The San Francisco call., 1908-05-24
"Kf. Crexe's Career

NtNHN NusNSi
By Winston Churchill. author Of Richard
Carvel." The Crisis ''Coniston'' etc.
Published by the Macmillan coplpany, New
York. Price Sl.Jo.
One need not have read "Coniston"
to enjoy Winston Churchilrs second
novel of contemporary American poll
tics, Mr.. Crewe's Career" but ac-
quaintance with the later story can
hardly fail TO inspire desire for knowl-
edge Of the other. Again New Hamp-
shire is the scene and. as before. IL is
the Boston and Maine railroad. though
grown more powerful, that furnishes
Mr.. Churchill with a text. Jethro Bass.
the iron boss Of "Coniston." is % years
dead. but the state is still governed
from bedroom suite of the Pelican
house by and for the railroad Cor
poration methods of administering
public affairs have, however. been i'm
proved upon and systematized. The
state boss. bargaining with the privi-
lege grabbers and delivering to them
councils, courts. conventions and legis-
latures, has given place to the chief
counsel of the railroad. running the
corporations law department with one
hand and the politics of the common
wealth with the other.
1t is curious to note how the political
and corporation groundwork of Mr..
Churchill's story fits California as well,
almost as it does New Hampshire.
Hilary Nane might be Herrin; the
Northeastern might be the Southern
Pacific; the Pelican hotel might be the
Golden Eagle or the Capital There is
the same string of kept newspapers and
the same retinue OF subservient editors
the same press bureau for the dis
semination of tainted news-and the
likenesses run further than that, even
10 fOdfNidnclc n m their frp
tions are concerned.
Mr.. Churchilrs craftsmanship i'm
proves as il natures. The least OBJ
servant reader viii note the surer touch
and the greater ease of this story over
s~Coniston,' its richer coloring, its more
generous depth and breadth OF perspec-
tive. The method is the same-the inti-
mate. confidential relationship with the
reader; the whimsical touch in char
scte- drawing; the half veiled satire.
IT suggests Thackeray. but to pursue
the likeness by any process of analysis
or comparison is to lose il.
Underneath the romance and behind
the easy satire is a deep and earnest
purpose. Mr.. Churchill has studied his
machine from life. If he brought
nothing else back from his personal ex-
cursion into politics, still that adven-
ture would be a most fortunate one for
be ia the indirect way of the novelist
one Of the reformers of American poll
tics. one OF the finders of the road back
20 popular government. "Mr. Crewe's
Career" is no fortnight arraignment
and indictment of the corporation do
ing corrupt politics. but IL is both edu-
cative Of the peoples political intelli-
gence and stimulative OF the collective
political conscience. Mr.. Churchilfs
purpose is to inform and by informing
20 arouse. And he has that same faith
IN the judgment and the power of an
aroused public sentiment that makes
Roosevelts and La Follettes and keeps
them fighting. Here, spoken by Austen
Vane, rebellious son of Hilary Vane,
the Herrin of New Hampshire, to the
president of the all powerful North
eastern. is Mr.. Churchilrs creed:
The practices by which you have controlled
this state, Mr. Flint, and elected governors and
councillors and state and national senators are
may have been from your point Of view they
violated every principle OF free government and
were they 70 continue the nation 10 which we
scum Of the world. Those practices depended
for their success condition-which in
lic--the ignorance and disregard Of the voter.
You have but 20 read the signs of the times 70
see clearly that the day OF such conditions
Is past. 10 that the citizens of this state
and this country are thinking for themselves,
as they shOuld-are alive 20 the danger and
Determined TO avert IL. You may succeed in
electing one more governor and one more
senator or two before the people are able 10
destroy the machinery you have built up and
repeal the laws you have made TO sustain il.
] repeat IL doesn't matter in the long run.
The era of political domination by a corpora
tion, and mainly for the benefit Of corpora
tion, II over.
1t is Mr. Churchills gentle foolery TO
make the career of the rich, aggressive
thick skinned Mr.. Crewe in reality not
the major motif of the story. but sort
OF background against which to set the
real actors, who are few-Flint, the
president of the Northeastern; his
daughter. Victoria; Hilary vane. the
chief counsel, and Austen vane, his SON
The love story, woven in with politics
and big business" is fine enough to
stand by itself. Austen and Victoria
are the kind OF lovers sentimental
world will ever love. The roughnesses
of their path are to be inferred from
Austen's rupture with his own father
on the question of politics. a rupture
which brings him into open warfare
with Nictoria's father; that they should
in the end find happiness together is
to be inferred from the fact that. as q
novelist. Mr.. Churchill knows his busi-
ness. the chief factor in which is &C
know the public taste-and tc
crafty it.