The San Francisco call., 1905-08-27
small, clear handwriting first ceased to
greet me from the mail.
CHAPTER w.
The school Of Life-as-It-Is.

"A Gay or SO dItef i lOSl the only Case
of CONSEQUENCE 1 had had in more than
a year, Buck Fessenden came into my
Office, and, after dosing me literally
with those friendly protestations and
assurances which please even when
they do not convince, said: II know
you won't give me away. Sayler, and
l can't stand 1t any longer to watch
you going on this way. Don't you see
the old mans after you hammer and;
tongs? He'll never let up. You won't
get no clients. and. IL you do. you won't
win no cases"
Those last five words, spoken in
Bucks most significant manner. re-
vealed what my modesty-4or, If you
prefer, my stupidity-had hidden from
me-. had known all along that Dom
mick was keeping away and driving
away clients; but / had not suspected
his creatures on the bench. To this day.
after all these years of use, only with
the greatest reluctance and with NOR
al uneasiness which would doubtless
amuse most political managers, do l
send suggestions" or 'intimations" to
my men in judicial office-and l al
ways do it, and always have done it
indirectly. And l feel relieved and
grateful when my Judges, eager to
serve the party, anticipate me by
sending Inc reassuring hint.
1 did not let Buck see into my mind.
"Nonsense!'' 1 pooh -poohed: I've mo
cause to complain of lack of business,
but even if / had I'd not blame Dom
mick or any one else but myself"
Then I gave him straight but good
hundred look. Drop it. Buck said
/. What did the old man send you to
me for? What does he want %
He was too crafty to defend an in
defensible position. I'll admit he did
send me-" said he with grin, but 1
came on my own account, too. Do you
want to make 1t up with him? You
can get back under the plum tree if
you'll say the word.
could see my mother, as l had seen
her two hours before at our poor mid
day meal--an old, old woman, so brok
en-, so worn. And all through the mis-
cry this Dominick had brought upon
us. Before l could control myself to
speak Buck burst out. look of alarm
in his face, Don't say it, Mr.. Sayler-
l KNOW know. 81 told him it'd be
no use. Honest, he aint as bad as you
think-he don't know no better and it's
because he liked and still likes you
that he wants you back He leaned
across the desk toward me. in his
earnestness-and 1 could not doubt his
sincerity "Sayler,'' he went on, take
my advice, get out of the State. You
amt the sort that gives in and no
more Is he. You've got more nerve
than any other man 1 know, bar none
but don't waste it on fool fight. You
know enough about politics to know
what you're up against
Thank you," said i, but I'll stay
on"
He gave over trying to persuade me-
Il hope" said he, you've got a card
up your sleeve that the old man don't
know about"
made some vague reply, and he
soon went away. 1 felt that l had con-
firmed his belief in my fearlessness. Yet.
If he could have looked into my mind,
how he would have laughed at his ore
dulity! Probably he would have pjtied
me, too, for it is one of the curious
facts of human nature that men are
amazed and even disgusted whenever
they see-in others-the weaknesses
that are universal" 1 doubt not, many
who read these mamoirs will be quite
honestly Pharisaical, thank Heaven that
they are not touched with any Of my
infirmities.
1t may have been coincidence, though
l think not, that. a few. days after Fes-
senden's> call, reform movement
against Dominick appeared upon the
surface of Jackson County politics
thought at the time, that it was the
first streak of the dawn 1 had been
watching for--the awakening of the
sluggish moral sentiment of the rank
and file of the voters. / know now that
xrroc ,rra1 ha nf ,..@I
among the corporations that employed
Dominick He had been giving the
largest OF them, Roebucks Universal
Gas and Electric Company, called the
Power Trust. more than its propor-
: tional share of the privileges and spoils.
The others had protested, in vain. and
, ais last resort had ordered their law
yers to organize "a movement to 'puri
fy' Jackson County, Dominick's strong
hold
l did not then know it. but I got the
nomination for county prosecutor
chiefly because none of the other law
yers, not even those secretly directing
the reform campaign, was brave enough
publicly to provoke the Power Trust.
l made a house to house. farm to farm,
man to man, canvass. We had the Sc
cret ballot, and was elected. The
people rarely fail to respond to that
kind of appeal If they are convinced
that response can not possibly hurt.
and may help, their pockets. And. by
the way. those occasional responses,
significant neither of morality nor of
intelligence, lead political theorists far
astray. As If honor or honesty could
win other than sporadic and more or
less hypocritical homag age-practicaI
homage, ! mean--among a people whose
permanent ideal is wealth, no matter
how got or how used. That is another
way of saying that the chief character
istic of Americans is that we are hu-
man and whatever we may profess.
cherish the human ideal universal in a
world where want is mans wiclkedest
enemy and wealth his most winning
friend. But as was relating,
was elected, and my ma
jority, on the face of the re-
turns, was actually ten and eleven hum
dred. 1t must actually have been many
thousands, for never before had Domi-
nick "doctored" the tally sheets so reck-
lessly.
Financially l was now on my way to
the surface. I supposed that I had be-
come a political parsonage also. Was L
not in possession of the most powerful
Office in the county? l was astonished