Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-07
Ill.
III.
Sayler Draws the Line"

In February the railways traversng our
| state sent to the capitol a bill that had
been drawn by our abiest lawyers and re-
Viewed by the craftiest of the great cor
poration lawyers of New York city. Its
! purpose. most shrewdly and slyly con-
cealed was to exempt the railways from
practically all taxation 1t was so subty
worded that this would be disclosed only
when the companies should be brought to
court for refusing to pay their usual share
! of the taxes Such measures are usually
"straddled" through legsiature-that is.
| neither party takes the responsibility. but
the boss CT each machine assigns TO vote
for them ali the men whose seats are Sc
cure beyond any ordinary assault OF public
indigna tion In this case, OF the ninety
one members of the lower house, thirty
two were assigned by DuakirK and seven
teen by Silln-an to make up a majority
with three TO spare
My boss. Dominick, got wind that Dun
kirk and Siliman were cutting an extra
melon of uncommon size. lie descended
upon the capitol ard served notice on Dun
kirk that the eleven Dominica men assigned
to vote for the bill would vote against it
unless he got $I,G3N apiece for them-S77 $50
Dunktrk needed every one of DomiHcks
men TO make Up his portion of the major
ity; he yielded after trying in vain TO re-
duce the price. All Dominica, would say
to him on that point, SO l heard afterward.
was:
Every day you put off l go up a
thousand dollars head
We who were to be voted SO profitabiy for
Dunkirk. Silliman. Dominick and the rail-
roads learned what was going on-Silliman
went on tear and talked too much.
! Nine of u.s. not including myself got to-
gether and sent Cassidy member from the
second jackson county district, to Domi-
nick to plead for share. | happened to
be with him in the Capital City Hotel bar
having, explained how he and his fellow
insurgents felt.
Dominicks veins seemed cords straining
to bind down a demon struggling to es-
cape. ITS back to tie bench you go.
Pat Cassidy-back to the bench where
found you he snarled. with a yoiley of
profanity and sewage. 4 don't know
nothing about this here bill except that it's
for the good of the party. Go back TO
that gang of id wharf rats and tell 'em
If near another squeak I'll put EN- where
] got en-
Cassidy shrank away with a furtive
glance of envy and hate at ME. whom DOM
mick treated with peculiar consideration
l think 1t was because l was the only man
of education and of any pretensions to
family III official position in his machine.
He used to like to class himself and me to-
gether as ''us gentlemen in contrast to
them muckers," meaning my colleagues.
Next day. just before the voting began,
Dominck seated himself at the front Of
the governors gallery-the only person in
il. | see him now as he looked that day
Black and heavyjawed and scowling, lean
ing forward with 10th forearms on the
railing and his big. fiat chin resting on
his upturned, stubhy thumbs. He was there
to that each of US. his creatures, de-
pendent absolutely upon him for our polit-
ical lives, should vote as he had sold US in
block. There was no chance to shirk or
even to squirm. AS the roll call proceeded,
one after another, seven of us, obeyed that
will frowning from the gallery - jumped
i, 80 dow fbn litrap
ing lash. / was eighth on the roll.
'Sayler!' How my name echoed through
that horrible silence.
I could not answer. Gradually every
face turned toward mel could see them,
could feel them and, to make bad enough
worse. yielded to an imperious fascination,
tho fascination of that incarnation of brute
power-power Of muscle and power of will.
I turned my eyes upon the amazed, furious
eyes of my master 1t seemed to me that
his lips must give passage to the oaths
and filth swelling beneath his chest and
seething behind his eyes.
"Sayleri' repeated the clerk in voice
that exploded within me.
mo-" shouted-not in answer to the clerk,
but in denial Of that insolent master-to-dog
command from the beast in the gallery.
The look in his eyes changed to relief
and contemptuous approval. There was
murmur of derision from my fellow mem
bers. Then l remembered that a negative
was at that stage of the bill, vote for
it, had done just the reverse Of what l
intended. The roll-call went on, and l sat
debating with myself. Prudence. inclina
ton, the natural timidity of youth, the
utter futility of opposition. fear, above all
else, fear-these joined In bidding me let
my vote stand as cast. On the other side
stood my notion of self-respect. l felt
must then and there and forever decide
whether 1 was a thing or a man. Yet
again and again l had voted for measures
Just as corrupt-had voted for them with no
protest beyond a cynical shrug and wry
!, 10 net ~ &c
to continue to count as one" must have
a point where he draws the line beyond
which he will not 60 The liar must have
things he will not lie about. the thief things
he will not steal, the COMPROMISED things
he will not compromise, the practical man
in the pulpit, in politics. in business. in the
professors chair. or editorial tribune.
things he will not sacrifice. whatever the
cost. That is practical honor" i had
reached my line Of practical honor, my
line between possible compromise and Ger
tain Generalization. And l realized it.
When the roll-call ended l rose. and in a
voice that l knew was firm and clear said:
Mr.. Speaker, l voted in the negative by
mistake. l wish my vote recorded in the
affirmative. l am against the bill
Amid fearful silence l took my seat.
With a suddenness that made me leap
wild and crazy assemblyman. noted as the
crank of that session, emitted fantastic
yell Of enthusiastic approval. Again there
was that silence; then the tension of the
assembly floor and crowded galleries burst
in a storm of hysterical laughter.
l wish could boast how brave l felt as
l reversed my vote, how Indifferent to that
tempest Of mockery, and how strong as 1
went forth to meet my master and hear my
death warrant But can't, in honesty
I'm only human being. not a hero, and
these are my confessions. not my pro-
LESSONS. So l must relate that, though the
voice that requested the change of vote was
calm and courageous. the man behind 1t
was agitated and sick with dread. There
may be those who have the absolute cour-
age some men boast-if not directly. then
by implication In despising him who shows
that he has it not. For myself, 1 must say
that / never made a venture-and my life
has been succession Of ventures, often
with my whole stake upon the tablet
never made a venture that / did not have
a sickening sensation at the heart My
courage, If 1t can be called by sounding
a name, has been in daring to make the
throw when every atom of me was Shrek
frg, you'll lose You'll be ruined"'
I did not see Dominick until after sup
per. had nerved myself for a scene-fn-
deed, had been hoping he would insult me.
When one lacks the courage boldly to adj
vance along the perlous course his intelii-
gence counsels. he is lucky If he can and
will goad some one into kicking him along
- tha vyt iS