Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-03-21
The Planting
OF q Boss
BY ARTHUR HOOVER.
hDIG JOHN" HEPwoRTH had

ruled the p0LIbcS OF Els AAStiAct
and the state for many years and
at the time Alexander Hannibal
Spike decided TO seek political
preferment. That is to soy Big
john was The controlling per-
sonality Of the machine Whiea Tu4ed
the dominant paIty hewas tie great
est power 10 tie state made and I'M
made governors. senators and CON
gressmen, and Dictated legislation
with ali tht power OF q c%lar-not OPEN
", but from ill., obScIlsity of bis. I'M
~pretentions once. TIE great mass of
the people beard Of him only occasion
ally during bitter political fights when
he was sometimes ~eXccriated by the
press as a boss but those or the in
side of the great political game knew
him well and bowed before his power
whether they loved or hated him.
He had not gained his power and held
it all these years without some ire
mendous struggles. 1t had been a long
series of fierce battles, but he had won
after another, emerging each time
with added prestige. He had finally
ptCODIG - De ItSdIhtd da lhNihtAblC
and was accorded the leadership of the
party without question. Even the "re-
form" and independent" elements had
ceased to attack him because expert
enc had taught them that they always
went down in defeat and they had tired
of it. They now contented them
selves with shaking their heads sol
EMMY and prognosticating sad things
for society in general when it would
tolerate such a man for a political
leader.
All this was before Alexander Hanni-
bal Spike bobbed up. ALEX" as he
was generally called, lived in Brush
ford, which was the home town of
Hepworth. He had grown up a lanky,
peculiar boy with thin light hair, thin
legs, thin chest, thin lips, thin nose,
pale blue eyes and a remarkable head,
long and narrow and covered with
odd looking bumps. Added to all this
he had a voice which may well be de-
scribed as thin-high, shrill and orig
mating, apparently in the top of his
head rather than in his chest. He had
always been regarded somewhat in
the light of a joke, but this
did not squelch his soaring am
billions. The son of a dreaming
shoemaker who has always pre-
ferred to talk impractical philosophy
on the street corner rather than drive
pegs in his shop, Alex early an
nounced that he was going to be a
lawyer and was going to congress
and maybe to the white house.
1t certainly was funny and people
had some excuse for laughing, but the
queer little chap was never daunted.
No, stree. He had mapped put his
course and he hewed to the line. His
father died penniless and Alex had to
carve out his career from an early age.
He did it with his eyes on the shining
stars and his shrill voice ever pro-
claiming that by hook or crook he
would get there" He struggled
through the city schools, worked his
way through college, and starved his
way through the law books. In all
his studies he stood well-but was a
joke.
Then he hung out a shingle and be-
gan to practice. The odds were fear
full, because ridicuie is the worst
handicap any man ever lived down, but
young Spike never paused to get dis
coaraged. He grabbed hold and kept
~everlastingly at it. He was always in
evidence and rushed in "where angels
feared to tread, He was forever up
and doing and to the surprise of those
sensitive souls who sat in their de-
serted offices and pitied him for the ass
he was making of himself, he began to
do a considerable practice business.
And also he was nearly always success
ful-always where t~ireless energy and
~sleepless vigilance could win the day,
his practice increased until he felt Sc
cure in the possession of a very decent
living income,
Then he went after politics. He went
straight to John Hepworth and said:
81 want TO go to the legislature"
Hepworth treated it as a joke. The
slate was made up for years to come.
There is no joke about this, Mr..
Hepworth," remarked Spike. az am
going into politics. I want to go in
regularly with your aid and counsel if
/ can. If I cannot / will have to break
in as I have broken into everything
else against all the opposition of the
established order of things"
"Oh, come now" replied Hepworth,
laughing. Don't get on your high
horse and feel hurt. You're young yet
and there's plenty of time. Better let
us put you on the county committee
and get your hand into the game"
mo, legislature or nothing" replied
Spike shrilly as he awkwardly backed
out.
There was a guffaw from the poll
ticians who had been listeners, but
there was a grave light in the sold
mans" eyes.
st don't like to have that fellow
against us" he remarked ~uneasily.
she is one of those persistent, Eighty