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Show I When the Governor Left the State I By M. F. CUNNINGHAM I AN HISTORICAL STORY I (By request of a number of subscribers we republish this story. Ed.) CHAPTER I. Anticipation ran riot in the capital of the Empire state of the West. The President of the United States, the idol of the West, was to be the guest of the city. Already the blare of the horn and the explosion of the cracker gave promise of what was to come. Everywhere Every-where there was bustle and rush and excitement. In the armory members mem-bers of the guard were burnishing their trappings. In a thousand ' , homes fair daughters were arming for the conquest. There was to be a parade in the niorning, and such a parade. Few bince the beginning of time would compare with it. The soldiers from the fort, the national guard, the governor and his staff, the fire department, depart-ment, the poljce department, the civic organizations all were to be in line. But best of all, casting all else into the shadow, the Rough Riders, the cowboys and the Bannock Indians were to pwoop down upon the city. From the ranches, the hills and the plains within a radius of a hundred miles they were coming in countless numbers. Oh, it was to be glorious. All the stores were to close. Citizens were to be packed to the point of suffocation for blocks and blocks on Main street. Flags, banners and colored lights were already in place. The President in an open carriage was to ride the full length of the l'ne of march that all loyal citizens might greet him with a cheer, i Even on the day before the reviewing stand in front of the state I house was gorgeous with the national colors. There the school children, chil-dren, twelve thousand strong, were to be banked in the form of colors of the American flag, and there they were to sing "America" for their President. There also, in an open space in front, the Rough Riders, the cowboys and the Bannocks were to give their President an exhibition exhi-bition of wild life on the plains. In the afternoon but this was not on the printed program the President was to steal away for a surreptitious mad dash with the I Rough Riders through the country. The dinner at the home of Sena- 1 tor Keith was to be exclusive. The party was to include but twenty f of the leading men and women of the state. In the evening the great auditorium was to be jammed to the doors the President was to speak. The great organ was to belch forth "Hail to the Chief" at the opening of the meeting, and the whole great audience was to join in the "Star Spangled Banner" at the close. Little sleep for the capital this night. Already Governor Sharp and staff in full uniform, accompanied by the members of the Supreme Court, all the state officials and all the party leaders were on the way to meet the President and escort him to the city. Thousands had assembled at the station to yell God speed as the special train pulled out. Bulletins were to be sent back reporting progress. Waiting patriots were to know the exact minute when the President and the governor clasped hands in Cheyenne; booming cannon were to announce an-nounce the entrance of the President into the state; pandemonium was to greet the President on his arrival. Mayor Roylancc, who never made a speech in his life, was to present the President with a key to the city made of solid gold. Perfect weather was guaranteed. On the surface not a speck threatened to mar the glory of the coming great day. And yet, even in human affairs, it is the unexpected that so often happens. CHAPTER II. The special train bearing Governor Sharp and his party was still plunging eastward over the barren stretches ,pf Wyoming when Judge Warwick J. Oliver and Challis Randolph met on the principal street corner of the capital. It would be. difficult to present a stronger physical phy-sical contrast the judge grizzled, dry and refined; Randolph rough, burly and out-spoken. The men were still exchanging greetings when they were joined by Lawrence O'Neil. From light talk the three drifted into earnest discussion. Calhoun of the Times, on the opposite side of the street, had his attention called to the discussion. "There's a hen on here," he con-,4 con-,4 fi fided to himself. "When Oliver, the statesman out of a job ; Randolph, president of the state senate, and O'Neil, the state chairman of the Opposition, get their heads so close together there is trouble in the air for someone. I'Jl just keep an eye on that trio." When the .three politicians passed down the street and entered the Royal the newspaper man followed them. They were seating the'm- selves at a table in a retired nook and still in an earnest whispered H discussion as he entered. He took a seat near the door. H "Hello, Cal; you're around early. What will it be to-day?" H This from a young fellow in a white apron who stepped up. H "Hello, 'yourself, Joe," was the response. "What will I have? H Well, now, between you and me, Joe, what I would like better than H anything else in this world just at this minute wpuld be to know what H the three guys in the corner are talking about." H "Oh, it's some little political game, I expect. Just as I came by I H heard Larry saj' to Randolph : 'Well, you could appoint him if you had H the nerve.' " H Appoint him if he had the ncrye. Appoint who? Appoint tp what H office? What power of appointment did Challis Randolph possess? H True he xyas still president of the state senate, but what did thaf H amount to? Long and hard did Calhoun puzzle over this while hip H coffee grew cold and friends passed in and out unnoticed. Then like a H flash came an inspiration. He ran for his den in the Times office and I pulled out his copy of the state statutes. He was right. There it was, I not in the statutes but in the state constitution : H "In case of the death of the governor, or his impeachment, re- I moval from office, inability to discharge the duties of his .office, res- I ignation or absence from the state, the power and duties of such office I shall devolve upon the secretary of state until the disability shall I cease, or until the next general election, when the vacancy shall be I filled by election. If during the vacancy in the office pf governor, the I secretary of state resign, die or becoirie incapable of performing .the I duties of the office, or be displaced, or be absent from the state, the I president protempore shall act as governor until the vacancy be filled I or the disability cease." ' I Challis Randolph was governor of the state witli p6wer to ap- I point a United States Senator to fill the vacancy. " I Calhoun broke into a cold perspiration as tlie full significance' of I this dawned upon him. Governor Sharp and Secretary of State- "Mc- I Lennon were both out of the state, thus affording the' Opposition' -an I opportunity for a coup that would upset his party in the state; and I throw a complete wet blanket on the reception to the President. I Still greater things were at stake. The tariff bill was hanging in I the balance in .the senate in Washington and one vote added to the I Opposition at this time might mean a complete rout for the national I administration. Calhoun knew that it was these things that Oliver, I Randolph and O'Neil were discussing in the Royal. He knew, too, I that actipn would not be Jong delayed. These were not the men to let I such an opportunity slip. I The circumstances leading up to this crisis were not to the credit I of the Opposition. It had an overwhelming majority in the previous I Legislature as a result of the silver issue. A United States senator I was to be. chosen. Oliver, the judge ; Prince, the orator, and McGraw. I the mining magnate, were the leading candidates. The party, split into I three factions. Neither would agree to caucus and a' deadlock fb'l- I lowed. The last day but one of the session came ; McGraw had-thirty- I one votes on joint ballot and thirty-two wpuld elect The air Was full I of the talk of bribery, and .after the reading of' the journal .the -ex- ' I plosion came. Lawrence pf Cache county arpse ,tb a question of per- I sonal priyilege and gave the details pf an attempt-to bribe him. Then I there was ah uproar; investigation wis demanded, and the .upshot of I it all was that the Legislature adjourned without electinga senator. I Calhoun was familiar with all .this. jje was. also familiar with the governor's reasons for not filling th,e vacancy. One of these was po- I litical, the other was personal. The vacancy, so long as it existed, would advertise the incompetency pf the Opposition; the .governor's I own chances for a seat in the senate would be .doubled if there Were I two seats to be filled at the end of his term as chief executive. I No better party man lived than Horace P. Calhoun. He recalled I the fight that Challis Randolph as president pf the senate .rnade to I secure the election to the United States senate of Judge. Warwick J I Oliver. He knew pf the close relations existing between e twp men. I He saw .it all, The appointment of Ohv.er now would carry tonster- I nation into the ranks of the party in power. Jt would also ,give I Randolph' and Oliver sweet revenge on the factions in Jheir own party I that had fought thern so bitterly. All this passed through Calhou; aihd in Jess .tfme .tjian it takes I ki I a Q-Ck T' he k?ew' 4 f Ae game was to I be blocked. He acted promptly and with precision". I (Continued on page 12) I WHEN THE GOVERNOR LEFT THE STATE (Continued from page 7) CHAPTER III. "Great God, but here's -a state of things." , This cry fell from the Hps of Governor Jerome Y. Sharp. He held in his hand an open telegram and there was a black scowl on his brow as he looked around him. He was Standing, on the platform of the railway station at Cheyenne. He and lite "party were about to embark in carriages for a ride "over the city when the message was handed-rrimr His train from the w;'s.t'had arrived tcii minutes before, and it would be some hours before the President's special pulled in from the east. Members of the governor's party crowded about him to ascertain the cause of his excitement. "Where's McLcnnon?" he demanded, brushing aside their anxious inquiries. He was told that the secretary of state had just whirled away in an automobile to visit his brother's ranch five miles in the country. The language that followed this announcement was strong even for a governor. He passed the telegram around. It read : "Randolph acting governor. ' Is appointing Oliver senator. - You or McLcnnon must go back at once. CALHOUN." A hurried council of war followed on the platform while the carriages car-riages stood waiting. There was' but one thing to be done the governor gov-ernor must beat a hasty retreat. This attack in the rear must be met. In the shortest possible time an engine with one car attached was at the station headed for the west. "Can you get me to Junction City by 4 o'clock?" the governor asked the engineer. "Junction City or hell," was the response of Engineer Tom Stur-gis, Stur-gis, and the start was made. To this day along the line of the Union Pacific they tell of that wild run. At Rock Springs the special was held up twenty minutes waiting for the Overland, and all this time the governor paced the platform like a tiger in leash. From Rock Springs to Green River the track was clear. The single car swayed and jumped after the snorting engine. A strong smell of brimstone mingled with the smoke that floated back over the track as the governor gov-ernor reviewed the situation. He was well aware of what the success of this coup of the Opposition meant to his party, not only at home but in Washington as well. At Green River a freight was sidetracked for an hour to let the governor pass. Here a message was dispatched to Calhoun and the fight was resumed. Tom Sturgis announced the special ahead of time and the governor began to whistle "Annie Laurie." He whistled too soon. At Echo he was informed that just ahead freight cars were derailed, de-railed, and that it would be impossible to get through for three hours. Three hours. Three hours' meant defeat. Again the governor fumed. Dan Kelly, the section boss, ventured a suggestion his handcar. hand-car. Handcar, yes. Anything under heavens to get to Junction City, thirty miles away ten dollars for each man of the crew if the trick was turned. Within three minutes the handcar with the governor aboard was flying down grade from Echo. A final spurt at Junction City' landed the governor on the 4 o'clock train for the capital. At the' capital he was across the platform and in the car Calhoun had waiting for him before the train came to a full stop. "God bless you, Cal; but arc we in time?" was the hurried greeting. greet-ing. "Afraid it's all off, Governor ; but we'll try for it," and away they flew thrpugh the city in utter disregard of the speed limit. CHAPTER IV. Leaning back in his easy chair in the office of the secretary of state, Col. George B. Thomas was dreaming; dreaming of the morrow, mor-row, when as' marshal of the day, astride of his prancing charger, with his red sash across his breast and his sword clanking at his side, he would direct the parade in honor of the President. Pictures of Phil Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley and John A. Logan at Atlanta persisted in floating through his brain. Then came the rude awakening. Challis Randolph, Judge Warwick War-wick J. Oliver and Larry 0'iTcil filed into the office. "Colonel," said the leader of the trio in his deep voice and with much dignity, "in the absence from the state of Governor Jerome Y. Sharp and Secretary of State James T. McLcnnon it devolves upon me as president pro tempore of the senate to assume the duties and responsibilities re-sponsibilities of chief executive. You arc no doubt familiar with the law on this point. Then by virtue of the authority vested in me by the constitution of my sovereign state I have this day appointed Judge Warwick J. Oliver, here present, to represent this state in the senate of the United States. All that remains to be done is to attach the seal of the state to the certificate of appointment a mere formality. I ask 3'ou now to attach the seal here where T have indicated." The colonel gasped. "I don't think I understand," he managed to say. 7'1 t's mighty aisy to understand," put in Chairman O'Ncil ; "hand nic that book at your elbow." The volume was passed over while the colonel looked from one to the other of his visitors. His motto in office or out was "Party right or wrong." He did. not like the looks of things, but he lead the law pointed out to him. "You need have no uneasiness, Colonel," Judge Oliver assured him. "We are not acting hastily in a matter of such grave importance as this. We have gone into the law with great care and are sure of our ground. Governor Randolph has the same power now, that Governor Gov-ernor Sharp would have were he here. You have nothing to do in the premises but to comply with the wishes of your superior in office." Still Colonel Thomas fought for time. It was Hearing 5 o'clock, the hour for closing the office, and he thought that if action could be deferred till the following day something might transpire to turn the cards in favor of his party. He was lawyer enough to know that he was beaten as the case stood. He raised technicalities. He tried to consult the Attorney-General over the telephone, knowing at the time that that official was in Cheyenne. He called attention to the law governing the custody of the seal he was not sure that he had the light to place the seal on any document in the absence of the secretary f of state. "Let me ask you a question on that point," said Judge Oliver, who was growing impatient; "last summer Secretary McLennon was absent ab-sent for a month. Who had the custody of the seal then?" "I did," was the colonel's reply. "And you attended to the placing of the seal on all legal papers?" "I did." "You are chief deputy here, and in the absence of the secretary you have all the power the law gives him?" The colonel was silent. I "Let us have done with all this foolishness," Randolph said in some heat. "Colonel Thomas," he continued, "I take you to be a man of sense. I have seen you looking at the clock a half dozen times in the last few minutes. You are wishing for 5 o'clock to come. That will not help you, because there is no time fixed by law for the closing of this office, and 1 purpose to stay here till midnight if necessary to complete this appointment. I now make a formal demand on you for the seal of the state." The colonel surrendered. 'All right," he said. "Your blood be on your own heads. I call your special attention to that clause of the law which says the illegal use of the seal is a felony." With this parting shot Colonel Thomas retired into the vault to secure the seal. Just at this moment when the three politicians were congratulating themselves on their victory the door leading from the office of the governor to that of the secretary of state opened and Governor Sharp entered. He was in the best of humor. "Hello, Judge," he said in his heartiest manner, coming forward with outstretched hand; "1 haven't seen you in ages. And here is Randolph. I'm right glad to see you, Challis; in from the ranch to honor the President, of course. And Larry O'Neil, too ; here gentlemen, gentle-men, this begins to look like politics." All were silent while Judge Oliver folded his bogus commission and placed it in his breast pocket. The faces would have made a ' good study for an artist." "Well, governor," finally blurted Randolph; "I guess I'd better abdicate in your favor. You have blocked our game, and that is all there is to it. We understood that both you and McLennon were out i of the state. In that event it would not do for me to neglect my duty to my state. I had just appointed Judge Oliver United States senator, sena-tor, and we were here to have the seal of state attached to his commission." com-mission." "But how the devil did you get here?" demanded Chairman Larry 7 O'Neil after again reading his telegram from the mayor at Cheyenne. The governor winked at Calhoun who had taken in everything, but who had not uttered a word. "That," said the governor in reply to O'Neil, "is unwritten history. Cal here may be able to tell us something some-thing about that in the Times in the morning." "After all this excitement, gentlemen," said Judge Oliver, "I am very hungry and very dry. I am satisfied also that the joke is on me. If you will do me the honor to accompany me to the Atlas Club we'll have the best in the way of a dinner the house affords, and this includes in-cludes Calhoun and the colonel." The reception in honor of the President the following day was a rousing success. It was a red letter day in the history of the empire state of the West. THAT EXPOSITION. Will someone move that active steps be taken at once to start a movement for holding a grand Western National Exposition i" 1912 in Salt Lake City? This thing should be started and agitation begun at once. |