The Idaho recorder., 1922-11-24
The
Real Issue
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

SStyAtBhAs AS<<s ~ tne NAcnilkn
TT WAS near the close of a long
session-a session which had last
= ed winter and a spring and a
summer, and threatened to push itself
into the first days of autumn, when
Wharton, the western member, who
had been In the house five terms, con-
cluded to pack his valise and go home.
The campaign was growing warm.
Nearly all Of the county conventions
had been held, and a majority of the
delegates elected were instructed for
him. which insured his denomination
II the three remaining counties in the
district did not 60 solidly against him.
lie had laid his plan mechanically for
a denomination, and If he had stopped
to ask himself whether or not he really
wanted to come back to congress, he
would probably have said no. He was
tired, but he did not know why. He
thought he needed rest, that he had
been overworked, that he was played
out; yet his private secretary, who
kept the run of the pension business
and did his routine work, did not seem
tired-the private secretary even had
refused a vacation, and it was at the
secretary's own request that he stayed
in Washington.
But Wharton, the western member,
was tired-'ead tired. and he pictured
to himself the pleasures of going back
to his home in the little town of Bax-
fhx,
had seen him grow up from boy and
called him ''Tom," really were glad to
see him. Just before he had left his
rooms for the departing train his pri-
vate secretary had handed him the
days clippings; and after he had been
riding for an hour or so, while he was
fumbling In his pockets for a match,
they tumbled out in tight little roll.
de idly read them. He was used to
unjust abuse and sick of uncalled-for
praise. The first clipping was taken
from the Queen City Daily Herald; it
bore Washington date line, and was
introduced by the words, special to
the Herald" 1t read:
They say here that Wharton of the
Fourth district, Is beginning to feel
uneasy. He has received several let
ters from his district that have con-
vinced him that the Populist cyclone
has shaken down several lengths of
fence in Lee, Meade and Smith coun-
ties. Bill Heatley's strength is said to
be developing down there wonderfully.
The Hon. Ike Russell, who was here
last week looking for job as receiver
of the Baxter National bank, was in
close consultation with Wharton three
of the four nights he was here, and the
"old man" is wearing a hunted look
and Is talking to himself. They say
down III the Fourth district that 1t will
take more than "Our Tom" Wharton's
mug to explain away his silver vote.
Wharton knew the correspondent and
only smiled as he tipped the wadded
clipping out of the car window. There
was a short editorial clipping from the
same paper. 1t read:
The dispatches say that "Our Tom"
Wharton is wiggling in his seat and
trying to project his astral body in the
| Fourth district to see how his fences
are, and at the same time to keep his
corporeal body in Washington to look
after Ike Russelrs pie plate. If "Our
| Tom" doesn't fall down in his anxiety
| to keep one foot in the bloody Fourth"
and the other at the political bake
shop. he must be either Colossus of
Rhodes or "quadrille dancer"
Wharton dropped that on the floor
and read another from the Smith Coun-
| ty Farmers Friend. 1t was long and
| 2aii CT double leads and "break lines"
aud fsafics and exclamation points. 1t
was abusive in the extreme and closed
with this TRADE:
Now, let us reason together. Tom
Wharton has been in congress ten
fore entering congress, and county su-
perintendent four years before he was
Judge. Twenty years has this man
been In office; his total salary in that
time has been only $4,000. Yet he is
rated by the commercial agencies at
one-half million dollars. He has banks
and railroad stock; he owns mort
| cages and farms. Wnere ulu ne Set
them? His time has been sold TO the
people; he has been false to every
trust; he has voted with the East on
the money question; he has neglected
the farmers at every turn. He Is a
garden-seed congressman; he comes
out here and haw-haws around. and
then goes back TO vote with Wall
street. Wall street knows its friends,
and "Our Tom" Is worth one-half NIL
lion dollars, lives In a mansion filed
with hammered brass at Baxter, while
he farmer foots the bills.
Wharton knew that the editor OF the
4 Farmers Friend had been a candidate
for the post Office at Smith City; that
he himself had lent the editor money
and held his note for 500. He put
the clipping in his pocketbook with
. sigh, and looked through the other
scraps of paper. There were perhaps
, dozen-a few of them laudatory 10
an offensive degree, some clearly olos