River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-01-28
Accusing a
Conscience
By CLYDE MONTAGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Copyright, 1906, by Daily Story Pub. Col

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Copyright, 1908, by Daily story Pub. Col
GHUNTED into the world unwelcome
and unprovided for; nourished
grudgingly and meanly; thrown out IN
to the current and strife of human en-
deavur while still an infant; pusned
along under the spur of necessity ana
compelled to hold his own; miniature
man at 5, a child at %; gifted with some
marvellous heritage from the misty
mirrors of the past; unknown, I'M
claimed, unframed and uncared for
this was the history and antecedents Oh
Robert Melbourne.
Where he got his name was mystery
as profound as that of his birth and
parentage. Everybody knew him as
Rob and it was a tradition that prodl-
gal Australian doing" America gave
him the surname.
Anyway he grew up in the street with
no schooling and only the education
which comes from the training Of ne
cessity, supplemented by the force Oh
his-own personality. At he was a
nuisance, at 10 terror, at IL leader,
at IA a king. While always boy OF the
streets, he showed at all times and
places a character and quality smack
ing of another sphere. A typical street
arab, he deliberately broke into night
school-and thrashed the boy VINO
ieered. He worked hard selling papers
and backing boots, but he always read
the papers and talked with his boot
backing patrons.
So eventually he got his feet on
higher round of the ladder and started
in a new life He became lawyers as
sistant--to dig up evidence on the
street; then a law student; then full
fledged lawyer.
And finally at % he found himself
fairly we'll educated, ultra worldly wise
and self-confident, power in city poll
tics, a lawyer of recognized ability and
man Of more than ordinary perception
and education.
This was at 25. At 35 he had made his
mark He was gentleman OF presence
and address, a lawyer much sought TOT
ana a politician whose knowledge OF
human nature and the conditions in
the great cities was the marvel or the
party leaders from New York to san
Francisco. Incidentally he was mem
Der of congress and an orator whose
clean logic, ready imagination and con-
vincing rhetoric always filled the gal
leries and drew tardy members to their
seats when he held the floor.
Never had Robert Melbourne made
more brilliant or convincing speech
than the one on the Bracken bill, and
when he finished colleagues and OPP
ponents alike crowded around him with
CONGRATULATIONS. IT had been bold po-
sition to take and required courage to
defy criticism and censUre, as we'll as
ability to sustain his point. His effort
accomplished the purpose. Despite the
fact that public sentiment was opposed
to the bill and party leaders were afraid
of 1t because corporation was It's I'M
mediate beneficiary, Melbourne mad
thrown the great ultimate benefit to the
people and the country in contrast with
mere present sentiment so strongly
that it stiffened the backhones of the
wavering members and the bill had
passed Immediately after his argument.
The bill was for the reclamation of
vast arid territory. 1t gave extraordi-
nary powers and privileges to a corpo-
ration formed for the purpose on condi-
ton that a mammoth system of irriga-
ton be established and maintained.
A great opposition had developed
from two sources. On one hand the
natural hostility of the public 70 grants
to private corporations and the inev-
liable screaming of demagogic politi-
clans and newspapers had aroused a
clamor From another source came a
cry that had enlisted more reputable
and intelligent protest. In the plans to
reclaim the wilderness 1t was necessary
to wipe out the claims to title of an in
considerable number of small settlers.
These claims to title we're very shaky
and the value of the property involved
was almost nothing. 1t was necessary
to have clean title to the entire tract
and the bill provided clearly for the
wiping out of the vague shadows of
claims held by the squatters. This
aroused a protest which helped out the
demagogic anti-corporation wall until
the opposition had become so formida-
BILE and the talk of Doodle" so great
that many members who were really in
favor Of the bill dared not vote for it.
He had assured hims elf that there were
favorable votes enough if the members
dared vote So he had taken the floor
at the last moment and met the opposi-
ton face to face-granted that a pri-
vate corporation would be the bene-
ficiary and that hundreds of settlers
would be obliged to move on or perfect
their title under the new conditions
which presumed o tribute to the new
company. Then he turned and pic
tured with master hand the trarspor-
tation of wilderness almost uninhab-
tied into a garden spot teeming with
life and overlooking with milk and
honey-a trackless desert avoided by
man and beast changed with an Alad-
din's touch to an empire inhabited by
happy and prosperous men and women
and children and able to feed half the
nation. And this Aladdin who was to
do this was the p"w corporation and
his lamp the countless thousands of gold
dollars to be spent before the dream
could be real. He showed the safe
guards thrown about the rights of the
people and the limitations placed on the
company. He referred with scorn and
contempt to the howlings of the oppor-