The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-01-09
HIS RISE
TO
POWER
By Henry Russell Millel
Author Of
1.-THE Man Higher Up"
Copyright. M, BY the 6obbs.Mesri1
Company


rises. The air becomes charged WITH
an unnatural excitenent-the sense Of
an occasion bred Of the strange lights
and hustle and the presence Of many
men. John between handshakes has
time to feel it. His tagging soul. jaded
by much questioning, leaps forth sud
denly responsive. These men are-the
people. The power of 1.-THE power
and the glory. He thrills under q
sense of oneness with them. Murchell
ard his machine. Sheehan and his con
troll seem far away, unreal, impossible.
The candidates, properly acclaimed.
and their party Of distinguished citi-
Gems are on the platform. The benches
are filled. Around them stands fringe
Of men. mostly farmers, who In the
rush for seats have been too slow.
John. sandwiched In between Sheehan
and Congressman jenkins, looks out
over the audience. a strange question
In his eyes. He is seeking reason
as though it were to be found written
on the faces of the men before him.
The speaking begins. After short
preliminary speech the chairman intro
duces Beck, candidate for treasurer, as
incOnSderable now as he will be when
In office. Then comes PARROT. a ia
nous corporation lawyer. whose fea-
lures somehow suggest that he is well
named. He is adept in the use of those
phrases which elicit enthusiasm, but do
not convince After him Mark Sherrod
state senator. a tall. suave man with
magnetic something about him. One
Of his eyes has a slight cast and gives
his face sinister expression which not
all bis undoubted attraction can re-
move. lie is !; coming man. Already
a power in the big eastern city. it is
whispered that he Is planning to sue
coed Beck in the treasurership. And
after him the Hon. g. Washington Jen
kins, congressman from the district
Lincolnian in figure. shrili and nasal of
voice. but with the old campaigner's
fund of stories and rough and ready
el0quence that catches the crowd iD
spite of his time worn arguments
The front seats roar their approval
From the fringe Of farmers. Jim Shee-
han observes, comes only grim silence.
There is an uneasy sense that Jerry
Brent's suspicious have not been an.
wered.
Through it all John sat, hardly NOV
ing. But within him was tumult. He
was contrnstinr the grandiloquent. vir-
tUo. - p'irsses 18th the machine as he
hid seen it. A d he knew that in the
dev'ou d KS IT which he could not
help herring hints In his campaigning
he had caught but glimpse Of the
thing-the machine He did not believe
that good employs evil to it's ends; by
its agencies cause was to be Judged.
He sighted along the line Of those who
profted by it-Sheehan, Beck. Parrot.
Sherrod, Murchell. The line was lost
In the mist of his incomplete knowI-
edge. This knowledge, his ranking
suspicious. Brent's Questi0nings. rose
up to confront him. demanding a ''rea-
son." He could not find 1t. And the
peOple-the sturdy, patient, hard headed
men out there were they such dolts as
to be fooled by the hollow mockery be-
ing enacted before them? He could
not believe it. And yet he-he who
doubted-was expected to play a part
in the mOckery, to give the lie to his
inner consciousness, to befog the issue
In the minds Of the listeners. to take
his place in the ranks Of the machine.
The speech in his pocket burned to the
skin.
The tumult was still raging when the
Hon. Wash jenkins concluded his ford
peroration and the applause died down
Vaguely. as from distance. John
heard the chairman introduce New
Chelseas candidate" and the sudden
cheers that rose. He did not realize,
although Parrot and Sherrod did, that
In the cheers was quality not felt in
the other greetings that night. He rose
mechanically. He hardly knew when
6heehan, grasping his arm, shouted
into his ear: Don't forget the state
ticket Play it up hard"'
He stood silent before them. The
we'll conned speech. with it's smooth
periods the dramatic cimaxes, to
self so beautifully, refused to be ut
tered He could not speak the lie he
had prepared; a reason he had not.
At last words came, in a dry, sup
pressed voice. He did not mean to be
facetious. and no one laughed at his
grave. protesting irony.
1--WE have heard tonight Of the past.
Elories of our party. and Of glories
that are Of the nation. shall not re.
peat. lest repetition dull their point
have been asked not to forget the
state ticket. in fact. to play it up hard
! need hardly speak for the gentle
men who have so eloquently spoken
for themselves. presume they do no.
wish to be saddled with responsibility
for any Of my shortcomings, nor do ]
wish to be judged by theirs am
candidate for Office. If you think me
the sort of man to administer that OF.
fee honestly and well. without fear or
favor. and as my own man. shall be