Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-28
THE PLUM TREE.
Copyright. 1905. By the BoDbs Merrill Company
Y DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS.

are ex-convicts. Others are about to be
indicted for election frauds. Many are men
utterly without character
They did your work, James," said l.
Il guarantee that in no case will the UNI
pleasant consequences to you be more than
few disagreeable but soon forgotten news
paper articles. You haggle over these
trifeS, and-why, look at your cabinet list!
There are two names on 1.-TWO of the four
Goodrich men-that will cost you blasts OF
public anger-perhaps the denomination.
rs this my friend Harvey Sayler?' he
exclaimed, grief and pain In that race
which had been used by him for thirty
years as the sculptor uses the molding
clay.
1T is" I answered calmly. And never
more your friend than now, when you
have ceased to be a friend to him-and to
yourself"
"'Then do not ask me to share the in
fanny of those wretches." he pleaded.
They are our allies and helpers said,
"wretches only as and all of US in practi-
cal politics are wretches. Difference of de-
gree, perhaps; but not of kind. And James,
if our promises to these invaluable fellow
workers of ours are not kept, kept to the
uttermost you will compel me and my
group of senators to oppose and defeat your
most important nominations. And l shall
myself, publicly, from the floor of the Sen
ate, show up these Goodrich nominees of
yours as creatures of corrupt corpora tons
and monopolies." 1 said this without heat;
every word of it fell cold as arctic ice upon
his passion.
long pause, then: "Your promises shall
be kept" he assented with great dignity OF
manner: mot because you threaten, Har-
vey, but because value your friendship be-
You'd anything and everything And may
add l am sorry, profoundly sorry, my Sc
lections for the important places do not
please YOU
Il think of your future / said. You
talk of friendship
mo, no, Harvey" he protested, with
veLemence of reinsurance that struck me
as amusing.
And" | went on. cit is in friendship,
James, that warn you not to fill all your
crucial places with creatures OF the Good
rich crowd. They will rule your adn1inis.'
tra ton. they will drive YOU in spite or
yourself, on ard on, from excess to excess
You will put the middle west irrevocably
against you. You will make even the east
doubtful. You are paying, paying with
your whole future, for that which fs al
ready yours. If you lose your hold on the
people. the money-crowd will have none OF
you. If you keep the people, The. money
crowd will be your very. humble servant.
I happened just then to glance past. him
at a picture on the wall over his chair. 1t
was Crayon portrait of his wife, made
from an enlarged photographic poor piece
os work, almost ludicrOus in its distortions
of proportion and perspective. But II
touched me the more because it was Such
a humble thing, reminiscent of her and his
and my lowly beginnings. And an appeal
seemed to go straight to my heart from
those eyes that had so often been raised
from the sewing in sympathetic understand
ing o. the things l was struggling to make
her husband see.
/ pointed to the picture: he slowly turned
round in his chair until he, too, was looking
at it What would she say, Burbank" l
asked, eff she were with us now 2,
And then I went on to analyze his out
lined administration. to show him in detail
why I thought it would ruin him to suggest
men who were as good party men as the.
Goodrich crowd and would be credit to
him and help. And he listened with ms
old-time expression. looking up at his dead
wifes picture all the while. You must be
popular. at any COST" ended. 1.-THE indus
trial crowd will stay with the party, no
matter what we do. AS long as Scarbor-
ough is in control on the other side, we are
their only hope And so, We are free to
seek popularity-and we must regain 1t or
we're done for. Money won't save us when
The presidency can't be bought again for
you. If it must be bought next time, an
other fgure-head will have to be used
81 can't tell you how grateful I am was
his conclusion after l had put my whole
mind before him and he and l had dis
cussed It, But there are certain pledges
to Goodrich
Break them" said T. "To keep them Is
catastrophe"
1 knew the pledges he had in the fore
ground of his thoughts-a st. Louis under
strapper of the New York financial crowd
for Secretary of the Treasury: for Attorney
General lawyer who knew nothing of poll
tics or public sentiment or indeed of any
thing but how to instruct corporations in
laW-breaking and law-dodging.
He thought a long time. When he answer
ed 1t was with a shake of the head. TOO
late. I'm afraid, Harvey. I've asked the
men and they've accepted. That was most
untimely Illness of yours I'll see what can
be done. It's grave step to offend several
of the most conspicuous men in the party
Not so serious as to offend the party
ITSELF" I replied. Money is great power
in politics, but partisanship is a greater"
''Ill think it over" was the most he had
the courage to concede. 81 must look at all
sides, you know. But, whatever l decide L
thank you for your candor."
We separated the best friends in the
world, trying to recover some few of the
high hopes of him that had filled me
election night. Hes weak and timid." L
said to myself. but a bottom he must have
a longing to be President in fact as we'll as
in name. Even the meanest slave longs to
be a man"
1 should have excepted the self-enslaved
slaves of ambition. OF all bondmen. they
alone. 1 believe, not only do not wish free
dom, but also are ever plotting how they
may add to their chains.
Go be continued tomorrow)