Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-09-02

66RSNV Stand1Sh. with MIN were
@S the committee chosen to con-
duct his campaign. Karl Ansel,
lean, hard-headed New England giant,
their chairman. and incidentally, cam.
paign manager, was going laboriously
over a list Of counties. towns and viii
lagos, 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 directly under the thumb of the
c. G. & X" 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 Gran
tie itself It's in the rural districts,
and in the towns that aren't depend
ent on the main line, that we must
find our strength. It's an uphill fight
at best. with"
with a million-and-a-half people
who are paying enormous taxes for
which they receive scant value, who
have thrust on them a legislature and
other officials they are forced to elect
at the Boss's order!" finished Stand
ish. Surely. it's An uphill fight that's
well worth while. IL We can wake men
to a 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 en-
thusiastic. Ansel scratched his chin
doubtfully.
'The people, as a mass, are slow to
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 optimistically,
Mr.. Standish. And don't get the idea
the people are begging to be walked.
II you wake them you've got to do 1t
against their will. Not with any help
Of theirs. Maybe you can. Maybe
you can't. AS you say. It's perhaps
worth try. Even If"
But they've been walked before"
insisted Standish. "And when they
do awaken. there are no half-meas-
ures about it. 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
q 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 be-
fore. I'll have your 'speech-route'
made out in an hour, and start man
over 1t this afternoon to arrange about
the halls and the 'papering' and the
press work. Speaking of press work,
] had your candidature telegraphed to
New York to the Associated Press
early this morning. Therell be per-
feet cloud of reporters up here before
night We must arrange to see them
before the Conover crowd can get
State papers 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 hong as the sympa-
thizer has NO money on the upper
one"
How about the sketch of the stu
alton that you were having Craig
write out, telling about the stolen
franchises. the arbitrary tax-rate. the
machine-made candidates, the railroad
rule and all that? 1t ought to prove
q good campaign document II he han
dies the subject we'll"
"Oh. he's handled 1t all right. I've
read the rough draft Takes Conover
from the very start. Tells of his boy
hood in the yards Of the c. G. & X. and
how he bullied and schemed until he
got into the management's Offices. the
string of saloons he ran along the
route and the drink-checks he made
the men on 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 buying them up,
ON mortgage. and clearing his first
big pile. And that deal he worked in
bearing the c. @. & X stock to $1.10,
and soaring everyone out and SCOOP
ing 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 throat grip on both.
and"
"Wait moment!" interrupted
Standish. els all the sketch made up
Of that sort Of thing?"
Most Of it. Good. red-hot-"
1T must be done all over, then. We