Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-09
CHAPTER w.
In Two Camps.


sat Give Standish. With him were the COM
mittee chosen to conduct his campaign
Karl Ansel, a lean. hard-headed New
England giant. their chairman, and in
cidentaly, campaign manager, was going
laboriously over a list of counties, towns
and villages, corroborating certain notes
he made from time to time, by referring
to big colored map of the Mountain
state.
I've checked off the places that are d.
rectly under the thumb of the c., G. & *,
Ansel was explaining as the rest Of the
group leaned over to watch the course Of
his pencil along the map. I'm afraid
they are as hopelessly in Conover's grip as
Granite itself It's in the rural districts
and in the towns that aren't dependent on
the main line that We must lind our
strength. It's an uphill fight at best,
with"
with a million and half people who
are paying enormous taxes for which they
them a legislature and other officials they
are forced to elect at the boss ORDER I'm
ished Stand:sh. Surely it's an uphill fight
that's well worth while, if we can wake
men to sense of their own slavery and
the frauds they are forced to connive at.
And that's what we're going to do"
The more experienced. if less enthusiast
tic Ansel scratched his chin doubtfully.
The people, as mass are $40" "
wake" he observed. "Oftener they just
open one eye and growl at being bothered.
and then roll over and go happily to sleep
again while the boss goes through their
pockets. Don't start this campaign too
optimistcally, Mr.. Standish. And don't
get the idea the people are begging to be
walked. If you wake them you've got to do
it against their will. Not with any help
of theirs Maybe you can. Maybe you
can't. AS you say, it's perhaps worth a
Even if
But they've been walked before" in
sisted Standsh And when they do awak-
en-, there are no half-measures about 1t.
Look how Jerome, on an Independent fight,
won out against the machine in 1905. Why
should the Mountain state
THE people are sleepy. by nature
laughed Ansel They wake up with
roar, chase the boss out of their house,
smash the machine and then go back
to bed again with the idea they're heroes.
AS soon as their eyes are shut, back strolls
the boss mendS his machine and reopens
business at the old stand. And that's what
you have to look forward to. But we've
been all over this sort of thing before
I'll have your speech route made out In
an hour, and start man over 1t this al
ternoon to arrange about the halls and
the papering' and the press work. Speak
ing of press work, had your candidature
teiegraphed to New York to the Associated
Press early this morning. There IL De
perfect cloud of reporters up here before
fore the Conover crowd can get hold or
them. Sympathy from out-of-state pa
pers won't do us any harm. The country
at large has pretty fair idea of the way
Conover runs the Mountain state. And the
country likes to watch good fight against
long odds. There's lots of sympathy for
the under dog,as long as the sympathlZer
has no money on the upper one.
How about the sketch Of the situation
that you were having Craig write out, tell
ing about the stolen franchises, the arbi-
trary tax rate, the machine-made candi-
dates, the railroad rule and all that? 1t
ought to prove a good campaign document
If he handles the subject WELL"
"Oh, he's handled it all right I've read
the rough draft. Takes Conover from the
very start. Tells of his boyhood in the
yards of the C. 6. & X, and how he bullied
and schemed until he got into the manage
ments offices, the string of saloons he ran
along the route and the drink-checks he
made the men his section cash in for
liquor at his saloons, and all that Then
his career as alderman, when he found out
beforehand where the new reservoir lands
and city hall site were to be, and his buy
ing them up on mortgage. and clearing his
first big pile. And that deal he worked in
bearing the c. G. & X. stock to S1.1O, and
soaring every one out and scoopng the
pot; that's brought in, too. And he's got
the story of Conover's gradually working
the railroad against the state and the state
against the road, till he had a throat grip
on both, and
Wait a moment interrupted Standsh