Show III fir I r J 1111 Iii IiiI I Ur I E I j The Ali jE i Ij 1 vela Real 1 Issue JI t c Br a I 1 cI WILLIAM ILLIAM ALLEN WI WHITE j i t Y I i i i i 1 fa j I-I I E EI 1 1 ri 1922 br by the IL Co CD I T WAS near the dose close of ot B. B long 1 session session session-a a s sed session which had lasted last ed a winter Intel and a spring and a n i ummer rom c 1 find and threatened to push Itself IbID io o the first days s 's of ot autumn when Whatton the western member who tbd pad ad been In the house five terms con con- tl eluded ed to pack his valise and go home campaign was growing warm Tilt The hs N all ot of the county conventions wul d been held beld and a n majority of or the legates elected were Instructed for Insured his win which Ij the three remaining counties In the i did not go solidly against him hh 1 lie jle e hod had laid his plan mechanically for and If IC he had stopped to tousle ask himself whether or not he really t visited tc to come back to congress he herl rl td probably have said no He lIe was wn K tired EtI but he did not know why whey wh IIo Ho i mo he needed rest that he had hid been li o that he was played out out yet Jd his private secretary who it t the run of the time pension business tl did his routine work did not seem ti tired r time the the private secretary even had Imd tm refused a 1 vacation and It was nt at the sc own request that he s. s stayed ayed r Washington m If I B nut But ut Wharton the western member was tired tired dead dead tired and he pictured d to the pleasures s of or going bade back to Is home In the little town of Baxter Jinx Bax ter ter where people on the streets who Had Lad seen hh him grow V up from a n bo boy and am ca called led him Tom really were glad to see Ace him Just before he lie had left his rooms roans for the departing train his lils private tate ate vate secretary had handed him bim the 15 clippings and aud after he had boon been frilling riding for fOl an nn hour bour or so so while he was In his pockets for a n match They IUey lJ J tumbled out In a n tight little roll lie JEe ij l Idly ly read rend them diem He Hc was used to I unjust abuse and sick of ot uncalled for praise braise alse The fhe first clipping dipping was taken I e from the time Queen City Dally Daily Herald It hale bore re a Washington date line lino and was v wasi i introduced i by the theo words o ds Special to toDie fJ the Die Herald It read They say here that Wharton o of the Fo Fourth rth district Is beginning to feel uneasy n He lIe has receiver receive several letters let let- letters 8 from his district that have convinced con con- vinced him that Hint the Populist c cyclone juis hits shaken down several l lengths of offence offence ofie ie fence ce In Lee Meade and Smith counties coun coun- i ties es Bill nm He Heatley's tle s strength Is said to tobi bi bV lip developing down there wonderfully The Hon lice Ike Russell who lio was here heie last week looking for tor a n job as receiver of r the Baxter National 1 bank was In cl dose se consultation with Wharton three three- the four nights he ho was here herc and the fold ld man Is wearing a hunted look and Is talking to himself They say d p n wn In the Fourth district that It wilt will take t take more than Our Tom Wharton's Whartons hug to explain away awny his silver sll vote fe Wharton knew the respondent co-respondent and smiled as ns he be flipped the wadded clipping cUppIng out of ot the car window There iv ras is s a short hort editorial clipping from the tile Fume ante paper It read The dispatches say ny that Our Tom Wharton Is wiggling in his seat fleat and trying to project his astral body In the tile Fourth district to see how his Jils fences are and amid at the same time to keep his corporeal bod body In Washington to look after fter tt r Ike Russells Russell's pie plate If It Our Tom Torn doesn't fall faU down In his anxiety to o keep one foot In the bloody Fourth and nd the other at nt the time political bakeshop bake bako S shop bon he must be either a Colossus of ot Rhodes hodes or a quadrille dancer Wharton dropped that on the floor and rend another from the Smith South County Coun Coun- ty y Farmers Farmer's Friend It was long and ond full Jull of oC double and brenk lines had find Italics and and exclamation points It t I ins gas ns abusive l In the extreme and ond closed wIth this tirade E Now let us reason to together Tom has been heen in congress con ress ten years rs h he had been judge six years b be before before f fore re entering congress and county superintendent su- su tour four years before he lie was judge j Twenty years yeal's has th this s man manen been en hi in his total salary In that time has lias been only Yet he Is jated ted rated by the commercial agencies at att t one half o million dollars lIe He Iran has hanks r stock stoc he lie owns owns owns' ov mort e md nad farms Where did he get gel them His Ills time has hns been Leen sold to the thel l people he has hns been false to every trust he has voted with ith the East on the tUie tl money question l he has negle neglected ted the Ike farmers n at every turn lIe He Is a a. a gald n seed ced congressman he comes come's out ut here and aDd haw haws haw halva around and nn-d then goes back to vote with Wall Wallstreet street Wall street knows Its Us friends and Our Toni Tom Is worth one half million mil mn lion Hon dollars donats lives Il In a n mansion filled with hammered brass bras'S at nt Baxter v while the time furmer foots the hilly knew mew that the time editor of the Farmers Farmer's Friend had been heen a cnn candidate for for the post office omee at Smith City that f be he had lent the editor money Band aud nud held heM his note noto for He put puti the thC i c clipping In h his s pocketbook with witha a 1 R BICh and looked through t the IC other other- scraps gaps of paper There were perhaps a II do a dozen en n few v of ot them laudatory to toan tow to toan an w an offensive d tb Slee gree some sonic clearly bids tor r Money and the the rest sC n n fair discus discus- a Won lion of or his hla candidacy y Whartons Wharton's tamn's first week In the distinct was Vas spent at nt Baxter He lie He did t lly Lally nothing to secure his v n although rise looking neli from frOIO each tach of of- the three doubtful l counties s tame Came every day to Baxter and n a went erectly directly from the train to Whartons Wharton's house QUae They Thc nil ill wanted money money or ori i of ot assistance and each of ot ott thew ern told how some precinct be could t wring wung into tato line by a little work on t tb the tha part f r the certain pel person always ys i who who would need money r v f cigars and livery hire Wharton l' l jut ut these statesmen off ort and they went way doubting whether they would support the old man mm or 01 fight him The congressman's presence In Inthe Inthe Inthe the little town to was an event and he had callers all nil day long who seemed to need help In different Nays Soldiers Sol Sol- diem diers desired pensions moth mothers rs asked for positions in Washington for their sons SODS young oung women coU called d to sec see about clerkships widows whose whoso husbands he had known came to borrow mone money He Ho was honestly glad slad to see nil these people and when he could b he helped them i he rm rarely ly made an enemy evert though he nl a always s 's was frank fronk It was Saturday evening Dr and Wharton Whar Vimar ton was Just entering on his week weck at nt home he be and his friend Ike lice Russell were sitting on time the southern porch of ot the con congressman's home Their wives wl and da daughters were wore in the parlor around the piano pano and the two men were w lc at ot at that preliminary stage of ot conversation conversation COll In ht which ideas are convoyed b by grunts gaits and monos monosyllables What did Hughey of ot Smith City want today asked Russell Hussell About Ab ut two hundred more or less said the congressman a thief hed he'd spend about 2 and the rest would go into his jeans I III suppose so 50 Wharton answered Say we Ive lose Smith county count Well you OU sn say said his friend Did Dial you OU see Higgins from Lee Leeal valley val cal alley ley He lIe told ante last m month that he lie had five fellows who could swing Lee Ice county for apiece Ugh grunted the congressman That makes 2300 so far If I come como comedown down Well that's cheaper than you got gotoff gotoff off oft before before by by several hundred What Wharton ton yawned and the silence that followed was broken oril only by the tinkle le of or the cow bells In ht the valley below IHlow the town and the splash of or wa water wan ter over the Ule dam across the river that runs around the village Occasionally the sound of voices singing on the time water water wa wn ter or the tho notes of a n guitar would come I up on the time gusts of wind A The piano I In the parlor was silent and the die moon was ns barely visible under th the eastern corner corner of or tha the porch Tho The men had mama mal but Iv on un on went cm ou on as If it t. t ti to ke keep p the thread of ot the conversation I In 11 his ls Is t teeth th I Yes yes Cs lice Ike I know about m ray my plug pIng i hat lint and md nil ill that and then do 10 y you u remember re re- I member how I ran Inn for tor Judge and wa was j I nominated for fur congress hack in 8 1 nd Sid a n dark darl horse on the three hundredth I ballot and how I was IS elected and told tho the people from flom the box down by the I bonfire In the public square that hat I was going to be bc worthy of the honor Ike e the tears I shed there was t tears tealS for God knows noIH how bow proud I was vas All these e te ten years were be before oro me find what a n great ten years I 1 hoped would be bc I thought of my plan plant as os asa asa osa a bo boy you boy OU you and me on the fence down deign downin in the time lh valley Ike nail lite-amI and I looked cd over o overall all an the tile names In congress then then ten ten y yeas years ago I I mean amid mean and the they seemed gr great groat t names to me I could hardly wait to 0 get to Washington to see themen the themen men wen and to be one of ot them themI I I was such a boy Ike ten ilie-ten ten years years ago ngo Each man p puffed his leis cigar in a moments moments moment's mo ments ment's pause Wharton lighted a afresh fresh Cresh one Russell thought In so many words Its uIt's one of Toms Tom's talkative nights Wharton took toole i up la the thread where It had dropped hero Here I am urn Iko a flesh blood blood and ld statesman Ive I've been In It and through It Ive I've held as ns high n n a place In theor tho the thool or ol organisation of ot the house as ns any atthe of at the great men we wc used to rend about Ive I've passed a n pension bill und bill und the time theold theold old soldiers for whom I worked night and day luring during six months have passed resolutions against me I have had my name o oil ii a n silver bill hill for which the fiat mone money fellows have IHl abused me Ive I've led my party through two t successful fights And what Is in it You know as ns well as I do that It Is Is hollow hollow all all a hollow show v. What's the use of ot It lt Why should a aman man wear his life Ufe out up there thero In lb that t city just to keep his name In print There ere was a man named Kelfer Keifer-an an Ohio ninn nian man who was speaker of oC the house bouse once Who that l reads a s the pa pa- papers pets pers knows nn anything thIn of ot him today Yet he worked his life liCe nearly out to tobe tobe be n a statesman Where are arc the seconds sec ends In the Inthe the Blaine fight Ike theres there's nothing In It but ashes Tho The politician said nothing he did not know how the talk was f d q They Were Tall Thin Spare Men In Swallowtail Coats and Chokers ers and Hair That Looked Fierce and States Statesmanlike manlike smoked In silence silence a few moments when Wharton Wh said sall what Is the time real ical Issue In this campaign I dunno old man sometimes s hues I think Its It's the the tariff sometimes I I think it its it's silver and then at fit other tunes times I just give he It nil 11 up What's your our IrI Idea u Tom The congressman did not reply at once he seemed to he be pulling his Ideas Idras together tog for foJ a 0 longer speech than thun al nl lIe He twisted his bis gray dray mustache 1 nervously nel he looked askance at nt his friend rI ho was apparently listening Ito I 1 to tho the music made c that t had just started stalled up 1111 I 1 again in the v parlor rol Wharton went I over to the garden hose which was turned upon a shrub changed its course canto camo back bad relighting his cigar and ond said I 1 dont don't know Ike I dont don't know Do you ou remember when ve ye e used to cut corn at six cents n a shock and go SO to school down the valley vat val ley hey where those cow colt bells belts were tinkling a It little while T ago ngn We used to sit on the fence of nights like this and talk way v Into the night about what we were to do doT r Yes Test said the politician expectantly expect expect- I antly I Yes Ye ant ami I 1 used to hope lope to go to I congress some Sf day we used to talk i of or tiles ti statesmen sm r and tn read K-ad their speeches In br th the school renders readers Clay Clar Clay and nud Calhoun and the great g men amen men names immes we knew as boys Joys They Trey were tall spare e men In tailed swallow coats couts and chokers and hair i that t H looked Marco a and Do you ou remember remember re reo re- re member the from this ants dh- Ii forty years eals eal's ago age h how w dignified he was what t a r really ani great man he lIt must mast hove have been n He lie lived greatness every hour hoor of or his life The men who lio went to the territorial legislature now flow superior they thoy the s seemed with their lr tall tall hats and close close buttoned ned coats Ike do you mI when hen I went to 0 the legislature in the winter l' l of 70 O and came ame back discouraged ct nud and pointed pointe with the time sham of ot It all the all the therow row tOW and the rings and the schemes Russell would have Interjected led some time the states states- reminiscent joke on young Ike Ilce resumed the time congressman taking B lI firmer hold on his cI cigar ur and tightly grasping the arms ann of the chair Ike Ile what's the use Here comes r r. lot of nf mils and Dicks and Toms and amid Harrys who lw u want cant t me to put up 2300 and promises s that Ill I'll bo hu two years el working to In l keep ep just to go buck back then there I go roo hack back there e and work and fret and stew for fur th this that and nail for the time other r thing timing that I dont don't core care a c cent nt ut for I Ih h have hUD no UD heart In n It I feel like a 0 sneak I have tr tn swallow shallow m my pride Ive I've no ideals there Is no reward nothing but hut with a mm lot of or mercenary tin lin- thieves thic here here- at nt home and ll log rolling log with truth n a lot of ot shrewder ISI shy shysters stern of time same sail sort In III con congress s at Washington If I 1 go on I 1 m 1 must mim t buy my tray nay In Jn bu buy my own slavery ey 11 Ike slavery to UJ the fellows felloW I 1 despise plse I 1 know Ive I've done it three or four tour times but bot I kept thinking the time end would some day Justify the means mean But nut it doesn't It never ne will Its It's a n fraud froud lice Ie and Tm rm done dOric I am going to be he honest just for tor once In my life I dont don't have hn to t EO go to gS I can lUn be Jot lots Imp liar pier h here here rc-herc here with freads s and ami mj my family now and nn n. now dont don't laugh langh old Jd mar rI my and and and my honor That's hatli a nUt lit littie tie st Ike but bat hints that's the real I Issue n Is sue In this campaign and Im I'm out oj of this 1 Lets Let go o In and hear h-ar thi music Ike Iee That's tg |