The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-05-20

eers---=7 Ne1tleT SG1G o. 9cOTQ.
If he hadn't DeeaIeund guilty-at all, y
said one e.of the young women
Gordon looked at Miss Andrews. She
smiled sadly.
eyes" she replied in answer to his
question, "unless Judge Julius Cham
bers can scotch this viper more seri-
ously than this I anticipate nothing ex-
cept endless delay Of the case in the
court Of appeals. There Is case there
now that was appealed by. Tommy
three years ago. It is case Of laws
delay, and we seem powerless to do
anything
Somehow I have hope in Chambers.
Did you see the account in the Index
this morning? That sounded like hin" J"
'T saw that" Ford spoke up brightly.
'It gave Tommy a great roast, I tell
you
The article referred to in the morning
Index was a conspicuous column ac-
count Of the conviction Of Tommy Ran
dali in public court on a charge sworn
out By the Hope House people 1t was
a scathing article, written by some one
who had dipped his pen in something
more than a hired reporters ink bottle.
There was scorching visor to it that
drove the fact deep home to the reader
that Tommy Randall was numbering
little children in Ward IS by his con-
stuction contrary to law: Of tenements
like the one that made possible the re-
cent tenement house tragedy. The aru-
Gle concluded with these words:
VIII the people endure this sort Of thing
much longer? Tommy Randall ts not an
abstraction. He is 200 pounds Of coarse
flesh and bad blood, which spits on the
law and says to the people, "Iou mind
your own business" For thirty years
Tommy Randall has ruled Waterside dis
trict like a tyrant. He has no Office in
the service Of the people. He works at no
trade. He Is not elected to any position
In the city. Yet he has grown rich from
his blacknail Of saloons, gambling dens,
houses Of vice and business firms IN the
district. His trade IS in flesh and blood
No slave driver ever employed more art
ful means to trap his victims or more
brutality in riveting on their manacles,
and the horror Of the whole affair Is In
tensifed by the fact that this creature
who Is after all the tool Of the machine
that created him has actually persuaded
the miserable wretches who nourish him
that he IS their best friend There viii
be no release from this slavery until the
machine that made Tommy Randall what
he is has been broken IN pieces by the
people so that 1t can neither turn out any
more product like him OF keep IN power
what has already been brought into ex-
istence. We say, Smash the machine.
The people are able to do it. VIII they
do it?
The Review also contained q good
account Of Tommy's case In the police
court and in addition cited in full the
blue print incident and boldly de-
nounced the lawyer and the boss for
attempt at conspiracy to deceive the
court. Three other papers had more or
less extended notice Of the event, and
all Of them We're unfayorable to Tom
my. This was the more significant as
two Of the papers had been for the ad-
ministation.
"There's hope here" Miss Andrews
said that evening as the little settle
ment family was gathered In the faml--
ly library and the accounts In the dill
ferent papers were being reviewed
maybe this is the first murmuring OF
the people. God grant
The bell rang, and visitor was an
nounced.
MI. julius Chambers came in, and
the little company around the table
rose to greet him. The slight pale faced
figure with the gold trimmed specta-
cles was at that moment the most In
teresting personality, next to their own
head, in all the city. "I'Te had in mind
to come here for some ttme," he said
to Miss Andrews when they were all
seated again. 'I want to know you and
your work at first hand. Unless am
mistaken the storm center Of the next
campaign will be somewhere in this
vicinity"
"Will you be anywhere near the CEN
ter Of that center" asked Gordon, lean
ing over and looking at Chambers In
tensely.
"By the grace of God, Mr. Gordon. I
want to be as near the center Of 1t as
can get, and nothing would please me
more than to have your company"
Gordon tingled all over. He arose
and put out his hand The judge took
it Neither said a word, but from that
minute the two men were knit to eacn
other.
They set late that night around the
library table, the most enthusiastic, in
terested and in some ways the most
unsel6sh group Of men and women ID
that city. Gordon and Chambers laid
out plan Of campaign. It included the
use Of every moral and Christian force
In the city. And the message they were
TO bring to the people was the message
Of murdered childhood, the double
decker for a background, the political
boss a necessary result Of politics that
lived on it's spoils and cared no more
for human1ty's loss and ruin than any
machine cares for the dust that Whirls
through its mechanism, to be blown out
over the world or rod under foot to
rise and be swept again into the rush
of the wheels that with metallic heart
lessness grind on, doing the will OF
their maker, but caring for no mans
soul.
1t seemed to them all during the
weeks that followed that the city was
awakening to some stern reality OF its
moral obligations. AS the young judge
had said that night when he appeared
at Hope House, ''Ihe hour Of the peo-
ple is at hand" He himself, sometimes
alone, oftener with Gordon or tal-
,,o,,+b Dirh+ ofter night addressed