The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-04-19

hoHeHI HdLeu Hln-nateQ myself
for it.
I heard Carlotta asking a woman in
the box next ours the name of the
woman with the white plume in the
big black hat in the seventh box on
the other side"
Mrs. Scarborough" was the an
swer
ooh. is that she?" exclaimed Mrs.
sandys, almost snatcuing her glasses
from me in her eagerness. You
know who she was-John Dumont's
widow-you remember him? she
must have been an uncommon person
to have attracted two such men"
But Scarborough was nominated
now. He waved aside those who
tried to take him up and bear him to
the platform. re walked down the
aisle alone and assembled amid tense
silence; he stood looking calmly out.
His face had lost it's Wilderness Of
few minutes before. AS he stood
there, big and still, sort OF embodi-
ment OF fearlessness, wondered
and ! fancy many others were won
dering-whether no was about to re-
fuse the nomination. But an in
atant's thought drove the Wild notion
from my mind. He could not strike
that deadly blow at his party
Fellow delegates" said he-a clear.
er, more musical voice than his
have never heard-'I thank you for
this honor. As you know, opposed
the platform you saw At to adopt
have nothing to retract. / do not like
1t. But after ALL candidate must be
bis own platform. And I bring my
public record as proof OF my pledge
that" he paused and the silence
was tremendous He went on, each
word distinct and by itself-"if ! am
eiected-a long pause-I shall obey
the constitution pause-T
shall enforce the laws!"
He was descending the aisle be-
fore the silence was broken-a feeble,
ripping applause, significant Of disap-
pointment at what seemed an anti
climax. He had merely repeated in
condensed form the oath OF Office
which a president takes at his in
auguration. But somehow-no doubt,
It was the magic of his voice and his
manner and superb presence-those
simple words kept on ringing; and all
at once-full half minute must have
elapsed, a long time in such circum-
stances-all at once the enormous
meaning of the two phrases doomed
into the brains of those thousands: If
this man is elected, there will be a
president without fear or favor, and
he will really obey the constitution,
will really enforce the laws! That
little speech, though only a repetition
of an oath embodied in our century
old supreme law, was a firebrand to
light the torch of revolution, of revolu-
ton back toward what the republic
used to be before differences of wealth
divided its people into upper middle
and lower classes before enthroned
corporate combinations made equality
before the law a mockery, before the
development OF our vast material re-
sources restored to the intelligent and
energetic few their power over the
careless and purposeless many.
As the multitude realized his mean
ing-I doubt If many times In all his
tory such sight and sound has burst
upon mortal ears and eyes. For the
moment / was daunted; it was i'm
possible not to think that here was
the whole people, not to feel that
Scarborough had been chosen presi-
dent and was about to fulfill his
pledge. Daunted yet thrilled. too.
For, at bottom, are we not all pas.
sionate dreamers of abstract right and
justice?
Then I remembered; and said to
myself: "He has defied the interests.
David has gone out against Goliath
but the Davids do not win nowadays.
will elect Burbank"
But where was the elation that
thought would have set to swelling in
the me of less than two weeks before?
And then l began clearly to see that,
for me at least, the prize to be priced,
must be fairly won from start to
goal; and to be enjoyed, must glad
den eyes that would in turn gladden.
me with the approval and sympathy
which only a woman can give and
without which a man is alone and in
deed forlorn.
Ito BE Continued