Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-30
THE PLUM TREE.

BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS.

to get away. II am leaving went on.
| as soon as the coffee Is served. shall
| look to you to send these gentlemen home
party"
| His eyes giistened. Except his growing
| fortune. nothing delighted him SO much as
| q chance to "rough-house" his eminently
| respectable pals" He felt toward them
| that quaint mixture OF envy. contempt and
| desire to fight which fills gamin at sight
| OF fashionably dressed boy. He put out
| his big hand and dampened mine with 1t.
| you can count on me- senator" he said
gratefully. 'I'll trim em. comb and tall
| feathers
Don't overlook their spurs" said l.
They amt got none" said he. except
those you lend EN-
We returned to table palled by sullen
| dread-dread OF me. anger against Domi-
| nick. who. In the courage of his ignorance
OF the conventionalities which restrained
: them, had taken the short. straight cut to
me and peace. And, as veterans in the
no-quarter warfare of ambition. they knew
l had granted him peace on no less terms
than their heads.
They had all. even Roebuck, been drink
ing freely in the effort to counterfeit the
depression But the champagne seemed
only to aggravate their gloom except in the
case Of young Jameson. He had just sue
ceeded, through the death of his father. to
the privilege of levying upon the people OF
eleven counties by means Of trolley fran
chises which the legislature had granted
cial services to the party. 1t Is, by
the way. an interesting illustration of the
human beings lack OF thinking power that
a legislature could not give away a small
gold mine belonging to the public to any
man for even a brief term of years without
causing revolution, but could and does
give away far more valuable privileges to
plumber and tax. and give them away for
ever, without causing any real stir. How
ever-young Jamieson's liquor acting upon
mind that had not had enough experience
to appreciate the meaning of the situation.
Grove him on to fnsolent taunts and boasts,
addressed to his neghhors but intended for
me- / ignored him. and when the coffee
was served. rose to depart.
Roebuck urged me to stay, followed me to
the coat room, took my coat away from the
servant and helped me with it. Il want to
see you the first thing in the morning.
Harvey" said he.
"I'll call you up II have time" said l.
We came out Of the cloak-room, his arm
linked in mine. and crossed the corner OF
the dining room toward the outside door.
Jameson threw up his arm and fluttered
his hand in an impertinent gesture of fare
we'll so long. Senator Swollenhead." he
cried in a thick voice. We'll teach you a
lesson In how to treat gentlemen
The last word-gentlemen-was just clear
ing his mouth when Dominick's teapot,
flung with all the force of the ex-prize-
fighters big muscles and big body. landed in
the midst Of his broad white shirt-bosom.
And with the teapot Dominick hurled his
favorite epthet from his garbarge barrel
OF language. With q yell Jameson crashed
over backward: his flying legs. caught by
the table. tilted It; his conclusive kicks sent
1t over. and half the diners. including Domi-
nick. were f1oored under 1t.
All this in a snap of the finger. And with
the disappearance of the physical SEM
blance of a company Of civilized men en-
gagged In dining in civilized fashion. the last
thin veneer over hate and fury was scraped
away. Curses and growing roars made
repulsive mess Of sound over that repui-
sive mess of unmasked. half-drunken
wholly Infatuated brutes. There is shrewd,
sly wisdom snugly tucked away under the
fable Of the cat changed into a queen and
how she sprang from her throne at sight of
a mouse to pursue 1t on all tours. The best
of US are. after ALL animals changed into
men by the spell Of reason; and in some cir
cumstances 1t doesn't take much of
blow to dissolve that spell.
For those men in those circumstances,
that blow proved sufficient. Partridge ex-
tricated himself ran around the table and
kicked Jameson in the head-partly In
| needed just that vent for his rage. but
chiefly to get credit with me, for he glanced
| toward me as he did it. Men. sprawiing
and squirmfng side by side on the floor.
dashed out with feet and fists striking each
other and adding to the wild DISAGREEMENT.
The candles set fire to the tablecloth and
before the blaze was extnguished burned
several In the hair and mustaches.
Dominick. roaring with laughter. came to
Roebuck and me standing at the door. both
dazed at this magic shift of gentle
! mems dinner into a bear pit "Granby's
ghost is rasin hell" said he.
But had no impulse to laugh or to goat.
Good night" said I to Roebuck and has
tened away.
1t was the end of the attempt to mine the
foundations of my power But 1 did not
neglect It's plain warning. AS soon as the
legislature assembled publicly and strong
ly advocated the appointment of joint
committee impartially to investigate all the
cities of the state, those ruled by my own
party no less than those ruled by the oppo-
sition.
The committee was appointed and did It's
work so thoroughly that there was a popu-
lar clamor for the taking away OF the
charters of the cities and for ruling them
from the state capital 1t Is hardly neces-
sary to say that my legislature and gov
ernor yielded to this clamor. And so the
semi-independent petty princes. the urban
bosses, lost their independence and passed
under my control; and the COLLECTIONS
| which had gone directly to them reached
them by way of Woodruff as grants from
my machine instead of as revenues of their
own right.
Before this securing Of my home power
was complete 1 had my counter-attack
upon the Standardization combine well
| under way. Immediately my return to
Fredonia from the disastrous dinner. sent
for the attorney general OF the state,
Ferguson. He was an ideal combination OF
man and politician He held to the stand
possible for a man In active public life to
hold to them-far more nearly than most
men dare or. after they have become in
ured, care. to hold. He always maintained
with me firm but tactful Independence;
| he saw the necessity for the sordid side OF
politics. but he was careful personally to
keep clear OF smutched or besmutching
| work. He had as keen an instinct for popu-
larty a bee has for blossoms: he knew
how to do or to direct unpopular things on
| dark nights with a dark lantern. how to do
or to direct popular things in full uniform
on white horse. l have never ordered
any man to task that was not morally
congenal: and I was careful to respect
Ferguson's notion Of self-respect. I sent
| for him now. and outlined my plan-to
bring suits. both civil and criminal, in the
federal courts in the name Of the state,
against Roebuck and his associates Of the
Power Trust.
When he had heard, he said: YES Mr..
Sayler we can break up the Power Trust
can cause the Indictment and conviction or
Mr.. Roebuck. l can prevent the United
! States Attorney General from playing any
OF the usual tricks and defending the men
whom the people think he is vigorously