Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-07-13

three weeks before election, had
everything In readiness for my final
and real campaign.
Throughout the doubtful states,
Woodruff was in touch with local ma
chine leaders OF Scarborough's party.
with corruptible labor and fraternal
order leaders, with every element
that would for cash price deliver a
body OF voters on election day. Also
he had arranged in those states for
the right sort" OF election officers
at upward Of 500 polling places, at
least half Of them places where sew
eral hundred votes could be shifted
without danger or suspicion. Also,
Burbank and our corps of "spellbind-
ers" had succeeded beyond my hopes
In rousing partizan passion-but here
again part OF the credit belongs to
Woodruff. Never before had there
been SO many free barbecaes, distrfbu-
tons OF free uniforms to weIl-financed
Burbank and Howard Campaign clubs,
and arrangings of those expensive pa
rades In which the average citizen de-
lights. The wise Woodruff spent
nearly one-third of my education"
money in this way.
One morning | found him laughing
over the bill for grand Burbank
rally at Indianapolis-abo s35, 900,
as remember the figures
What smuses your" said |.
pie are. never to ask themselves
where all the money for these free
shows comes from, and why those
who give are willing to give so much,
and how they get 1t back. What an
ass the public isl"
Fortunately" said l.
For us" said he.
'And for ITSELF" / rejoined.
Perhaps" he admitted. 1T was
born to be plucked and l suppose our
crowd does do the pluckins more
scientifically than less experienced
hands would
Il prefer to put 1t another way"
said /. Lets say that we save it
from worse plucking"
THAT is better" said Doc. For, on
his way up in the world, he was rap
idly enveloping what could, and
should be called conscience.
looked at him, and once more
had aualm like shame before his
moral superiority to me, We were
Flooding along on about the same
moral level; but he had assembled to
that level, while l had descended to
It, There were politicians, posing as
pure before the world and even in
the party's behind-the-scene, who
would have sneered at Docs con
science" Yet to my notion, they,
who started high and from whatever
sophistry of motive trailed down into
the mire, are lower far than they
who began deep in the mire and have
been struggling bravely toward the
surface l know a man who was
born In the slums was pickpocket
at eight years of age. was boss at
IS, administering justice according to
his lights. l know man who was
born what he calls a gentleman and
who. at As. sold himself for the hon
ors' OF high Office. And once, after
he had shaken hands with that boss,
he looked at me. furtively made wry
pocket handkerchief
The other part of our work of prep
aration - getting the Wall street
whales In condition for the "fat-fry-
ing"-was also finished. The Wall
street Roebuck and l adventured
was In a state of quake from fear
of the election of the scourge
of God" as our subsidized socialist
and extreme radical papers had dub
bed Scarborough-and what invalu-
able campaign material their praise
Of him did make us!
Roebuck and | went from office to
go the eat OF commerce.
industry and finance. We were re-
ceived with politeness everywhere
But not penny could we get. Every
where the same answer I'VE can
not see our way to contributing just
yet. But If you will call early next
week-say Monday or Tuesday"
four or Ave days away-'we'll let you
know what we can do" The most
ardent eagerness to placate us, to
keep us in good humor; but not a
cent-until Monday or Tuesday.
When l heard Monday or Tues
day" for the third time my suspi-
cions were aroused. When | heard
ii the fifth time, l understood Wall
street was negotiating with the other
side, and would know the result by
Monday, or at the latest Tuesday.