The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-25
Our Daily Sport Story

gra-a-and. nothing iess but you'ii also find 'tis--different. The only great things that ever happened to me were unexpected. owing. perhaps to e habit early formed of expecting nothing. Once you set this habit fastened on you, life becomes gilt tering succession of surprise parties with four kinds of cake and ice cream when you're hungry for them. and nothing at all when you're not hungry. The habit or expecting things is conducive to acidity of the general disposition; 1t units Q man for business or plearure ana drives him head first into Q premature grave.
 And 'tis particularly SO to the man in politics. as I was saying to you, Charley, when Maggie f1oated into the doorway and distracted your attention You have 1t in you my boy. to make a successful politician. I've been watching your work, and 'tis fine-finer than did myself at your age; but I'm fearing you haven't learned yet to appreciate the full import of the unexpected. Iris a great lesson. Tn the old days when ODonnell and Murphy and wore the big three medal-but let that pass; was going to call your attention to the fight in Potta- watta nie last month. Had you noticed 1t particularly? No2 Well. then. I can tell 1t to you with freer conscience.
 "The fight was all for Congress down there: everything else was conceded to the Republicans, they having a normal majority of between six and eight thousand in the district. Nobody really thought that the Democrats could do much with their can didate for Congress but they had to make a struggle for something or else go onto the | list of reported dead But twas a half hearted sort of business Tim costigan said he caught Q frightful cold every time he stepped into headquarters for bit of | consultation.
 rim was the Democratic candidate. and | one of the smartest. brightest, squarest | boys that ever led forlorn hope He got disgusted a week or two after the eonven- | tion. and come up here to see me. he aaIT Nhn l boys in my district have gone clammy. They're putting up what they call a fight but there's no vigor in 1t. What's to be | doneT
 T didn't khow. and 60 told him. But said I. if you say so. I'll come down and ! look things over.'
 "T wish you would said he. "And then we talked for the better part of an hour finally drawing up a sort of
 contract. by which, in case of his election. was to have certain little thing of a
 desirable nature, and by which, in case of
 his defeat was to have nothing-not even | my carfare. It looked like poor contract | for me; but I'm fond of Tim, was | fond of his father before him. and I was
 fixed so could do 1t conveniently, so | went down.
 "Five weeks before election I got there | and there I stayed till twas time to come | weeks.
 ''Ths first week I spent in figuring; | twas time wasted. Then for two days
 studied over the issues. trying to find the | weak spot in the Republican platform and | the strong one in our own; twas small | profit I got for my pains. Neither platform | contained anything that meant anything | the one was a hurrah for the President
 and the other was sort of cross between Q | wall and a groan. barren of fruit as g | Christmas tree in January. The situation l was not distinctly what would be called l encouraging.
 'Pottawattamie. as you know. is a farmer district. where every voter thinks. or thinks he thinks for himself. more or less; where
 organization counts for next to nothing | where the party lash can not be applied | with anything like effectivehess. The methods I'd learned in the school of poll ities were practically useless there. And
 called Tim Into corner the day after I'd given up the platforms as a bad Job ana told him frankly that could do him
 no good.
 | "aThe hurral> is the thing, Timmie.' said |; the voters have chose 1t in preference ts the Eroan, and 'tis beyond our power C change 'sm ovaE I wouldn't fion mkRel