The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-04-16
The Planting
Of q Boss
BY ARTHUR HOOVER.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


&c HVTt Eht lHJ, W IAil' NIIIp 'uo va
hDlG JOHN" lIErWORri had
u ruled the politics Of his district
ana the state for many years and
al the time Alexander Hannibal
Spike decided to seek political
prcfermcut That il to say Big
John" was the controlling per
souu!ity Of the machine which ruled
the dominant party lie was the great
est power in the state, made and un-
made governors. senators and con
gree ,mrn, and dictated legislation
with all the power Of u cHar--nOt open
Is, uut from the obscurity uf his un.
prctcrt.uus Office. The great mas OF
the people heard ~ him only occasion
n,iy during bitter political fights when
be Nas sometimes eGcuriatrd by the
press a, n "bo,s," but those on the in
side Z the great political game knew
him well and bowed before his power
whether they loved or hnted him.
He NaD not gained hi- power and held
Il on lhc,, wears without some tire.
mcr3uus struggles. II had been long
Irrl,. II u,rrr battles, but he had won
or, after another. emerging each tire
with aided prestige. He had finally
Lrcuwr tu b, regarded as in,iucible
aud au. accorded the leadership II the
party without question. Even the re
furm' and independent" elements had
ceased to attach him because expert
Ia . 4 Iut al 90
went down 10 defeat and they had tired
81 j.. They now coutcuteL them
selves with shaking their heads sol.
emuh and demonstrating sad things
for society 10 general when it would
to'rrat" such man for political
leader
AT mi. Wa before Alexander Hanui.
bal Spike hohbcd up. alex" as he
va. generally called, lived in Brush
ford. which was the home town Of
l,nw urth lie had grown mp q lanky,
PECULIAR boy with thin light hair, thin
leg thin chest, thin lips thin nose.
pale blue eyes and remarkable head.
long and narrow and covered with
odd looking bumps. Added to all this
be- had q voice which may well bc de-
scrlbcd ma 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 joke, but this
did not squclch his soaring am
billions The son of q dreaming
shoemaker who has always pre-
frrrrd to talk impractical philosophy
uu the street corner rather than drive
pegs in his shop, Alex carly an
nouucrd that he was going to bc Il
lawyer and was going to cougresB-
and maybe 10 the white house.
II certainly was funny and people
had some excuse for laughing, but the
queer little chap was never dauntcd.
80. Stree. lie had mapped out hi
course and he hcwrd to the line. His
father died pcunilcss and Alex had to
carve out his career from an early age.
lie did it with his eyes on the shining
star, and his shril 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
hi studics he stood wcll-but was a
joke,
Then he hung out a shingle and he
gan to practice. The odds were fear
full because ridculc is the worst
handicap any man ever lived down, but
young Spike never paused to get dis
couragrd. He grabbed hold and kept
eyrrlastingly at it, He was always IN
evidence and rushed in where angels
feared to trend" lie 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 tu
do n considerable practice business
And also he was nearly always success.
ful always where tirelrsS energy and
slrcplcss vigilance could win the day
his practice increased until he felt Sc,
cure in the possession OF very decent
living income,
Then he went after politics. went
straight 10 John HepwUrth and said:
81 want to go to the legislature"
Icpwurth treated it as n joke. The
slate was made up for years to come
"rhcre is no joke about this, Mr.
Hcpw ORTIZ" remarked Spike. 81 an
going into politics. | want to 90 ir
regularly with your aid and counsel il
pUr IL .arnnt I ,,,ill hoyn q, 4, b,,,l