The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-10-06
(Continued)

Continued
What took place behind the closed
door Of the siJunE room in the BI0unt
suit is not a matter of record, and
Evan Blount. sitting beside Patricia
in Mrs. BIount-s private sitting room
and concluding 4 lasting peace with
his fathers wife, was too happy to
care very much. But after a time
the summons for which he had been
waiting came, and he went-almost re-
lucfantIy-to join his father in the
room Of conference
HAS Mr.. SIcVickar gomez he ask
ed. finding his father sitting alone.
Yes: he's eore-gone to order out
his car and go back to Chicago was
the slow spoken reply. Then, with the
quizzical smile wrinkling at the eye
corners. How does the political
~restle strike you by this time, SOM"
1T strikes me that I haven't been
in it-not even in the outer edges of it,
dad Isn't that about the size of it?"
"Oh. no; you've been doing good
work-nighty good work, for your
company McVickar recognizes it.
You've helped out in the only way
that help could come in this campaign.
You've worked up good. healthy pub
lie sentiment in favor of a square
deal for everybody. NIcvickar was
6Sfng TO lose it all; cooking the regis
1ration lists and buying votes and
making deals right and left, the same
as usual But it's all off now, and
he's gone. and we're going to have one
clean. straight up and down election,
son. The machine says So"
The machine?'' queried the younger
man
Yes; you didn't know that a ma
chine organization could be put to any
really righteous use, did you, boy?
But this is one time when it has gone
in to knock out the crool1edness, big
and little. Listen, son. When you
wired me that you were coming out
here I lay awake nights thinking how
I'd put you restraining and then when
the time came I'd help you up into the
saddle, and make you the boss of the
roundup. as I'd been Want to hear
the rest of itE'
Biount nodded
Then it came over me all of a sud-
den that I'd been as crooked as a dogs
hind leg: that we'd all been crooked.
Not that I'd ever taken a dollar for
my personal pocket for haven't, but
I've bought and sold and dickered and
Echemed with the best of 'em and the
worst OF 'em, just as NfcVickar's been
doing for the past two months. Then
I asked myself If I'd like to see you
vallowing in the same mudhole, and
well, Evan. you may have son of
your own some day, and then you'll
know I thought I'd try you a little
et first, and I did-that first day out
at Wsrtrace. When you ripped out at
me that day made up my mind right
then and there that I'd put the whole
power Of the machine as you call it,
into one campaign for a clean election
ard square deal
Ny heavens calculated the son.
and I've been fighting you and your
organization at every turnP'
80. you haven't" was the quick re
soinder. You've been fighting graft,
End that was what you thought you
wore hired TO do. AIcVickar wasn't
playing just fair with you. He gave
ycu your job in the first place to take
you away from me, but you've been
n the hands Of your friends right
from the start, Evan. It was the or
ranization that gave you all these
chances to preach the new gospel of
the square deal It was the organiza-
ton that pushed Hathaway up against
you. so that you'd know that the rail
road people were running around in
the same old circles, holEering for jus
sice and doing everything they could
70 defeat the ends of muddy
ting the spring because, they say, they
don't know what else to do.
lastly, it's the organization that's
going to see to 1t that your word to the
people of this state is made good, SON.
Maybe wen never be able to do it
again. but this one time we shall do it.
Gordon IS going in by the biggest ma
5ority ever given to a governor of old
Sagebrush, and the legislature will be
I'VE to one in favor of the square DEAL
The younger man left his chair and
<zzked to one of the windows to stand,
looking down upon the lights of the
h1ET street. When he turned again 1t
WIS to say, ct don't see where L am to
break in, dad
you have already broken in. While
the legislature is going to be anti-cor-
poratfon. 1t IS also going to be fair
deals have been called OF and can
celed- You're the man to show the
lawmakers that this has actually been
de1e- McVickar made a hard and fast
point Of that when he consented to
wipe the slate clean and go away and
let us run our politics to suit our
selves He made me promise to put it
Up to you fair and square, with a hand
some increase in salary and an IRON
clad agreement to back up every claim
you should make when you assert that
the railroad company viii fire the first
man that is caught evadihg the laws.
Thacs what Pxe been fighting for in