognized
ability to see through a grindstone farther
than other people,, and his hard-earned rep
utation for respecting condolences and max
ing the exact distinction between private
talk and an interview. He had come out
of the West to Chicago, and he had known
something of Shacklett when the latter
was senator. When he saw Shacklett at
the Leland Richardson dropped everything
for half an hour to watch the ex-senator
from the far West, who was now an
nounced as out of politics and attending
strictly to his duties as railroad attorney.
After a little while he strolled toward
Shacklett and casually remarked:
Senator, 1 understand now what
thought so wonderful in you out West.
When 1 day-dream / think of what might
have been had I had this training when 1
| was young instead of after I'm forty.
y OAANO AO" thoe yOo NdhCu Qo dP
so thoroughly out there when you brought
the new system of education out to the
mountains, and I can understand pretty
we'll why you like to run over here yet to
watch the wheels go round, even If you are
entirely out of the game. Rather interest
ing, this time, isn't itT"
Yes replied Shacklett; 1T does seem
to be rather complicated, but the only
trouble seems to be that you fellows want
to know now what 1t is not intended that
you should know until tomorrow after
noon I don't know myself what that is,
and I confess that 1 can't make a guess,
which argues that 1 wouldn't make a very
| good staff correspondent, ehT"
"Oh, any Of us can guess" said Richard
| son, but some of the guesses we don't dare
to breathe to our own men, not to speak of
printing them. Now, / have a guess that
I'm sure nobody else has thought of be-
cause the other fellows all came from the
effete East, or else from about as far West
as Schuyler, Neb., while I've the advantage
of being able to call them tenderfeet. But
that guess / shall not hint to a soul, Sem
| ator Shacklett, until there are genuine
signs of its being verified"
Shacklett looked up at Richardson with
an expression of curiosity in his eyes and
kept his look fastened upon the face of the
| correspondent. as he replied in something
of the old drawl, that h. had nearly lost:
81 believe il would pay me to make a
pool on information with you, for you GER
tainly have a deeper insight into things
here than / have. from what you say"
While Richardson was rapidly debating
his stuff in his headquarters that evening
he suddenly changed his monotonous tone
to one of decided animation as he remarked
to an assistant:
81 got on to the best indication of gold
bearing quartz to-day that ever saw any
where in my life, and i worked 1t all by
myself clear out to the very end to find
that it wasn't worth five minutes. 1t
failed, but it's the best thing / ever saw
fail to materialize."
The first half OF the night was spent in
hard work by the managers of each can
didate to get some expression of favoritism
from the men controlling the machine. but
all the %aspirants obtained were very friend
~ and diplomatic expressions of satisfac-
ton that, since all three men were good
ones, the nominee was sure to be the win
ner, in any event. at the election. During
this same time the fellowcraft workmen Of
each candidate were talking to delegates
and getting very few pledges but many
good Wishes; the delegates were also wait
ing TO see in what direction the attraction
of the intangible force was exerted. Shack