The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-24
PROVING HER IDEAL.
BY HowARp pEvINE.

BY HOWARD DIVINE.
 fCopyright. 1905, Daily Story Pub. Col
 She was sure both men loved her honestly and she was sure she was oe- cidedly right. She admitted to herseiI that Harry was the most warm-hearteo and sympathetic and--yes, perhaps the most lovable. But Homer was clearly the better man. the safer man, the man B of the higher ideals decidedly the man of the two with whom she could expect her life to develop along the higher lines and flower into the most perfect fruition. And so. being girl or com Io mon sense and decision she resolved 10 accept Homer.
 To be sure, she gave little sigh as she thought of Harry's sparkling wit ana genial countenance. of his flashing black eyes and ardent impetuosity But, no, she did not regret her decision. The good times she would enjoy with Harry would be of the ephemeral sort and would not build toward the better things. Homer, perhaps less brilliant, certainly was more sedate. dignified and correct and surely more fitted to become the head of family.
 The thing that really decided her, however, was not so much all this aD- stract reasoning as the concrete hon. esty of the men as evidenced by their stand in politics. Both were much in- terested in politics and both were men of influence. Homer Crofton was an avowed and radical reformer. He was prominently identified with all move ments in the community whose oo1ect 1t was to elevate and purify politics and uplift the moral sense of the people. He was Vice-P President of the Anti Machine Federation, Secretary of the Civil Ser vice Reform Club, a director or the Voters Reform Association, trustee of the Political Independence League and prominent in all the organizations working for the noble end of making politics cleaner and lifting the fran chlse to high moral plane.
 On.sthe other&-hands Harry Sommers was an avcwed organization man--'yes, E. machine man, by gum." as he put 1t, and his cardinal principle was to stick 10 his party willy-nilly. The real issue came during an election where the reg ular candidate of the party was opposed by all the reform organizations. Crot- ton was in the very foremost among the leaders who advocated the defeat of Luce and the ring And 1t seemed from the newspapers that 1t was jus ti6able bolt. Luce was an uncomprc- nnising organization man. He had been party leader for many years and was accused of prodting greatly from the massage of many measures by Legisla- ture or City Council which inured to the benefit of certain quasi-public cor norations He made no specific defense nor did he reply to the charge that he was pledged. if elected, to further the interests of certain great interests ask ing for valuable franchises. It was a nasty fight, because the newspapers never had been atle to influence Luce and his supporters, and they were at tackled with spirit and enect. Right into this fight which was nasty with charges of graft and counter charges Of mugwumpery and hypocricy, Sommers flung himself by accepting tbe Post as Luce's campaign manager. His ap- pointment was everywhere recognized as a shrewd move by Luce. es Som mers's standing was very high in the business community.
 Well, the machine won, and the re- formers who were supported by con- siderable party of followers. were ter ribly scandalized. Sommers came in for his full share of criticism from the ,newsparers. but cared not, as he was fin high feather over the result. It rave him high standing in the party oouncils-this victory over the common foe assisted by the bolters.
 Crcfton called on the girl in terrible state. He was evidently deeply shock ed and hurt.
 why, Grace, it's the most awful set back the forces of right have eneoun- tered in a decade" he said. walking the floor, hands clasped behind his back "A straight defeat like this wipes out all the victories and all the progress of a