The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1911-01-27

AS this state was the heart of
the plutocratic system so n, was
their city the heart of the states
corruption. The-great city was a
mine to be shared with no inter-
loper. And here the monopoly
had reigned supreme, by right of
might come and bosses might go,
but one and all they owed allie
glance to the one master four hun
dred miles away, whose wrath was
more feared by the politically am
bilious than the anger of God. In
return for their allegiance, the
bosses had been permitted to pill
llage the city at will-while the
people had slept on.
Tell me, you men," Paul cried
passionately, what do you think
of yourselves? What a picture!
The industrial center! Your city
the mighty. The harlot among
the cities, walking the streets and
crying the rags of her virtue to
the highest bidder Did some
man, more brave than his fellows,
protest? The city bosses, secure
in the might of their despotiC
lord and in your criminal lethargy
brazenly Haunting the dollar
brand ON their foreheads, answer
ed with the corruptionist's chal-
lenge, what are you going to dc
about 1t? And we've, corrupt
but content-did nothing.
But not all of us. There was
man in our midst, bred in their
school, who saw their power and
determined to break it. = ~
Simply, without exaggeration,
Paul sketched the local political
history, beginning with Bob's open
break with Macpherson and lead
ing up to his victory in the recent
| primaries, when Hemenway had
been nominated.
" So this man OF
steel, standing alone against the
corporate wealth of a whole state
has put your enemy to rout. To
William Hemenway he gave the
opportunity to do great work in
the cause of the people. That -op-
lportunity William Hemenway de-
clines - for obvious reasons 4!
What are you going to do about
lit?' Whom will you choose in
| his stead?
MY friends" Paul cried with a
sweeping gesture that included the
galleries in his question, Il ask
you, who of all our city is the one
man fitted to stand at your head
| and lead your fight?" .atr.a
He paused an instant, as a muir
muir of unbelieving wonderment
passed over the audience Eleanor,
following the eyes of a thousand
others, looked toward the opposite
box. But Bob was gone. Jz.a.,
In voice sunk almost to a
whisper and tremulous with sup
pressed feeling, Paul spoke again.
I'm your faces l read the an
swer. There can be but one an
swer. You may think that l per-
haps exaggerate his strength be-
cause he is my friend. He is my
friend, and therefore /, who have
sounded the depths of his heart,
know the mans mighty mold To
be friend-what is it? The fin
est thing given to man. When
the Christ came to earth, He
chose to be called The Friend.
Friendship is the mirror of the
soul; in it appear the strength and
weakness of man. This man has
been to me the perfect friend
God do so to me, if l forget. He
who is capable of such a friend
c n in hn xxrsfh
pies cause.
''Mr. Chairman" he concluded,
81 have the honor to nominate my
friend, Robert McAdoo."
He walked off the stage into
the wings, amid a perfect silence
For a full minute the audience,
under his spell, sat mute and mo-
tionless; there was no thought of
applause. Finally the chairman
started, as from a dream, and
arose. With an audible sigh the
audience stirred to life.. Paul, lis
tening from the wings and fearing
to hear applause, breathed deeply
in relief. His moment had indeed
come.
and gone!" he muttered COM
plainingly. He turned away-to
meet stern-faced man, who look
ed at him fixedly.
'Yo udid we'll, Paul." said the
stern-faced man. you've cut out
a big job for me-"
That was all. But Paul had re-
ceived finer tribute even than
the silence of the audience. Bob's
voice was husky.
Henry Sanger vigorously wiped
his brow with his handkerchief.
Cod" he muttered.
"Will you please go and bring
him here?" Eleanor asked him. 81
must know that man.