The San Francisco call., 1905-08-27

the face beautiful of my mother for me.
In the midst of those times of trial,
when. she had ceased to smile-for she
had none of that hypocritical cheerful
ness which depresses and is a mere van
ity to make silly onlookers cry "Brave!
when there is no true bravery-just when
we were at our lowest ebb, came an offer
from Bill Dominiek to put me into poll
tics.
1 had been interested in politics ever
since was7 years old. recall. distinct
ly the beginning:
On a November afternoon-it must have
been November, though / remember that
1t was summer-warm, with all the WIN
dows open and many men In the streets
in shirtsleeves-at any rate. L was on my
way home from school As neared the
courthouse / saw a crowd In the yard and
was reminded that it was election day,
and that my father was running for re-
election to the State Senate; so, bolted
for his law office In the second story or
the Masonic Temple, across the street
from the courthouse.
He was at the window and looking at
the polling place so intently that he took
no notice of me as stood be-
side him. know now why he
was absorbed and why his face was
stern and sad 1 can shut my eyes
and see that courthouse yard, the long
line of men going up to vote. single
file. each man calling out his name as
he handed in his ballot and Tom Wee
don-who shot an escaping prisoner
when he was deputy sheriff-repeating
the name IN a loud voice Each on
coming voter in that curiously- regular
and. compact file was holding out his
right arm stiff SO that the hand was
about foot clear of the thigh; and
in every one of those thus conspicu-
Gus hands was a conspicuous bit or
white paper-a ballot AS each man
reached the polling window and gave
In his name. he swung that hand round
with stiff -armed. circular motion thai
kept 1t clear of the body and In full
view until tho bit of paper disappeared
in the slit in the ballot box.
/ wished to ask my father what this
strange spectacle meant; but, as
glanced up at MIN to begin my question,
I knew must not, for felt that was
seeing something which shocked him
so profoundly that he would take me
away if / reminded him OF my pres
ence. know now that was witness
ing the crude beginnings of the money
machine in politfcs-the beginnings OF
the. downfall of parties-the begin
nings of the overthrow of the people as
the political power Those stiff-armed
q men, wereA he .hoatingl 81 voters of that
ward ef@Pugaski. They had. been bought
UP by rich candidate of that oppost-
ton party, which was less scrupulous
: votion. To sprincipI sS = = q ard {eft <hX SI1GRI
old-fashioned meff e <3t111
oid-fashfoned notions OF honor anu
honesty. Those "fioaters's had to keep
the ballot in full view from the time
they got it of the agent of their pur-
chaser until they. had deposited it be-
yond the possibility. of substitution
1. fl,r.xx1 Halt 1c he
My father. was defeated. He saw
that, in politics, the day OF the public
servant of public interests was over.
and that the night of the private SER
want of private interests had begun
He resigned the. leadership into the
dexterous hands of politician. Soon
afterward he died, muttertng: Pros
perity. has ruined my countryw.
From that election day my interest
in politics grew, and but for my
mothers bitter prejudice 1 should have
been an active politician, perhaps be-
fore was out of college.
Pulaski, indeed all that section of my
State. was strongly of my party
Therefore Dominick, its local boss. was
absolute. At the last county election,
four years before the time of which I
am writing, there had been a spasmodic
attempt to oust him. He. had grown
so insolent and had put his prices for
political and political-commercial ia
vors' to our leading citizens so high
that the best element in our party
reluctantly broke from its allegiance.
To save himself he had been forced I'd
order fragrant cheating zthe tally
sheets; his ally and fellow conspirat0r,
McCoskrey, the opposition boss. was
caught and was indicted by the Grand
Jury. The Reformers made such a stir
that Ben Case, the county prosecutor,
r. ~ rr@1 Il, &c
master and tried and convicted Nc
Coskrey. OF course. following the Gus
tom in cases of yielding to pressure
from public sentiment, he made the
trial errors necessary to insure, reversal
in the higher court, and he finally gave
Dominick's Judge the opportunity TO
quash the Indictment But the boss
was redentle ss-Cass had been diobed-
lent and had put upon my friend Nc
Coskrey' the disgrace of making a
sorry figure in court. Ben can look
to his swell reform friends for re-
nomination" said he; hell not get II
from me-.
Thus il came to pass that Dominick' 3
lieutenant Buck Fessenden.t appeared
in my office one afternon IN July, anu; Isl,
. after a brief parley, asked me how Ia
like to be prosecuting attorney OF
Jackson County. -Four thousand year
for four years and reelection II 1
should give satisfaction, and afterward.
the bench or seat In Congress, 1
could pay off everything; 1 could
marry
II was nv first distinct vision of the
plum tree. To how many thousands Of
our brightest, most promising young
Americans IL is shown each year in just
such circumstances.
CHAPTER III.