The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-08


bill you have put through has given you
a mechanics lien for life on the fran
chises Of your constituents. Perhaps. 1t
has. But let me tell you this: boy
who has played hockey and wound up
with secret raid on the Jam closet Is a
novice In the gentle art OF forgetting.
compared with the average constituency.
Any ordinary bunch OF voters can torset
to remember more things than village
money lender can remember to forget
when making UP schedule OF personal
property, for the tax assessor. The az
fections of a-frisky- girl In her first year
or boarding school life are sermons IN
constancy alongside the fluctuations
which are recorded at the ballot box.
or course the fellows who are pushing
for the appropriation which landed you
rave told you that the passage OF your
bill, would make you eternally solid With
tho horny handed voters In your district;
that as long us grass continued to grow
and water to ran In tho old Eighth you
could Just say thumbs up" and the votes
would Ue yours. Then, they pounded you
on the back, gave you stag dinner and
presented you with gold watch engraved
with sentiments from your 'grate'ul con.
stituen,s." I've had several Of these ana
m, experience is that they'll run longer
without cleaning than most constituent
cies will without change OF heart
This COW country out here hasn't any
more than Its share OF cutters, but
little incident just occurred over ut Pin
hole that sheds light on the subject OF
tho amount OF faith u man Is warranted
In placing on the political constancy OF
q constituency to which he has given the
one thing that Is desired above all 9TH
ers Now. plnhole isn't strong on the
traditional means of grace: It's short on
churches: the w. G. 7. U. and y. NJ c.
A. and other alpha betlcal agencies OF CIV
ilization hasn't been able TO cut very
vide swath there. But for oil that there
is good deal doing In Pinhole right
along and the people have been accustom-
ed TO point with pride TO the fact that
IT bars. faro banks and the other local
institutions are the bes, In the State and
never turn away the enterprslng patron
a, any hour OF the day or night
At the last session or the Legislature,
however, there was tidal wave of moral
sentiment that made the boys hold their
ears 10 the rails and listen. "A good
many OF them concluded that the "wateI
wagon was coming In earnest, and they
couldn't see much difference between
blue ribbon and ballot The w. c. ]
u. forces certainly did mask powerful
showing, and To- +" 80 Y" ~ n8
sume mighty restrictive legislation would
go through. Ti.Al MAS t.4i!t miAch
big Nike" the member from Pinhole
took off his coat and began to saw wood,
He knew that his town would look Ike
a Sunday-school after that kind OF
legislation had begun to get In Its saw
Ing work. big delegation OF business
men came from Pinkole to make show,
Ing. They were sure scared and begged
Mike to turn back the enemy at any
cost. He buckled right down to busI-
ness, sacrificed everything else. and
traded right and left for anything that
would cut into the votes OF the reform
party. And he was a shrewd trader.
tool
II the missionaries who had gone out to
spread the gospel had worked half as
hard as Big Mike. there wouldn't be an
unconverted henthen on the face OF the
earth. II he had sworn not to eat or
sleep until he Ind killed that bill, he
couldn't have hustled hardor, Day and
ting out member from the reform
bunch at every possible opportunity and
putting the Plnhole brand on him.
When the final roundup came. he had
picked I'M enough strays. by hard riding,
to defeat the day. Judging by the noise
that the Pinhole delegation made over
him, you would have expected to ser
Big Mike sent to Congress, They loos-
ened the UNDERMINING Of the Canitol
bundire ard pa'rted tho town until II
looked like horse show poster. And
the whole thing was done over again
when Mike made his trlumnhal return to
his own town, All the brass hands In the
country were there. and the blowout,
that was In his honor went down In
history.
A few months later young stranger
with baritone sneaklng voice. smile
that made the dogs wag their tails and n
string OF good stories, struck the town
and opened law office When the
municipal election came around the oppo-
sition ticket nominated him for Mayor