Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-02-28

OIto0 WOQueFeu at TIE CdlnueSS VIII
which he bore the uncertainty. To sit
apparently unmoved and wait without
emotion for news that might change
the whole tenor of ones action would
have tried the stOicism of the most
experienced; to the novice it was well
nigh uncomfortable. And it was under
these conditions and fighting against
these odds that he sat through the long
afternoon in Chilcote's place, obeying
the dictates of his chief But if the
day was fraught with difficulties for
him it was fraught with dullness and
disappointment for others, for the I'M
dercurrent of interest that had stirred
at the Easter adjournment and risen
with added force on this first day Of
the new session was gradually but
surely threatened with extinction as
hour after hour passed bringing no
suggestion of the battle that had on
every side been tacitly expected.
Slowly and Enthusiastically speculation
and dissatisfaction crept into the. at
mosphere of the house as moment sue
ceeded moment and the opposition
made no sign Was Fraide Sinking
the attack or was he playing waiting
game? Again and again the question
arose, filling the air with a passing
flicker of interest, but each time it
sprang up only to die down again as
the ordinary business Of the day drag
ged itself out.
Gradually, as the afternoon wore on,
daylight began to fade. Loder. sitting
rigidly in Chilcote's place, watched
with suppressed inquiry the faces OF
the men who entered through the con-
stantly swinging doors, but not one
face, SO eagerly scanned, carried the
message for which he waited. Monot-
onously and mechanically the time
passed. The government adopting
neutral attitude, carefully skirted all
dangerous subjects, while the opposi-
ton, acting under Fraide's suggestion,
assisted rather than hindered the pro-
gramme of postponement. For the mo-
ment the eagerly anticipated reassem-
bling threatened dismal failure, and it
was with a universal movement Of
WEAKNESS and relief that at last the
house rose to dine.
But there are no possibilities SO elias
tic as those of politics. At half past Z
the house rose in a spirit of boredom
and disappointment, and at s o'clock
the Hobbies, the dining room, the entire
space of the vast building, was stirred
into activity by the arrival of single
Geographic message.
The new development for which
Fraide had waited came indeed, but it
came with force he had little antici-
pated With a thrill of awe and con-
sternation men heard and repeated the
astounding news that, while personal
" exercising his authority on behalf of
British traders, Sir William Brice-
Field, consul general at Meshed, had
been fred at by Russian officer and
instantly killed.
The interval Immediately following
the receipt of this news was too con-
fused for detailed remembrance. Two
ideas made themselves slowly felt-a
deep horror that such an event could
obtrude itself upon our high civiliza-
ton and a strong personal dismay that
so honored, distinguished and esteem
ed representative as Sir William
Field could have been allowed to
meet death in so terrible manner.
1t was in the consciousness of this
feeling, the consciousness that in his
own person he might voice not only
the feelings of his party, but those of
the whole country, that Loder rose an
hour later to make his long delayed
attack.
He stood silent for a moment, as he
had done on an earlier occasion, but
this time his motive was different.
Reused beyond any feeling of self con-
seriousness, he waited as by right for
the full attention of the house; then
quietly, but with self possessed firm
ness, he moved the motion for adjourn
ment
Like a match to train of powder
the words set fame to the excitement
that had smoldered for weeks, and in
an atmosphere OF stirring activity, a
scene of such tense and vital concen-
tration as the house has rarely wit
messed, he found inspiration for his
great achievement.
To give Loder's speech In mere words
would be little short of futile. The
gift of oratory is too Elusive, too much
matter of eye and voice and indiyid-
uality, to allow of cold reproduction.
To those who heard him speak on that
s night Of April is the speech viii re
quire no recalling, and to those who
did not hear him there would be no
substitute in bare reproduction
In the moment Of action it mattered
nothing to him that his previous prepa-
rations were to great extent rendered
useless by this news that had come
with such paralyzing effect. In the
sweeping consciousness of bis own
ability he found added joy in the free
dom it opened up. He cease Z Goa
slider that by fate he was Conserya