St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-11-19
NO HIDING
PLACE
By Joseph Francis Albright

Eyes, Shoestring, understand.
Clark fully realized that Verda's
loss was more than a blow to Grad
COCKS pride, it cut his prestige as
well. He had been taking all and
giving nothing back for so long
tnat his followers had begun to be-
neve him well-nigh impregnable.
AND the loss of face must have
only served to intensity his bitter
enmity engendered over the loss
VI Verda.
''All right, Shoestring," Clark
concluded, keep at it"
Sure will do that thing"
For two days Clark Was over
whelmed with the business of the
campaign, which, beginning as a
nard struggle, now settled down to
a grim one with neither side ask
ing for quarter.
From every section of the city
and state came reports that the
opposition was fighting with de-
termination that could only be met
with redoubled efforts on the part
of the incumbent party. The IN
tenslty of the fight communicated
itself to the puDlic at large and a
strong undertow of excitement
soon pervaded the picture. The
press, both back and white, was
outspoken in It's comment, and con-
Crlbuted nightly to the partisan
ship of its subscribers. Money
flowed everywhere. The support
of every person with the slightest
influence in his or her sphere was
zealously courted.
Shoestring reported that Grad
dock was making frequent trips in
Jazz Hollow and that his COM
mands to his henchmen were be-
coming more and more stern. They
had to be. For even the dumbest
person could see that some force
which remained hidden and there
fore all the more exasperating was
operating against him. Some Of
his prize stooges were leaving the
Hollow and others were cooling in
their ardor. This. despite the fact
that every indscement he could
bring to bear was being offered by
the man to whom they had in for
mer times chung without question.
Clark smiled grimly to himself
as Shoestring reported these things
to him. In other quarters of the
city he was conducting a shrewd
fight. The administration had been
fair to its Negro supporters and
upon this Clark conducted his cam
paign in a manner that was a
masterpiece of psychology. When
ever the going got tough and
WEAKNESS assailed him, he recalled
the picture of Jim Scott in his
casket and he reentered the fight
with a grim determination.
Registration everywhere went
on at an unprecedented rate, fore
casting a record vote. But no man
could say to which side this pre-
sented an advantage, if any.
Clark called Verda every day
and received her expressions Of
love and encouragement. And he
needed them, too, for the struggle
was beginning to take it's toll
physically. He began to lose
weight and was finding it increas-
ingly difficult to sleep. What a
different picture he now presented
from the man who had met Verda
on that eventful night!
And in the meantime not a word
from Inky Sanborn. Twice Clark
was tempted to go down to Hobbs
Pool Hall and attempt to contact
him, but remembering Inky's in
junction to stay out of the Hollow
until called, he refrained.
Violence reared its ugly head in
several cities. A bloody riot had
been precipitated in city upstate
when members of Clark's party
had caught vandals tearing down
their posters. No one was killed
but only the timely Intervention of
the police had prevented serious
mishap. AS it was, ten had gone
to the hospital with wounds of va
rious kinds.
And in farming community not
far from the capital, hecklers had
attempted to disrupt a meeting of
the opposition. This time there
were no police to interfere, and
several persons, including a wom-
an, had nearly been beaten to
death.
The press made capital of both
incidents and charges and counter
charges of the most vicious nature
flew thick and fast. Even pastors
entered the alteration. Sermons
Hllnd NTH nn,,rk;n xn,nnr,norntc,