The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-17

BOTH SIDES

1t takes a number of streams TO make a
great river. and by the same token it takes
a number of causes to make much of a
result in anything. In politics it takes
many men of many minds. as the school
copy books used to phrase it, to make the
picture painted In the school histories of
the future. While Shacklett and his wife
were talking of the visit of Rev. Mr..
Barnes and General French there was a
consultation going on in Chicago by the
organization. 1t was to select one nan Of
a half dozen as the best minister plenipo-
Tertiary and ambassador extraordinary to
send to the court at Warsaw to induce the
recognized power there to throw its infu-
ence on the side of the machine and quit
the State of political lethargy and factional
enutrality in which it had steadily re-
manned. The intagible force felt the need
of exactly such a man as Shacklett to di-
rect its manifestation when the present
master machinist should die. and it was
reaching out wi the ex-senator one of
it's numerous raoiating lines. McDougal
was finally chosen to carry the ideas of
the organization-that is, of its head-to
Warsaw. and plant them firmly in the mind
of Shacklett, so that they would stay there
and flourish and be properly nourished.
| McDougal was selected because he COM
| bined tact with great directness of express
sion, was capable of making himself per-
| fectly clear without the least Earring of
the, sensibilities, and was the quickest in
| his judgments of men and their moods at
the moment. He was an ordinary enough
looking man, as business men go, with hair
carefully cut in the mode of the time, with
a beard which was most unobtrusive, and.
by hiding the strongest part of his fea-
lures, made him seem a small factor, with
a forehead which was corrugated over
bushy eyebrows. and with eyes that were
the most noticeable part of his face be-
cause so large and bright, and especially
because they were blue, under his black
hair. He was an inducive argument for
the proposition that men with black hair
and blue eyes nave an inexhaustible supply
of courage and fidelity to friends. He GER
tainly was a very successful lawyer, and
| his successes in court over General Counsel
Shacklett, of the railroad, only made the
latter like him the more. Now he was
called to headquarters, told what was to be
accomplished, given his instructions and
authority to speak for the highest powers
in the party. He spent several days in
considering exactly the best manner of
talking to the general counsel of a railroad
to induce him to change his habits in life,
which had become permanent, so far as
could be seen. He finally telegraphed
Shacklett. asking when he could have a
talk with him at home.
When Shacklett received the telegram
from McDougal he thought that attorney
desired to consult with him again about the
bond case in the Federal Court, and at
once replied, asking him to come to the
Heights any day that week. But McDougal
began as soon as he settled into a chair in
the large parlor:
Senator, I'm ambassador extraordinary,
and 1 want to make a treaty with you be-
fore 1 go back. The party needs a certain
kind of man for a certain place. and the
certain kin of man is hard to find. The
Governor talked it over with some of US
last week. and we agreed that the best way
out lies past your door. It's not much to
offer a man like you. / know, but there's
possibilities in it for you in the future
and I'll tell you in the first place that we
thought of all that. and agreed that you
should have all that you could make out
of ii in the way of promotion. We expect
" u CiInD ONCI our DdCkS, DuI VIC Il e
willing to bend the backs to help you UP,
partly because somebody must be placed
in the position, and We expect fairer treat
ment from you than from any one else we
might select.
1.-THE fact is, senator, Black is going to
retire and live the few days remaining of
his life on his history. The Governor, of
course. will succeed him, and somebody
must be put in training to follow in the
footsteps of Governor Ramsey. 1t must be
somebody capable of playing the game,
capable of filling the place, and incapable
Of trying to kick away the ladder by which
he climbed up. 1t must be a man strong
enough to become United States senator,
active enough to get there, and smart
enough to keep In place the stairway lead
ing up to the loft at Washington, which
we nave constructed so carefully and. kept
in such good repair.
I'VE nave decided that you are the man,
and, although 1t involves some apparent
steps backward, we think you know enough
about the means justifying the end to
cause you to waive the more unpleasant
preliminaries."
BY this time Shacklett plainly showed
that he was tired of the preliminary play
ing for position in which McDougal was
INDUCING, and wanted to know what it all
meant. McDougal plunged at once into the
gist of his mission.
Ramsey will head the ticket again, and
we want you to take the nomination for
lieutenant governor with him. Well attend
to sending him to the United States Senate,
and then you'll be acting Governor and in
line for next term. After that you can con-
struct your own fortunes after any plan
that suits you. always able to depend on
the party being at your back. May l tell
them you'll do it?"
| Shacklett smiled to himself as he thought
of how, only a week before, the minister
and the general had spoken, i'm the name
Of the people, ~favoring purity in politics,
when they really represented the outs and
the opposition to the ms, while now Nc
the successful machine. came as the
mouthpiece Of the party. He knew tina
the latter sometimes used 1.-The organiza-
ton as a synonym, but that neither group
liked the word machine. or faction. applied
to itself. He had rallied the others by
speaking Of their machine. but here was a
different kind of thing, and he spoke with
more tact as he said:
"And what kind of pledges does the or
ganization want from me?"