Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-08-10

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YOU'RE JUST "A L BIT LONG ON
THEORY, SON."
trail it "a find mostly and thanks it's
lucky stars if it doesn't run up against
any bridges gone OF any mudholes too
deep to ford. We've got a good man
for governor-not any too broad, may
be, but good-church good; he's a min
lister of the gospel and the president
of a church university. No man has
ever said he'd take a bride, but he
isn't heavy enough to sit on the lid
and hold it down. Alec Gordon, the
man who is going to succeed him text
fall, is all the things hat the present
governor isn't, so that is fixed"
How 'iyed|" queried the young
man, who, though he was not from
Missouri, was beginning to fear that
he would constantly have to be
shown
"ln the same way that everything
has to be fixed, if We're going to get
results" was the calm reply. After
the governor the man upon whom the
most depends is the attorney general
The present incumbent, Dortschcr, is
one of the candidates. but we've cross
ed his name Off. The next man we
considered was jim Rankin. In some
ways he's fit: he's a hard fighter, and
the man doesn't live who can bluff
him. But he's poor, and he wants to
be rich. and l guess that let's him out"
All this was directly subversive of
Evan Blount's ideas of the conduct Of
affairs political in a free country, but
he was willing to hear more. "TVell?'
he said.
what we want this time is one Of
on you'd like to try it,"
The young man who was less than a
week away from the atmosphere Of
the law school and its theories was
fairly aghast. That his father should
be coolly proposing him for a high Of
~ - ei| g " liz "uS DIS
new as the newest emigrant seemed
blankly incredible. But when the in
credibility began to subside the despot-
ism Of a machine which could propose
and carry out such unheard of things
doomed maleficent.
"Pm afraid we are a good many
miles apart. father he said. uncon-
s%ciously using Il of his fathers ia
vorite speech forms, when the pro
posal had been given time to sink in.
America is supposed to be a free
country with a representative govern
ment. DO YOU mean to say that you
and a few of your friends can set
aside the will of the people SO far that
you can nominate and elect anybody
you please to any Office in the state?'
The f%arseeing eyes We're twlnkling
again. "Oh. | Cont know about our
being so far apart was the depreca-
tory protest. YOU'RE just a little bit
long on theory, that's all, son. When
it comes down to the real thing some
body has to head the stampede and
turn it. and if we don't do it the other
bunch Will"
"What other bunch?"
"In this case it's the corporations
the timber people. the irrigation COM
panies and, most Of all, the railroads."
"Gantry seems to think that the rail-
roads are prosecuted. or his railroad at
least"
The senator pulled his horse down
to q still slower walk. "Where did
you see Dick Gantry" he demanded.
Evan told Of the meeting on the
veranda Of the club. adding the fur
ther fact Of the college friendship.
"Just happened so. did It," queried
the senator, that getting together last
Saturday night"
why, yes; I suppose 80. Dick
knew I was in Boston, and he said he
had meant to look me up"
II reckon he did," was the quiet
comment; yes, I reckon he did. And
he filled you up chock full Of Hard
wick McVickar's notions, Of course.
guess that's about what he was told to
do. But we won't fall apart on that,
son. Tomorrow we'l go down to the
city, and you can look the ground over
for yourself. / want you to draw
your own conclusions and then come
and tell me what you'd like to do.
Shall we leave 1t that way?"
Blount acquiesced, quite without
| prejudice to a Arm conviction that his
opinion when formed was going to be
based on the merits Of the case, upon
a fair and judicial summing up Of the
pros and cons.
He felt that II would be- striking NJ