Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-10-04
When the
Votes Tied
By CLAUDE PAURARES

| } BY CLAUDE PAURARES {
! } Copyright, 1906. by W. Il. Caldwell {
G-~~~-0~-~~-~
1t was an off year in politics-that is.
| it was a bad year for the politicians.
The electors had taken the bit in their
teeth and run away, and the cut and
dried nominees had failed TO become
candidates. 1t was because of this that
Abe Hewson had been elected to the
| legislature from one of the mountain
districts. When his friends and neigh
bors had talked of nominating him he
had replied:
''Shoo. Why, hain't got no eddeca-
shun.'
Don't you reckon you need any to
lie an honest man.
But 1 can't make no speech"
The less CAB the better. Been too
much talk already"
But them eddecated critters will git
me all tangled up"
Nobody can't tangIe up a square
| man.
Abe Hewson was nominated and
elected. He didn't have to pay out q
| shilling for campaign expenses, and he
didn't make any promises. They knew
| him throughout his district as an hon
| est man They said of him as they
said of 4 January coonskin-that was
prime"
His wife was not puffed up with
pride over his nomination. She had lit
| tie to say during the campaign. 1t
was only when he came home and told
her that he was elected that she mo-
toned him TO sit down and then said:
ABE Hewson, nobody could dun say
that you wasn't an honest man when
married YOU
Il was tryin' to walk straight, TIL
da'
Fur ten years you was buyin' and
sellin' nevis. Abe, did you ever lie
and cheat in that businessi"
"Drat me, but / was so squar' that
couldn't make a livln' at IT,"
For six or seven years you have
been buyin' coon and skunk and wood
chuck skins. Have you been liar and
a cheat?"
mo, Tilda. l could have lied once
and made So on b'arskin, but shet
my teeth hard agin it,"
You kin borrow dollar of most
any man, can't your
Reckon So"
"And when man has got your word
lie depends on it?"
Pears that way"
And all this is why you've been
'lected. It's cause you've got q good
name; it's cause your a squar' man.
Abe, we uns Is pore folks. We hain't
eddecated Pianers and silks and
broadcloths are not for slch as us. We
squatted yere twenty years ago, and
we'll stay squatted till the end.
hain't maxim the least complaint over
It, don't believe I'd care to be rich
and have grand things. I'm satisfied
to 90 right along just like this, but
don't fling us down. Abe-don't uv
That"
What dye mean, Tilda p he asked.
II hain't much of n reader, but can
make out huff in our weekly paper to
know that heaps o. men are willin' to
the world. Don't part with yours. You
are goin' whar you'll he tempted. but
shet your teeth agin 1t. I'm holdin'
my head high and feelin' jest as good
as any one on this here mounting, not
bekase We've got money, Abe, but be-
kase you are squar man. If you
should lose that name you'd lose me.
I'm lovin' you as much as n wife can,
but I'm speakin' mighty straight when
l tell you that If so much as Il whisper
should come back here that you had
lost your squar'ness I'd walk off and
starve to death in the woods rather
than live on with you"
and | wouldn't he blamin' you, Til
da." quietly replied Abe as he went out
TO walk about and think
Abe Hewson went down TO the CAPT
tai OF the state in fear and trembling.
He was marked down by certain mem
bers and lobbyists rs good thing, but
they gave him time TO shake himself
down into his place There were axes
to grind on every hand but it was the
coal men who had the largest, They |
wanted charter for a railroad TO run |
to certain uudeveloped mines. 1t |
wasn't n line 20 build up the country
and accommodate the people. but to |
bring coal out to market They want |
ed a grant of state lands to recoup
themselves.
A powerful lobby, well supplied with |
money and arguments, was on hand,
Those who saw through the scheme |
and knew that Ii was a steal also |
knew that they had their hands full to |
fight It.
Abe was moving along slowly and |
trying to look ahead for pitfalls when |
the matter of the railroad came up and |
he found himself in the thick of it. He |
found himself in the position of many |
another before his time. The state |
employs no lobbyists TO protect herself. |
All the argument ana sophistry and |
money ara in the hands of those who /
would rob her. The opponents of the /
railroad scheme sat down with Abe |
Hewson and tried to make him under
stand. They found him dense, but real
lied that he wanted to be honest They
contented themselves by telling him
that it was his duty to vote against the /
bill. 1t was clear enough to Abe that
day, but not so clear tho next. The
lobby had got after him.
Your congressional or legislative lob
byist Is smart man. He is a student
Of character. He is diplomat. He is
sleek and slick. In this case when it
became apparent that the vote would
be close the Hon. Abraham Hewson
was given especial attention. Cigars
and champagne met him at every
turn. Men were solicitous about his
health. He came to know that shawls
and dress patterns and jewelry were
being sent to his mountain home. Tai
lors were ready TO measure him for |
new suits without cost to himself, and
hints were thrown out that after the
adjournment he would be wanted to
al an important position down in the
lowlands.
1uctlve to Abe. He had always been |
used to plain speech. 4 spade was
either spade OF not spade. The
sophistry OF the lobbyists tangled him
up. lie was made to see that under
certain circumstances long handled
shovel became n short handled spade.
lie was man without n grain of nat
ural vanity, but when gentlemen of