The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1906-08-02

giant ia alIes put Win MS hube uSuIcf
unshapely and ill-clad, all promise OF
greatness seemed to pause
His face. brodd-featured, colorless,
and bCardless as a boys was either q
/ blank OF an impenetrable mask. There
was no confinement in the lack-luster
/ gaze of the small, porcine eyes; no elo-
/ quence in the harsh, nasal tones OF the
unframed voice. or in the ponderous
and awkward wavings of the beam
/ like arms. None the less, before he
had uttered a dozen haltirg sentences
he was carrying the audience with him
/ step by step; moving the great con-
course of listeners with his common
| place periods as a melliiuous Hawk
/ could never hope 20 move Il.
Explain IL as he might. Loring soon
assured himself that the Honorable
/ Jasper G.. Bucks was laying hold OF the
sentiment Of the audience as though
It were a thing tangible to be graspod
/ by the huge hands. Unlike Hawk.
whose speech famed easily into denun-
citation when 1t touched on the alien
/ corporations, he counseled moderation
and lawful reprisals. Land syndicates.
railroads, foreign capital in whatever
] employment, were prime necessities
in any new and growing common
wealth. The province Of the people
was not TO wreck the ship, but 10 guide
il. And the remedy for all ills lay
in controlling legislation, faithfully
and rigidly enforced.
MY friends; I'm only plain. hard
handed farmer. as those Of you who are
| my fellow townsmen can testify. But
! I've seen what you've seen, and I've
suffered what you've suffered. Year
after year We send our representatives
to the legislature. and what comes Of
/ IL? Why, these corporations. looking
only to their own interests. as they're
in duty bound to do. buys 'em II they
can. You can't blame EN- for that:
| it's business-their business But II Is
our business as citizens OF this great
! commonwealth to prevent IT, We have
/ good laws on our statute books. but
we need more OF EN-: laws for con-
troll. with plain. honest men at the
capital. in the judiciary. in every root
and branch of the executive, to en-
force EN-. With such laws, and such
men TO see that they are executed,
there wouldn't be any more extortion.
any more raising OF the rates OF trans
portation on the produce Of our ranches
and farms merely because the eastern
market for that particular product
happened to jump a few cents on the
dollar.
NO. my friends; plain, hard-handed
farmer though be. | can see what will
/ follow an honest election OF the people.
| by the people, and for the people The
state can belt ought 10 be-soyereign
within It's own boundaries. II we rise
up as one man next Tuesday and put a
/ ticket into the ballot-box that says we
are going TO make IL so, and keep It so.
/ you'll see a new commodity tariff put
into effect on the Western Pacific rail
road the day after"
The speaker paused. and into the
| little gap Of silence barkcd a voice
from the gallery.
That's what you say. But supposin'
they don't do it,"
Loring was gazing steadlastly az the
/
/ the enthusiasm the man was evolling
in others. For one fitting instant he
thought he saw behind the mask. The
/ immobile face. the awkward gestures,
the slipshod English became suddenly
transparent, revealing the real man: a
man Of titanic strength. Of tremendous
| possibilities for good or evil Loring
put up his glasses and looked again;
but the figure of the 1ash-light inner
vision had vanished. and the speaker
was answering his objector as calmly
as though the house held only the sin
gle critic to be set right
I'm always glad TO hear a man
speak right out in meeting" he said.
dropping still deeper into the colo
| quialisms "Supposing the corpora
tons don't see the handwriting on the
wall-won't see il, you say? Then. my
friend, II will become the manifest
duty OF the legislature and the execu-
tive to make 'em see IL: always law
fully, you understand; always with a
just and equitable respect for the rights
of property in which our free and glo-
rious institutions are founded, but
with level-headed justice. and without
fear or favor"
Again the olamor OF applause rose
like fine dust on the throng-heated air,
and Kent looked at his watch.
1T is time we were going" he said;
adding: Il guess you have had enough
of II. havnt you?"
Loring was silent for the better part
of the way back to the railway station.
When he spoke It was in answer to a
delayed question of Kents.
What do think of him? don't
know, David and that's the plain
truth. He is not the man he appears
to be as he stands there haranguing
that crowd. That is a pose. and an ex-
eeedingly skillful one. He is not al
together apparent to me; but he
strikes me as being a man of immense
ssibilities-whether for good or evil,
cant say"
you needn't draw another breath
Of uncertainty on that score" was the
curt rejoinder. ''He is a demagogue.
pure and unadulterated."
! IorinR did mot attemDt 10 refute tina