The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-09
HIS HERITAGE.
BY D. H. TALMADGE.
k-opyright, 1905. by Daily Story Put
 fishing Company) -

BY D. H. TALMADGE. k Copyright, 1905. by Daily Story Pub fishing Company) It is to be stated at the outset that environment has little to do with the making of 6 politician. A man IS either a politician or he is not. The matter of being in the game has noth-' ing to do with 1t. Put him in a po- sition to watch the play, give him every opportunity to learn the process, if you please, but 1t will not make a politician of him unless he is already a politician. Politics Is science or instinct. Some people do not know
 this. and they are fed upon by those who do. Thomas Bushrod was a politician. He himself was not aware of the truth any more than were the other residents of Clover Center. Neither was he, in the beginning, aware of his antecedents. He had been brought to Glover Center by an official of certain city society. which makes a business of finding homes in the less congested districts for unfortunate children. and had been adopted by Samuel Bushrod, dealer In general merchandise. His own name had been lost in some mystery. He | did not care particularly about this. A name Is nothing more than con- venience for purpose of Identification.
 
 | life in the Bushrod home his identity l had become established firmly enough. l He was happy. The simple existence
 of the village satisfied him. He more than justified the hopes and realized none of the apprehensions of the good | man and woman who had taken him to l their childless hearts.
 When he was 21 years old he went 1 into politics actively. He could not | explain why. No one had urged him
 to do SO. He announced himself in .
 matter of fact way as a candidate for | the office of town clerk. He was elect l ed. Two years later he went into a fight for the ofiice of county recorder.
 He won the fight. But even with this
 showing his talent was not fully recog- nized. Recognition requires under | standing, and the understanding of the political leaders in Clover County was limited to their own notion of things,
 which was not, owing to natural req
 sons, very much of a notion. It lacked | the real essence.
 Afterwards, when he had declined a
 reNomination to the recordership, and | had been elected to the chairmanship of the County Central Committee of | his party, they began to realize hazily
 that he was something more than an
 is regarded as an accident until proof Is forthcoming to the contrary.
 In c way they were proud of the 1 boy. They wagged their heads wisely
 and prophesized that some day he would be politician--if he didn't slop over. They could see that he had the right stuff in him all right. He was a | mighty smart young chap. But had
 anyone told them that at that minute he held tho party vote of Clover County l in the palm of his hand they would have laughed scornfully. Had anyone
 told them that he was to be the Gov
 ernor of the State, and a power to be | would not have laughed scornfully or
 otherwise. for temporary paralysis would have prevented. Yet such was to be his future.
 | Now 1t is understood, of course, that l there are many methods of gaining a
 political end. and that often times the
 method which Is upon the surface is
 not the method which is accomplishing
 the purpose. Things political. under
 intelligent. direction. are less what they l seem than some other things Which
 statement may be substantiated.
 Had Thomas Bushrod shared the con- l fidence of his party associates in the | apparent apathy of the opposition dur 1 Ing the campaign of 1SS- results
 would have been vastly different from what they were. A man would have been sent to the Legislature from I Clover County who would have voted
 according to the dictates of certain selfish gentlemen whose interests were l endangered by proposition to estab- | fish railway commission in the State. | These gentlemen voiced no protest
 against the proposition. They were | too shrewd for that. They simply
 lined their pockets with money and
 went forth like humble missionaries
 into the highways and byways. And
 it was not a great while until they
 knew pretty we'll the lay of the land.
 Carefully. county by county. they can
 vassed the State. searching for local | prejudice and working upon it, seeking | out moral weakness and panderine to | r.. saying nothing ss to the real issue
 at stake. placing dollar or a hundred dollars here and there, sparing no ef-
 fort to defeat tho 'e legislative candi-
 dates who had succeeded of nomination
 despite the devices employed to pre-
 vent
 The thing narrowed down presently
 to one county, and that county was Clover. There among unsuspecting
 country folk. some of whom do not | know of 1t to this day, the great bat
 tie centered. It was great battle,
 though silent one. No red fire was | burned. no brass bands prayed, no
 spellbinders piled their gentle art.
 The county had for twenty years
 voted with the party to which Thomas
 Bushrod belonged. It was considered
 safe-impregnable. Its citizenship was
 of a high order of intelligence and of
 a high standard of morality. It would
 have been all a mans life was worth
 to attempt to buy votes there. The
 very suggestion of bribery would have
 been ridiculous. Nevertheless Thomas | Bushrod scented danger. He said noth- | -
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