The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1913-06-21

their homes. Anc. as SAID. there's
lot OF these people here tonight.
But there's lot OF other folks here
who only know me by what Islander
and jokes they've picked up around
town or in the outof.State newspa-
pers It's these latter folks I'm talk
ing to now. ! want them 10 know the.
real me: not the uneducated crook
and illiterate feller my plitical enc
mics have made me out. They can't
think I'm all bad or they wouldn't be
my guests Would they now? And
little frankness ought 10 do the
rest.
Some people say I've risen from
the gutter. Well. I've risen from i,
haven't I? lot az men on Pompton
Avenue and in the big clubs are just
where they started when they were
born. Not a step In advance OF where
their fathers left EN-. Swell chance
they'd have had II their parents had
started EN- in the gutter as mine did.
wouldn't they? Whered they be noWY
What does the start amount to-
The finish lines where the scores
counted Gutter or palace
"a mans a man for a that says
a poet by the name Of X. Burns And
4 ne was right even IL ne did waste his
time on verse-stringing. Only Il al
ways seemed pity 20 me those words
wasn't said by someone biggern a
measly poet Someone whose name
carried weight and whose words
would be quoted more Because then
more folks might hear OF IL and be
! lieye IT, | don't suppose one person
| in fiftys ever heard OF this r. Burns
! person. q never did myself, I'LL j
bought Famous Quotation book to
use In one OF my campaigns. That's
how j got familiar with the writings
OF r. Burns and Ibid and Byron and
all those rhymer people, Now, II
! some public character like Tom Platt,
1 or Matt Quay. or someone else that
/ eyerybody's heard OF, had said that
/ quotation about man being man
Caleb paused 70 gather up the loose
threads OF his discourse. This caused
him a moment OF dull bewilderment,
/ for ne was not accustomed TO digress,
either in mind or talk. and the phe-
nomenon puzzled him. lie rallied and
I went on:
but that isn't the point ] was
1 telling you about myself ! started
in the gutter just as the knockers
say did. Or down by the freight
/ yards. and that's about the same
thing. My mother took in washing
I when she could get g. My father
I went to the penitontiary for freight
! lifting when | was ten-he was a
/ stevcdore and be died there. ] was
( brought up on street where the fel-
! Ter man or boy who couldn't fight
\ had TO stay indoors And indoors was
| one place never stayed. ] began as
! coal boy in the G. q. a y. elevators;
then ! got n job firing on a fast
! freight and from that took 10 brak-
ing ON a local passenger run. Then /
was yardmaster, and then In the sup.
| 'rintcndents Office and then came the
| job OF superintendent and after that
! general manager. and ] worked my
way up till | ran the G. G. & y. road
/ single-handed Meantime ! was look
ing after your city's interests. Three
times as Alderman and then once as
Mayor. for the boys knew they could
bank on me. got hold of interests
here and interests there. Cheap. run
down interests they were. for the
most part but ] built en- up. Take
| the c. G. & X. for instance. Biggest
road in the State today. How'd II
get so? ] made H. IL was all run
down. and on it's last legs when took
hold. ! acquired IL and
lie paused once more, lighting back
that queer tendency TO let slip his
grasp on his subject.
IL remember that G. c. & Y deal.
whispered Greer 10 his wife. He
juRgled shares and pulled wires and
spread calamity rumors till he was
able TO smash the stock down TO n
dollar.ten per. lie scared out all the
other big holders. gobbled their stock
recognized. and reaped n clean FIVE
million on the deal"
Hush" rctorted Mrs Greer. This
is too rich to miss. must remember
IL al to"
So you see" Caleb was contin
uing, Il fought my way MP. Every
move was fight, and every fight was
a win. That's my motto Fight "a
win. An II you don't win. let II be
your executor. not you. that knows
you lost. But the biggest fight of al
was to come. controlled the city.
helped control the State. had al
the money any man needed, and
was spending II right here in the town
where il was earned. was a sue
cessfu man. But the man who's sat
isied with success would be satisfied
with failure. And | wasn't satisfied.
There was still one thing couldn't
get ] couldn't get one set OF people
To recognize me when they met me IN
| ~. So q, ...fr =. Kat ~,