The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-30
THE PATRIOTISM
 OF THE J0NESES
BY II. c. PEARSON.

Copyright, 1906, by Daily Story Pub-
 fishing Co.,
 When Henry Jones and his brother, Luther were elected to the State House of Representatives from adjoining dis tricts, the same year, the occurrence was not deemed remarkable in any way.
 Arriving at the. State Capital the night before the party caucus, Henry and Luther chose a modest room which they would occupy together in quiet boarding house on a side street. There in they sat themselves down to con- slider the future.
 'Lute." said Henry. the elder brother, to his junior, I've been thinkin' over this legislative business considerable since I got elected, and the more think the more scared I am that I'll make a durned fool of myself here this session. Hain't felt that way yourself any. hev ye, LuteT'
 Yep" assented Luther with brevity. and waited for his brother to continue.
 ''Mebbe you and I don't know so much as some folks, Lute." his brother went on, but we do know that there's two sides to every question, right side and wrong one: That whenever 1t comes to a vote on anything I'll go one way and you go the other. So one of us is bound to vote right. That wipes out the other mans wrong vote and ] leaves the State just as well off as though 1t didn't have us two numbheads on It's hands for three months. Seer Lute saw and approved; and the next day at the party caucus the scheme was tried and worked to a charm. Henry and Luther were satisfied in | their honest belief that what they were l doing was for the best And the his- | tory of their legislative careers might l have ended without an incident had 1t not been for the Black Mountain Mer- ger Bill
 It is not necessary for the purposes | of this narrative to describe the Mer- ger bill in detail or to discuss its mer- 1 its. Suffice it to say that one corpor- | ate interest, very powerful in the State. earnestly desired the passage of the | bill; while another great corporation was just as earnestly opposed.
 The lobbyists swarmed upon the
 scene drawn to the State Capital Ike | flies to a tug of molasses There was open corruption and secret intrigue. Plots were laid and counter-plotted. Every string was pulled. every lever pressed, every argument used, every weakness played upon, every dark place threatened. In order to secure votes upon one side or the other. And when at last 1t came to vote Henry Jones voted no and Luther | Jones voted yes, and there was tie. The speaker could not vote. being a l director in the Black Mountain Rail ! road. and the result was deadlock. Then the fury of the fight was re- l doubled. Here the Mergers stole a
 man by giving his son Ss,o00 year 1 office. But the Ant:-sfeTEsrS retaii1ted l at legs expense by pointing out to { l "yes" member that 1t was his son who | ought to have had the place. The Mer- | gers kidnapped an Anti and sent him | to sea in a cattle boat The Antis arr ranged with the family physician of a
 ''yes' member to declare that his pa- | tient would not live the winter through
 in this climate and to pack him on to | Florida.
 None of these attacks was directed against Henry and Luther. The lead CTS of the respective Hobbies classed | the Joneses as too honest to be bought. | too stubborn to be argued with and | too independent to be threatened. The last week of the session arrived. Six | times had the question come up in one 1 form or another, and six times the vote
 had been tie.
 1 At last, the end of his rope in sight, | Jake Graham, the head of the Merger | lobby, sallied forth to seek Henry | Jones. The interview was private ana protracted, and the only report or It l ever given was made by Henry Jones ] to his brother Luther. that night In
 their boarding-house chamber. It
 chiefly concerned, 1t seemed, the deed
 to a farm in Wentworth adjoining | Henry Joues's home place.
 This deed had been placed In an en- | velope on which was written: ITO be
 delivered to Henry Jones as soon as he
 has voted in favor of the Black Noun
 tain Merger"
 Luther" said Henry solemnly. it
 looks to me like ffyin' in the face of
 Providence for me to let that farm get
 away from me now"
 ''Yes, Henry" assented Luther, but
 you're breakin' our agreement, and that | don't seem just right to me. especially | ns that farm don't benefit me none"
 Henrys assent was prompt. You're right, Luther" said he. ''As an honor able man and lovin' brother I don't
 want to break that agreement, and 1t | seems like to me as though wouldn't have to, Now I've been voting no on | this bill all the time, but after listenin' to candid and convincin' arguments l from the other side feel that l was
 wrong and ought to vote yes Well, then I have been mistaken all along,
 maybe you have been also; and with
 out attemptin' to influence you In any
 way, Luther. would advise to be lio- eraI and hear both sides"
 And so it happened that the next day Luther Jones strolled casually by the | Red Lion Inn, the headquarters of the | Anti -Mergerites. Nothing more natural l than that he should see within an old