davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-06

province of the party. young man."
 But you are the party" was my reply. At the time I was not con- scious that I had thus easily dropped down among the hidescratchers. l assured myself that was simply stat ing the truth and ignored the fact that telling the truth can be the most degrading sycophancy, and the sub tlest and for that reason the most shameless. lying.
 Well. guess I've got little some thing to say about the party he con cluded. us young fellows that are active in politics like to see young fellows pushed to the front A good many of us boys ain't stuck on Ben Cass-he's too stuck on himself. He's getting out of touch with the com mon people, and is boot-licking in with the swells up town. So when heard you wanted the nomination for prosecutor. I told Buck to trot you round and let us look you over. Good party man?"
 "Yes-and my father and grandfa- ther before me-"
 No reform germs in your sys- tem?"
 l laughed-I was really amused, such relief was it to see gleam of pleasantly in that pernicious mass. I'm not better than my party" said I, "and l don't desert 1t just because it doesn't happen to do everything ac- cording to my notions"
 That's right" said Dominick. fall ing naturally into the role of political schoolmaster. There ain't no govern ment without responsibility, and there ain't no responsibility without organ ization, and there ain't no organiza- tion without men willing to sink their differences" He paused.
 l looked my admiration-I was grateful to him for this chance to think him an intellect. Who likes to admit that he bows before mere brute? The compulsory courtiers of deputy may possibly and in part tell the truth about him, after they are safe; but was there ever a volun- tary courier whose opinion of his monarch could be believed? The more distinguished the oourtier
Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-06

real power. The state. hoss Of our
 party, United States Senator Dunkirk. was creature and servant of corpor-
 atlons. Silliman, the state boss of the opposition party, was the same,
 but got less for his services because his party was hopelessly in the mi- nority, and It's machine could be use full only as sort of supplement and scapegoat.
 With the men at the top. Dunkirk and Silliman. mere lackeys, saw my own future plainly enough. saw my self crawling on year after year crawling one of two roads. Either should become political scullion, q wretched party hack. despising my. self and despised by those who used me, or should develop into a lack ey's lackey, or plain lackey, the lieutenant of a boss or .a boss, so-called-a derisive name, really, when the only. kind of boss ship open was head political procurer to one or more rich corporations, or groups of corporations. I felt should probably become scullion, as thought I had no taste or instinct for business. and as was developing some talent for mixing" and for dis- pensing '.hot air" from the stump
 turned these things over and over in my mind with an energy that sprang from shame, from the knowl- edge of what my mother would think if she knew the truth about her son, and from realization that I was no nearer marrying Betty Crosby than before. At last wrought myself into sullen fury beneath calm sur. face. The lessons in self-restraint and self-hiding learned in that first of my two years as assemblyman have been invaluable.
 When entered upon my second and last winter was outwardly as serene as--as volcano on the verge of eruption.
Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-06

the greater his necessity to exag gerate his royal master-or mistress ito others and to himself.
 Dominick forged on: Somebody's got to lead. and the leaders got to be obeyed. Otherwise what becomes of his party? Why, it goes to hell, and we've got anarchy"
 This was terse. pointed, plausible the stereotyped machine" argument nodded emphatically.
 Ben Cass" he proceeded, believes in discipline and organization and leadership only when they've elected him to a fat job. He wants to use the party, but when the party wants service in return, up goes MT. Cass' snout and tail, and of he lopes. He's what l call a cast iron" l shall omit the vigorous phrase wherein he sum- marked Cass. His vocabulary was not large; he therefore frequently re- sorted to the garbage barrel and the muck heap for missiles.
 showed in my face my scorn for the Cass sort of selfishness and in- subordination. The leader has all the strings in his hand" said I. Hes the only one who can judge what must be done. He must be trusted and obeyed."
 q see you've got the right stun in you, young man." said Dominick, heartily. 50 you want the job?"
 hesitated-I was thinking of him. of his bestial tyranny. and of my self respect unsullied. but also untempted heretofore.
 He scowled. Do you, or don't you?"
 Yes" said I--I was thinking of the debts and mother and Betty. "Yes, indeed: I'd esteem 1t a great honor. and I'd be grateful to you" If had thrust myself overhead into a sewer I should have felt less vile than I did as my fears and longings uttered those degrading words.
 He grunted. Well. we'll see. Tell the boys at the other table to eobe back" He nodded a dismissal and gave me that moist. strong grip again.
 As I went toward the other table each man there had a hand round his glass in readiness for the message Of recall I mentally called the roll wealth. responsibility. honor. all on their knees before Dominick, each with his eye upon the branch of the plum tree that bore the kind of fruit he fancied. And I wondered how they felt inside-for I vas then ig- norant of the great foundation truth of practical ethics. that a mans con science Is not the producer but the product of his career.
 Fessenden accompanied me to the door. The old man Is in 6 hell of humor tonight said he. His vife's caught on to a little game he's been up to. and she's the only human be- ing he's afraid Of. She came in here. one night and led him out by the ear. What a fool a man is to mary when there's chance of run hing into a mess like thati But you made hit with hIn- Besides. he needs you Your family" Buck checked himself. feeling that drink vas making him voIsble.
 He's a strong uxn. isn't heT~ said I; "a bora leader
 Nicdleweighf champion fn hfs dzY. reSlis1 Fsssenden- He ezn sun 1nek euf ssy1otx ia the nfxzzz=zr
Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-06
WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT. SATURDAY. JULY G. 1907

So another year passed. Then came hard times-real hard times. I had some clients-enough to insure mother and myself living, with the interest on mortgage and note kept down. But my clients were poor, and poor pay. and slow pay, Nobody was doing we'll but the note-shavers. r. How mother fought to keep the front brave and bright!-not her front, for that was bright by nature. like the sky beyond the clouds; but our front. my front-the front of our affairs.
Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-06

had not been long in the legisla- ture before I saw that my position was even more contempible than I anticipated. So contemptible. indeed. was 1t that, had l not been away from home and among those as basely sit uated as myself. it would have been intolerable--a convict infinitely pre- fers the penitentiary to the chain gang Then, too. there was consola. tion in the fact that the people. my fellow citizens. in their stupidity and Ignorance about political conditions. did not realize what public office had come to mean. At home they be- lieved what the understandable newspapers said of me-that I was a manly. independent young man." that l vas making a vigorous stand for what was honest in public af- fairs" that I was the honorable and distinguished son of an honorable and distinguished father How often I read those and similar eulogies of young men just starting in public  life. And is it not really amazing that the people believe. that they never say to themselves: But. If he were actually what he 90 loudly pro fesses to be. how could he have got public of1ce from a boss and a ma chfneg~
 l soon gave up trying to fool my- self into imagining I vas the serv- ant of the people by introducing or speaking for petty little popular measures saw clearly that grzft was the backbone. the whole skele- ton of legislative business. and that it's fsshly cover of pretended pubic service could bs seen only sy the biinA I szw. also. that 10 enc Ia tAs Ea<slasa ac sltex rzx9 had Rny
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17

Illinois are among the worst in the
west, and yet the farmers who are
compelled to use them do nothing to
improve them. II the Joliet convicts
were put at work on them and kept
there steadily for a few years the roads
might be made equal to those of Eng
land or France, at no greater cost to
the state than it has to bear now with
the convicts immured in Joliet peni-
tertiary.
After ten years work of this sort on
Illinois country roads, the value of the
farms of the state would be increased
by millions of dollars. Land all over
the state could be sold for twice as
much as it brings now, and with inn
proved facilities the productiveness of
the farms would grow enormously.
Why not in Illinois and in Iowa? Why
not add to the penitentiary convict the
county jail and the incorrigible drunk
ard, the wife beaten and a half dozen
classes that under present conditions
infest and afflict communities? There
is the essence Of reformatory con-
straint In the road camp and the Gu
mulative sentence.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17
a GOOD USE OF coNYlcIs.

Soon or late the state government
will learn the common sense and adj
visibility of making good roads by
means of convict and criminal labor.
Illinois employs her convicts in manu-
featuring, and the question of convict
labor has come up ilsistently there.
where last year more than $1,000. 900
worth Of goods manufactured by con-
victs came into competition with the
products Of free labor. Free labor
feels the competition Consequently
the labor unions are lobbying at
Springfield for the construction of a
new penitentiary outside of Joliet on a
farm; where convicts can be employed
without competing with free men. The
newspapers are advocs ting what the
Times-Republican has long urged, and
what some other Iowa journals are be-
ginning to advocate-tl1e employment
OF convicts. on improv =ment of the
highways.
One Illinois newspaper argues:
Would it not be COOL plan to divide
them into gangs and Sc. them to work
building country roads2 The roads Of
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17
JEFFERSONIAN AND NAIVE.
Estate Senator w. D. jameson in
His Shenandoah World)

His Shenandoah World)
And they seem to think that the
members of the legislature are an
easy bunch, and are their especial prey
The draymen charge you so cents for
hauling a little package a little ways,
the barber charges you Is cents for
n shave, milk costs cents quart
from the milkmen and 10 cents a pint
at the restaurants-on almost every
proposition the fellow who has any
thing to SELF in Des Moines doesn't
know what Short Bit is. Seems
strange, doesn't 1t, that SO many fell
lows would be so anxious to get the
people to send them up here, if condi-
lions are so bad? And / notice that
the fellows who have been here the
longest are the ones who like to come
back the best. l don't believe I'm go
ing to be that way, however
Monday morning we will all meet
at the state house at 10 o'clock and we
will start the organization. In the aft
ernoon we all meet together In the
house chamber and listen to the gov
ernor read his message, then the COM
mittees will be named. and about a
week from Tuesday bills will be in
troduced.
Since the passes have been taken
away from the members, / am rather
inclined to think there will not be so
much going home for over Sunday and
needless adjournments. They can't
get thru too early to suit me.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17
Cookie Burs.

r. j. H., Bancroft, Neb., writes the
Nebraska Farmer: "a short time ago
I bought a farm and / find that it is
pretty well seeded with cookie burs.
What is the quickest and best way to
get rid Of them?" and gets the follow
ing reply:
Tie best and quickest, as we'll as the
cheapest way, Is the unlimited use OF
the hoe. A good deal of experimenting
is being done now with copper sui
phate, but the writer must be shown
in no uncertain experiments before he
will give up advocating the use of the
hoe for this Objectionable weed. Some
even tell us that the bur grows best
upon a clay soil and If the soil is made
rich in organic matter the weed will be
shaded out and overcome by the
other crops. This may be true, but 1
have always found that if you get the
ground rich enough to kill out the
cookie burs, you have it too rich for
the crops. / have noticed that on
old COW lots that the burs fail to form
as they do upon the clay field, but |
have also noticed on the same land
that the corn would fail to form ears.
The cookie bur is an annual. That
is it lives only one year and must
be propagated the next by the seed
from this year. Many times the seed
will remain dormant in the ground
for two and sometimes more years
but if the farmer hinders any from
going to seed, he will soon have them
eradicted. . The first year the work
may be somewhat discouraging ana
tedious, but If you keep at 1t faith
fully, the second year there will be a
great decrease the third year there
will be a few, and the fourth there
generally will be none.
If YOU have the ground in corn this
wear, perhaps the best way to go
about destroying the weeds would be
to SOW the ground to small grain next
year. AS soon as the grain mas been
cut pillow the ground shallow and sow
to rape or to any crop that will thor
oughly cover the shade the ground.
Late in the fall pillow these under.
Next wear. YOU can have the ground liz
corn and keep the weeds down with a
hoe. being sure that none goes to seed.
R11t little attention need be paid the
weeds till about the first to the mid
die of July, when you should go thru
with hoe and cut out both little and
big. Generally one cut will be suf-
fcient. The next year have In small
grain and repeat the rape, and am
sure that you will have but little bother
thereafter. In this way you not only
destroy the weeds but you also enrich
the soil by turning under the green
crop Of rape.
Another way is to seed to clover
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17
An EXCISE FOR THEFT.

Pleading for higher salaries for con-
gressmen and senators, one of the Chi
cago newspapers offers in argument
the assertion that Senator Bailey OF
Texas is the victim" Of low salary.
1t is recalled by the writer Of the arti-
Gle referred to that years ago when he
was leader Of TIL, minority in the house
and hoped to be, speaker, he told him
that he did not come to congress mere
ly to be- a congressman. He wanted
power and high. station. When the
ugly stories came up about him some
months ago. he said that he had never
had any sympathy with the idea that
man could not honestly serve the
people without remaining poor. It Is
argued that "tha sense Of injustice
proceeding from the knowledge that
- nation pays It's representatives and
senators less than a living wage, has
no doubt led to traffickins with the
standard OIL and other corporate enc
mics Of the publ, good
We are heating altogether TOO
much Of this sort. of argument, which
Is not argument. but tho stock excuse
for theft. lf Sen ator Bailey's code OF
ethics and honor, or that OF any other
nublic servant, is to be based on the
elastic ground OF what he or others
NAV consider should be his salary, not
what the contract says 1t shall be, ev-
cry s45 clerk may find justification for
robbing the cash lrawer. There is no
argument in pleading insuniciency Of
pay in public office as an excuse Tor
Z the betrayal Of state or a township.
If we are to extend our sympathies to
the maudlin stage. the clerk who steals
from his employer to maintain himself
In better style Of living, or for the
greater comfort of his family, Is more
excusable than a senator who plots
with a monopoly the betrayal of the
state that trusted him.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17
Practical Feeding Methods.
(Drovers' Journal.)

Joseph Eley, of Clemens, Iowa, re-
Gently sold IA steers averaging 14O0
lbs at 1925 and head Of heifers aver
aging 1147 lbs at $3.50. Mr.. Eley
writes that 6 of the steers were 21s
years old and of them were 20
months old and that they had been on
full feed for seventy days. They were
all Angus except 8 head, which ne
bought of his neighbors. He says, i
put the calves on light feed before they
were weaned, giving them about one
third of a feed of grain consisting OF
slicked corn with shucks on and oats
mixed. They were given good grass IN
season and good clover and timothy
hay thru the winter. I began very
lightly on new corn adding to it old
corn about the middle of September.
Also three bushels of oats for thirty
seven head were given at the morning
feed All the corn was fed sliced with
the shucks on. At the finish of feed
ing period, during the last twenty days,
five bushels of oats were mixed With
thuty-five lbs. of best red wheat shorts
for the morning feed before corn was
given. The cattle were allowed the full
run of thirty acres of pasture at all
times, with large shed open at the
south and east with feed boxes all I'M
der the shelter. For water they had a
good tank supplied from a wind pump.
The nine heifers that were in the sale
with the steers were only 20 months
old and were fed the same as the steers
none of them being bred or spayed.
I know they don't often get as good
heifers on the Chicago market. The
number of hogs following the cattle
varied from ITO down to so, as l sold
them at different times. 1 sold thirty
three head at months old averaging
200 lbs, mostly Red Jerseys. In my
experience they are the best breed of
hogs to run after cattle. These pigs
were fed some extra corn and wheat
shorts in milk slop for morning feed"
81 think plenty of good corn and clio
yer hay fed along with grass is good
enough for fitting cattle for market, .
writes j. c. Rice, of NATION, one of
the oldest and best feeders in Illinois.
Last week Mr.. Rice sold a shipment of
yearling steers on the Chicago market
at 81, their average weight being 1882
lbs. "These cattle were bought in Chi
cago and were native Shorthorns,
Hereford and Angus" says Mr.. Rice.
ssThey were put on feed last February
and weighed at that time 55S lbs. The
cattle were fed on broken ear corn
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17
(By a Station AGENT

Editor Times-Republican
Dear Sir: In you recent issue of
the T.-R. notice an article headed
Telephones and Station Agents." !
would like to answer this and IL pos
sible set forth the station agents side
of the matter and in particular the
relation there ought to exist between
him and the telephone central first and
the public next.
In any town of about 1900 popula-
ton like the town of Mt. Vernon with
only one railroad and usually one
man at the station, conditions are very
much alike At a. m. the night man
is relieved by the agent and the peo-
pie of the town are waking up and
thinking that they must go out on a
train today so they must be sure they
have the right time and ten or fifteen
calls come in-"What's the time,
please?" This ought to be asked of
the telephone central and not of the
station agent. Picture to yourself
thirty minutes before a passenger
trains time the people beginning to
arrive getting their tickets and check
ing their baggage; draymen driving
UP with big loads Of travelling mems
sample trunks to be weighed and
checked, and credential tickets issued;
and two or three wishing to telegraph
to livery man two or three stations
ahead, or perhaps next station, to be
sure to meet them upon arrival of
train with team to take their bag
gage; some venerable old lady wants
to send a telegram to her son to meet
her and asks the agent to write it
for her; two or three come in with
some packages of express matter which
must go on this train; phone rings
hard and some one wants you to please
see if my mother Is there, and if she
is, would like to speak with her be-
fore the train goes; train just leaving
the other station and mail to get from
postoffice or pay fine of 81; train
dispatcher calling wildly to put out
an order for this passenger train to
meet some other at some place; and a
message or two for train men to look
for lost packages or parcels in train.
Well, what shall I do? Make run
for the mail and save a dollar fine, and
answer the dispatcher when I get
back? The good public must have
service, so get the mail first and take
chances on delaying a whole train load
of passengers. But how about answer
ing the phone, which has now been
ringing almost continuously for the
last ten minutes? Just can't do it
and he don't Then some one who got
left gets mad and reports the station
agent for not answering the phone,
and as you say a brass collar" comes
around and there is a prospect for a
change at that station. ] feel sure
that every one will agree that a sta
ton agent must keep up his station
accounts so when the train is gone and
the express has been checked out to the
drayman delivering it, and the bag
gage has been got in out of the wet,
he must deliver the mail to the post
office and get back soon as he can
to work up his station books little
Along about $3.50 to 9 a. M, a lot OF
clocks must be set again for the school
teachers, children, and parents, so their
dear little "tots" don't get a tardy
mark at school A column of, figures
are half footed up and another cal!
.for the time. please" and that column
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17

and keep in meadow or pasture for
three or four or more years. And then
pillow up, plant to corn and the first
year or so keep down the survivors
with a hoe. Cookie burs are one of the
easiest of weeds to keep down If you
are careful about allowing none to go
to seed and seeing to 1T that the AMI
mails do not scatter them over the farm
In their tails and fetlocks. Ii few
should go to seed, they should be
gathered and burned or tramped down
into the ground Sc they will not spread
over large area, and the next year
they can be cut out with hoe.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-17
(Rurlington Hawk Eye.

This has always been one of the
practical difficulties in the way OF an
otherwise desirable proposition. 1t has
been thought it could be overcome in
part at least by studying the condi-
tons carefully. The American inven-
tive mind is usually equal to every
emergency. The plan of working con-
victs might be put to practical tests,
beginning in the vicinities Of the peni-
tentiaries. Prison labor might be fur
Their utilized in preparing road mater
ial for surfacing highways. Both Of
these have already had some prelim-
mary tests and out of that experience
the legislators and county supervisors
and local road workers ought to be able
to see the next step that can be taken.
The subject is important enough to
warrant good deal of attention by the
legislature this winter.