The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-20
Brokenstraw Ranch, 1903.

Brokenstraw Ranch, 1903
Dear Ned:
There Is nothing like the whiris!g Of
time 10 take tl.e kinks out OF a crooked
politician. Somehow cant quite set
+ over the MOTTO, that sooner or later We
have to pay th- fiddler In politics as wen
as In other things
-7However, there's a lot OF powerful cum
Ming men wno.ve made a big killing IN
nolitics and scored their heaviest hlts
ST by doing dirt L. every man that came
B ,,car enough t. get tnrred with the!r
xtlck These fellows don't believe IN the
fiddler doctrine. They seem to 1old tnat
20 long as they keep their batting aver
age 10 a certain pitch they're entllied 70
a clean bill OF exemption.
But, Ned, cant see II that way.
you've played I-spy enough In the village
horse sheds to understand what mean
when I saw that the man who makes Ms
way in the game OF politics by lying
cheating and nrowng down his iriei. as
Isn't Justified in expecting TO hear me
Anal call OF "4All III free" Sooner or.
L. tar neil nave to take Ills turn at being
LIZ" while the others are getting even
These political scamps who climb to
thlph MIA ces on the shoulders OF the men
they've betrayed and expect TO escape
scot-frce, remind me OF OLD i'chaso
tn1del Keith. back In Bustl. The way IN
winch the old man distributed his prop
erty-wf.ch was the largest In the town
ahip-didn', appeal to the natural hers
in spite OF the fact that, during MS iie-
time, they haG consistently Impressed me
old codger with the fact that theS ~
gardcd him Is moral Holisti ossis.
whose calling and election were u'teau'
sealed. 49,, ,,,ort
Consequently the bereaved heirs we!li
,n TO the county-seat and took icouLsei
of q young sprlG OF lawyer WHO .''au
a reputa ton CT being nucommoniy ioAs,
And they came out OF the coh!ei ehI =,
smiling. for he had too men, , LII AZ
wuud be deao easy to break the VIII on
thc ground that the old man was OF IN
sound mind when he maze u, -, -
"But how WIN you prove that one OF
& the heirs asked j.,
~ guess there Isn't a court or jury m
this req Ion" the lawyer had repueu
..,h,t wont accept the old mans int1delity
ne n nroof of his mental unsoundness.
All we've GOT to do is TO establish that
fact. The rLhg.ous sentiment or llls
community wi! do the rest.
Rut one old lllend of the deceased. VINO
was large beneficiary under the Terms
Of the will, lined old Benage rev 20
look over his interests In the case. tSow,
old Benago was us rough as shag palk
hickory nut, but MS sharp as cooper
adze, While lie knew all about all the
law that had ever been Introduced mo
cowbell county, he paid heap more
i attention to tho jury than he dld 70 me
law, lie didn't Introduce bit OF evil
dence to rebuy or soften that establish
ing the rank lniidelity OF the deceased,
ana his client finally took fright ana
yentured to remind him OF this oyefslght.
hui Benage was hard-bitted and crusly
/ old sinner. an. simply tod MS cllei'l y
''shut up.
Right up to the last words OF old Ie"'s
speech to The jury he lsnoreu the 'ilalh
issue. Then nc disposed Of u III these
words:
..G entIemen. II is alleged that tho tes-
tator was an mfidel. | admit II. don't
hold to his views OF the Dloty ana lhe
Future, and leIther do you, l5ul ms !
/, look into your honest and Intelligent races
I am willing to leave you with the cues,
ton; Shah the maker Of his last WV
and testament be adjudged CRAZY Simply
beca use he did not hold, with the persons
Who are seIA.Ag such verdict. that
through his lifetime man may con-
slstently break the ton commandments,
smash the moral Ia" into lhdeLs ana,
on his death-bed assign to the saviour
and cheat the devil out OF his honest
dues?"
II took the jury Just ten minutes to
bring in verdict unfolding the SOUNDS
ness Of tho viii. And, Ned. cant es-
cape the conclusion that there's q law
Ia the eternal iitness Of things that brings
the scalawag III politics around to face
the music and settle With the hddler for
the tunes to WhichNhe has danced, Just
as you say the Honorable BIZ has had to
settle in your bailiwick,.
W heneyer hear anything sag ABOUT
I, the las of compensation N politics my
u y ~. e