The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-20
An Unu)l11in8
Diplomat
BY WILLIAM BRADFORD ALLEN.
Copyright, 1904, by William Bradford Allen.

the tariff on coal! She made me run
for the State Legislature.
I'm a home-loving man, Captain,
and when night comes 1 like to put
on my slippers and read the evening
paper before the fire. But the first
thing / knew l was making speeches,
and asking people for votes, and buy
ing cigars and drinks for men l didn't
know or want to know, and spending
money foolishly, and then election day
came and L was elected.
"Of course, that meant l had to frit-
ter away a lot of time up at Augusta
and vote on things l didn't know any
thing about, while my coal business
was running down hill all the time.
But a man will do lot for peace"
The captain, who was a bachelor,
looked over at Mr.. Goodspeed COM
miseratingly, but he was wise enough
to make no comment.
MRS. Goodspeed moved up to Au-
gusta with me and went into politics
a big sight harder than l did. Poll
tics? Why, man alive, how could 1
think of politics when the office was
telephoning me about coal contracts.
But Julia Just dreamed politics.
lone day l said to her that l never
suspected that she cared anything
about changing the game laws.
She had been giving me lot of point
, ers on how I should vote. Game
! laws she said. Cyrus, it isn't the
ducks I'm working for, it's for you.
| If you vote right and make big
name for yourself there isn't any rea-
son why you can't be President some
| day. That Haswith woman's hus-
band was Lieutenant Governor but
you're going higher Or"
"'Or go broke, l guess 1 answered,
because if l don't quit fooling away
my time here 1 surely will But Mrs.
| Goodspeed just shut her mouth in a
way she has, and l saw I'd have to let
! things run as they were for time
; any way.
$50 1 kept plugging ahead making
| speeches about corporation laws and
state lunatic asylums and lot OF
such rot. Julia would write them out
| for me- l was too busy to think
much about them with business letters
10 attend to and now and then taking
] a trip down to Bucksport to Try ana
| straighten things out at the office.
FINALLY every one was taking ABOUT
the election in the Legislature tor a
new senator for Washington There
was a man named Jones and another
named Birdsfoot running neck ana
| neck. and no one was sure when was
going to get elected. Nearly every
one was interested, and / guess l was
the only man in the state who didn
care cent one way or the other' VI
course. different people tried to get me
10 promise TO vote for their man, but
/ was so worried about business ana
Julia holding me down to all his fool
ishness that when some one would say
'Goodspeed, you're going to vote fol
Jones, aren't your I'd say, Yes yes
iust 10 get rid Of him; and Ia say the
same when they asked me TO vote Tor
| Birdsfoot. honestly didn't care:
coal was higher than kite, and Ia
made contracts 10 deliver at a hgure
way below what ] could buy FOR 80 1
spent my time writing and telephon-
| me and telegrap phing ana legislatlnS
when I could get minute on
"Julia wns for Jones. A. the day
when the vote was 20 be- taken came
nearer 4 heard people say ~ was gong
to be mighty close. but they dian'
trouble me. becnuse both sides thYpkhi
! Was SAFE. ....
.srho morning we were going 10 vote
Tilla SAID a. me- Cyrus, Whatever
von do dou't vote fOr ~. bifdffooi
/ MOI Mrr. Jones yesterday, fhsf Il
feai rtoe nffie bone BODY ana eng
pointed Sire. EirdsfQQi out tQ nlt. snl
a. gou KNOW that Np, hifasfool bae