The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1912-10-10
(By Kenneth c. Beaton.)

tby Kenneth G. Beaton.)
-FOUR Years ago last March. Robert
Iait Hodge told me he was to be the
next sheriff of King county. He told
me that the paper of which l was ed
ltor was going to support him and that
TO relieve him of further daily visits
TO my office | had better confirm this
statement then and there.
| didn't laugh at him because per-
haps of the Scotch blood That courses
through my own veins. l talked to
him seriously while he was with ne
and then forgot about him when he
left. had never heard of him before
He was big, manly, outstanding fell
low, but | didn't want to invite defeat
in the campaign that was soon to be-
gin. Next day he came back And the
next day and the next. Soon | couldn't
forget him. ] found myself wondering
If it would be possible to take a great,
big, honest fellow such as he. and
build him up from an unknown to the
highest office in the county. 1t was
the first trial of the direct primary
and none of us knew how it would
work
| think Hodge realized that I was
! beginning to weaken. In any event he
seemed to grow more determined in
his attack. Finally he informed me
that he could win without any newspa-
per support and couldn't spend any
more time visiting me. 1t was then
that | capitulated
Il don't know whether We can win
or not" ! said. but were with yoa
down the line
And down the line we went For
! fifteen hours every day Hodge worked
/ in the rain and the sun. 1t mattered
not what the weather. He made n
campaign unequalled in the political
history of King county. He had no
money, but his energy was worth
thousands of dollars. He told the
people that he was without work and
needed a job and that if they would
give him the job he sought he would
make the best sheriff King county
had ever had.
The paper did it's share, but with
the odds against us ! could not hope
| for success. Then primary day came.
! ! borrowed an automobile from a
friend and Hodge and | visited the
polling places. Everywhere We went
we found men and women working for
/ Hodge. We had never seen these men
j or women before. But they We're the
most earnest workers | ever saw out
/ side of polling booth. / felt better
but lacked the confidence Hodge had
] had from the start. The paper | rep
resented did not attempt to gather the
/ election returns that night, so borrow
ed the office of friend from the win
dows of which We could see the re-
! turns as they were thrown on to the
canvas across the street from a Sec
ond avenue newspaper office.
The men who were handling the re-
turns in the newspaper office must
have been more greatly interested III
other offices than that of sheriff. fo-
We heard from every one OF them h..
fore 1T last there flashed across the
canvas the words.
Hodge is making a wonderful rnl
for sheriff.
In my minds eye ! can see those
! lines now just as clearly as they ap-
pear before me upon the page OF pa
per on which ! write. / don't know
what comment I made, or whether |
yelled or whether l cried, but ! do re-
member that Hodge turned to me, and.
/ interrupting a story he had been tell
ing about coal mine experience, re
marked:
Didn't tell you?"
And then, much to my disgust, he
! took up the story where he had drop
ped it and refused to permit further
returns to again interrupt. 1t seemed
i impossible, but it was true. Against
] field of men supposed all of them to
be stronger than he. he got more votes
than all of them put together.
Since that time / have known Bob
Hodge under stress of all sorts of po-
litical conditions. have seen prose-
cutting attorney, fighting him bitterly
for some fancied or real grievance, Sc.
cure his Indictment by grand jury
and | have seen a representative OF
that prosecutor go into court, beaten
and crestfallen, to inform the court
/ that he could not hope for a convic-
ton and suggesting dismissal. And
/ the dismissal followed.
! know of an indictment wherein
only recently the manager of candi-
date opposing Hodge went to the fore
man of King countys last grand jury
with the suggestion that if that jury
had found anything reflecting upon
! Hodges integrity that such inforIna-
ton should be given to the public.
And ! have heard the answer OF the
! foreman:
I'VE investigated Hodges office
thoroughly he said, and when the
grand jury adjourned every man on it
went home with the knowledge that
Bob Hodge was a thoroughly honest
man and a thoroughly efficient public
servant.
| have known Bob Hodge to be
tempted with large sums of money.
tempted when sickness in his family
was eating up every dollar of the mea-
ger salary the public pays to it's serv-
ants and ] know that he always turn
ed the tempter away.
Bob Hodge has made political mis-
takes-one that lost him some of mis-