Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-02-10

oonviction-which was reversed on
trial-errOrs by the higher court.
The truth was chat my power had
no existence. Dominick still ruled.
through the judges and the newspa.
pers. The press was silent when it
could not venture to deprecate or to
condemn me
But | fought on almost alone did
not fail to make it clear to the people
why | was not succeeding, and what
a sweep there must be before Jackson
county could have an real reform. /
made an even more vigorous cam.
paign for reelection than had made
four years before. The farmers
stood by me fairly well, but the
town went overwhelmingly against
me. Why? Because l was dad for
business" and, if reelected, would be
still worse The corporations with
whose law-breaking | interfered were
threatening to remove their plants
from Pulaski-that would have meant
the departure of thousands of the
merchants best customers and the de-
struction of the towns prosperity. |
think the election was fairly honest.
Dominjck's man beat me by about the
same majority by which | had been
elected.
Bad for business! the most po-
tent of political slogans And it will
inevitably result some day in the con
centration of absolute power political
and all other kinds, in the hands of
the few who are strongest and clever
est. For they can make the people
bitterly regret and speedily repent
having tried to correct abuses; and
the people, to save their dollars, will
sacrifice their liberty. l doubt if they
will in our time at least, learn to
see far enough to realize that who
captures their liberty captures them,
and, therefore, their dollars, too.
BY my defeat in that typical CON
test | was disheartened. embittered--
and ruined For in my enthusiasm
and confidence | had gone deeply into
debt for the expenses of the reform
campaign. At midnight of the cleo
ton day | descended into the black
cave of despair. For three weeks
| explored it, When | returned to
the surface, I was a man ready to
deal with men on the terms of hui
nan nature. | had learned my les,
son.
For woman the cost Of attainment
of womauhood's maturity is the beau
tiful, the divine freshness of girlhood
For man, the cost of the attainment
of manhoods full strength and pow
er is equally great, and equally sad
his divine faith in human nature, his
divine belief that abstract justice and
right and truth rule the world
Even now, when life is redeeming
some Of those large promises to pay
which | had Ions ago given up as
hopeless bad debts; even now, it
gives me a wrench to remember the
cruelcst chapter in that bitter lesson.
So certain had | been of reelection
that | had arranged to go to Boston
the day after my triumph at the
polls. For | knew from friends of the
Crosbys in Pulaski that Elizabeth
was still unmarried, was not engaged
and upon that | had built high a ro
mantle hope.
| made up my mind that mother
and | must leave Pulaski, that I must
give up the law and must, in Chicago
or Cleveland, get something to do
that would bring in living at once
Before | found courage to tell her
that which would blast hopes wrap
ped round and rooted in her very
heart, and, fortunately, befor, had
TO confess to her the debts had
made, Edward Ramsay threw me a
lifeline
He came bustling into my office one
afternoon, big and broad, and obvious
ly pleased with himself, and. there
fore, with the world He had hardly
changed in years since we were at
Ann Arbor together. He had kept
up our friendship, ard had insisted
on visiting me several times, though
not in the past four years, which had
been as busy for him as for me. Lat
terly his letters urging me to visit
him at their great country place.
away at the other ed of the state.
had set me a hard task of inyenting
excuses.
well, Welt" he exclaimed, shak-
ing my hand violently in both his.
You wouldn't come to see me, so
I've come to you"
tried not to show the nervousness
this announcement stirred Tn afraid
you'll find our hospitality rather I'M
comfortable was all | said. Mother
and | had not spread much sail to
our temporary gust of prosperity;
and, when the storm began to gath.
err she straightWay close-reefed
Thanks, but | cant stop with YOU
this time said he I'm making an
inspection of the Power Trusts prom.
critics, and I've got mother and sis
ter along. We're living in the private
car the company gives me for the