The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-04-25


like all others who have won in the /
conditions of this world of men till /
thrall to the brute, have had to use I
the code of the jungle. In climbing 1 /
have had to stoop, at times to crawl. I
But, now thar I have reached tho top, (
shah stand erect. l shall show that /
the sordidness of the struggle has not (
untitled me to use the victory. True,
there are the many and heavy polit-
ical debts I've had to contract in get
ting Burbank the presidency; and as
we must have a second term to round
out our work, we shall be compelled
to make some further compromises
We must still deal with men on the
terms which human nature exacts.
but in the main we can and we will
do what is just and right, what heirs
to realize the dreams of the men and
women who founded our country
the men and women like my father
and mother
And my mothers grave, beside my
fathers and among the graves of my
sisters and my grandparents, rose be-
fore me. And I recalled the pledge 1
had made there in the boyish begin
nings of my manhood and my career.
MY chance and Burbank's," said I,
comes just in time. We are now at
the age where reputation is fixed;
and our children are growing up and
will soon begin to judge US and be
judged from u.s."
Years Of patient sowing, thought I,
and at last the harvesti And what a
harvest 1t will be! For under the
teachings of experience l have sown
not starlight and moonlight but
seeds.
The next morning I could not rise;
it was six weeks before / was able
to leave my bed. During that saw
age illness I met each and every one
of the reckless drafts | had been
drawing against my reserve vitality.
Four times the doctors gave me up;
once even Frances lost hope. When
l was getting well she confessed to me
how she had warned God that he
need never expect to hear from her
again if her prayer for me we're not
answered-and l saw she rather sus-
pected that her threat was not unas-
sociated with my recovery.
Eight weeks out of touch with af-
fairs, and they the crucial eight weeks
of all my years of thought and action!
At last the harvest, indeed; and I was
reaping what I had sown.
In the second week of January I re-
VOTED against the doctors and nurses
and had my political secretary,
Wheelock, telephone for Woodruff
the legislature had elected him to
the senate three days before. When
he had sat with me long enough to
realize that I could bear bad news,
he said: Goodrich and Burbank have
formed a combination against you"
How do you know?" said I, show
ing no surprise, and feeling none
'Because"-he laughed-'T was in
it, At least, they thought so until
they had let me be safely elected. AS
nearly as 1 can make out, they be-
gan the plot about ten days after
you fell sick. At first they had it
on the slate to do me up too But
the day after Observation-Disclosures sem
for me
wait a minute" interrupted AnC
I I began to think It was on Christina:
day that Burbank telephoned for The
first time in nearly three weeks, in
curing about my condition. l remem
bered their telling me how minut,
his questionings were. And l haC
thought his solicitude was proof O
his friendship! Instead, he had beer
inquiring to make sure about the re
ports in the papers that l was Ger
tain to recover, in order that ht
might shift the factors in his plot &C
cordingly. when did you say Bur
bank sent for your" 1 asked.
"On Christmas day." Woodruff re
Piled
I laughed; he looked at me inquir
ingly. Nothing" said l. "Only al
old joke-as old as human nature G.
on
Christmas day." he continued; :"
didn't get to him until next morning
l can't figure out just why they in
vited me into their combine"
But 1 could figure it out, easily. I
I had died, my power would have dis
integrated and Woodruff would hav
been no use to them. When the
were sure I was going to live, the,
had to have him because he might b
able to assassinate me, certainl
could so cripple me that I would
as they reasonable helpless unde
their assaults. But it wasn't neces
sary to tell Woodruff this, thought
Well" said I, and what hal
pened?"
Burbank gave me a dose Of hi
great and gracious way'-you ough
to see the side he puts on now
and turned me over to Goodrich. H
had been mighty careful not to Civ
himself away any further than that