St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-04-15

as to whether it would please God.
and began talking Of the political situa
ton. He said the managing committee
} was in a bad way financially and tina,
systematic efforts should be made tt
} build up fund for the approaching
campaign. l agreed with him and We
discussed the matter for some minutes
Then, naming the very contractor who
was sitting in my Office, he said:
/ He Is anxious to do something fol-
the party, and he wants to contribute
through you, $4,000 to the campaign
fund.-
/ well, why doesn't he send it to the
treasurer Of the committee?" queried,
raising myself up on my elbow.
He would rather give it to you, and
then you can turn it into the treas
ury."
AS l write these words there comes
back to me again the nervous tremor
which passed through me when l
grasped the full import of what my
lieutenant was saying. l recollect
wildly how I waited few seconds I'M
til muscular tension had stopped the
| involuntary trembling: My brain must
have worked rapidly, for before spoke
my mental eye took in the whole mis-
cradle scheme. The contractor in my
Office was a leader of one of the groups
striving to secure monopoly of the
clty's public works contracts. My lieu
tenant, who was one of my trusted Off
cial intimates, had much to do with
letting these contracts, and he had been
! taken into the conspiracy to secure my
influence in behalf of the faction rep
! resented by my friend in the other
room. Apparently the city official who
sat near me did not notice any indica-
tons Of my mental agitation, for he
quietly smoked his cigar, waiting for me
to continue the conversation. Having
recovered myself, said:
Forty thousand dollars is a large
sum of money for one man to donate
to campaign committee. But l don't
think the committee would refuse it;
you'd better tell him to take it to the
treasurer"
But you don't understand" he
urged, leaning forward and speaking
more earnestly. "He wants to give
this to you, for your campaign fund.
to help us renominate and reflect you.
He is one Of our best friends. He is"
: Now stop right there exclaimed,
springing to my feet. Don't go any
further with that kind of palaver. Why
don't you come straight out with the
truth and tell me you have been sent
here to bride me with $4,000 to give
those fellows free rein in the public
works department? Now we'll not talk
about this any more, but you know
what you've got to do, and you sit right
down, here and now, and do it, And
in my excitement almost dragged
him to a desk and held him by the
shoulder until he had written me let !
ter asking me to accept his resigna-
ton. Not another word was spoken |
took his place at the desk and wrote |
him letter resretfully accepting the |
resignation. l felt like coward when |
wrote 1T is with sincere regret that /
accept your resignation" ETC. Yet
now l am glad I penned my reply as I
did, for he had been warm friend /
and, up to that instant, loyal one.
Some years before I became mayor |
had purchased several acres of land in
the outskirts of the city with the view
Of subdividing it when the growth of
the city warranted my doing so. But
the city didn't grow in that direction,
and had this large tract of land on
my hands when elected mayor. A COM
pany had been formed to build street
railway out toward that piece of land
about the time took up the task of
governing the city, and the ordinance
the franchise introduced in
he board of aldermen in the early part
If my administration was hung up
n the committee on franchises for
some months When I examined the
nap of the proposed route of the street
'ailWay saw the line ran half a mile
,ast Of my property.
One day word was brought to me
hat some Of the leaders of the clique
# corrupt aldermen were about to take
he ordinance out of the pigeonhole
nd put it through.
Now, this ordinance was properly
Irawn. It provided for adequate COM
'ensction to the city for the franchise
lights, and in all respects, came under :
he head of good ordinances The
erritory which the company proposed
o provide with transportation facili- :
les was in urgent need of street rail-
7ay service. The corporation had in II
nen of good repute and high financial 2
landing. Had the ordinance been !
assed on its merits, l would have ap-
roved it, but when l learned that the
gang was going to put it through"
smelled Doodle and at once decided !.
hat good measure passed by bad =
leans was bad measure and thought
essly expressed byself in that wise. A
ew days after the president and d. I
ector Of the company called on me.
hey urged me to aid them in getting
he ordinance out of the committee. =
nd the president said: 9
Eve have changed the route a lit
e, as you can see by this map"
The wide red-inked line which
larked the proposed route told me
lat the change brought the street rail t.
'ay not only to my land. but around c
nd back of the tract, giving my non b
roductive real estate the promise of a o
.olley line on two of its Sides Il
The presidents stubby finger traced is
ne red line until it came to the space k