The Cleverdale Mystery; or, The Machine and Its Wheels: A Story of American Life

by W. A. Wilkins

  CHAPTER XIII.

  DALEY'S STRENGTH WANES.

  The appearance of the _Investigator_ next morning was like a thunderboltin the village of Cleverdale. It came out boldly against SenatorHamblin, and charged that his action at the convention meant theoverthrow of his party. The editor stated that he had stood by the manas long as he had even a piece of argument to catch his toes on, butwhen the wisdom of the men controlling the convention could not bringSenator Hamblin to see his duty, when a compromise candidate was askedfor and refused, it was time for all respectable men in the party todeclare themselves on the side of honesty, justice, and common-sense.It cited the charges first brought by Sargent, copied Sargent's firststatement in full, and then charged that the profligate use of money haddone more than anything else to make the elective franchise a farce.Senator Hamblin was held responsible for the disgrace of corruptingvoters in the village of Cleverdale. The article was a scathingarraignment of Hamblin before the bar of public opinion, and apparentlyits influence foreboded disaster to the regular candidate.

  During the early morning hours Miller met his "boss" at the privateoffice of the latter, having previously seen the editor of the_Advertiser_, who offered to sell his paper for twenty-five hundreddollars. The price was considered high, but that being the best thatcould be done, Miller was ordered to purchase the concern at once. Oneof Cleverdale's young lawyers was placed in charge of the _Advertiser's_editorial columns, and the first number devoted itself to Rawlings'treachery and Daley's private character. The latter, the new editorasserted, was, unlike that of Caesar's wife, not above suspicion, whileSenator Hamblin's private character was pure and spotless.

  The fight between the papers was so full of acrimony that Satan himselfwould have delighted in it, had there been any possibility of hisreceiving fire-proof copies. Both candidates were attacked, and the sinsof their ancestors were carefully elaborated and fired off as campaignfireworks.

  Previous to an election, American journalism of the party-organ stripehas a demoralizing influence in the land. The good qualities ofcandidates are briefly mentioned. But the bad qualities--ah! these arewhat the party organs delight in. Not the part that their own candidateoccupies on the side of virtue; not the good that is in him; not theintellectual qualifications he boasts of; not the nobleness of characterhe possesses--none of these inspire the editor. No, all of this isnothing: the amount of "pure cussedness" that can be attributed to theopposing candidate is the indicator of journalistic inspiration. Manya man who has thought himself a moral light has in an unguarded momentaccepted a nomination, and the astonishment of himself and friends tosee how corrupt he suddenly becomes is not infrequently a harbinger ofvictory for the opposition. The English language can hardly furnishadjectives to qualify such a man. Damned he is inevitably, and hiscarcass when hung up is filled with arrows dipped in printer's poisonedink. When a foreigner picks up one of our party organs, during anexciting political campaign, he cannot help thanking his Creator hewas not born in a land where public men are such rascals and robbers.Cardinal Wolsey said, "Corruption wins not more than honesty," butthe dethroned favorite lived before America had gone into politics onher own account, and then left the work to her parasites instead ofattending to it herself.

  As an index to the feeling of the Cleverdale community, a veryinteresting incident that occurred after the _Investigator's_ editorcame out against Senator Hamblin is valuable. One evening EditorRawlings, boldly entering the "Shades," walked up to Paddy Sullivan, andextending his hand said:

  "Good-evening, Paddy."

  The man addressed rose slowly to his feet, the hot blood rushed to hisface, the florid countenance assuming an almost purple hue. Drawing backfrom the outstretched hand as if it had been a viper preparing to strikeits fangs into his flesh, a look of scorn flashed from his bleared eyes,his lips trembled, and his chin quivered as he roared:

  "Shake hands! wid sich a dirty traither as yees? Judas Iscariot was awhite man beside the loike of yees, and Binedict Arnold a saint. Git outav this house, ye villin! Bad cess to a loafer who sells hisself to atradin' thafe! Shake hands wid yees, is it? May me hand be cut from mearrum afore it aven teches that pizen thing av yours."

  Several men gathered about Rawlings, and each had a word to say.

  "Well, gentlemen, what have I done?" asked Rawlings; "can't athoroughbred citizen call in here without being insulted? Come, boys,let's take a drink. Set 'em up, Paddy."

  "Set 'em up, Paddy? Not a domned set up here. D'ye hear?" and theproprietor began pulling off his coat. "Now look ye here, Mr. BinedictArnold, there's the door! and if your dirty carcass isn't outside of itin fifteen siconds, be jabers, I'm the darlint to throw yees out! No,b'ys, yees kape back. Moind, I'm the jedge to settle wid him. Iditor,git out!"

  Rawlings, realizing that the angry Paddy was in earnest, slowly walkedtoward the door, when an egg striking him full in the back caused him toutter a savage oath.

  "Paddy Sullivan, you and your gang of ruffians will repent this!"

  During the interview Paddy failed to observe three men whisperingto his wife, back of the bar. The woman handing them a package, theugly-looking fellows stole out the side-door, and hid behind a tree asRawlings was leaving the saloon.

  The exasperated editor unconsciously approached the trio, swearingfuriously at the outrage to his person, bitterly denouncing SenatorHamblin, whom he held responsible for the insult. As he arrived at theambuscade, three men suddenly sprang out, and before recovering fromhis surprise Rawlings was enveloped in a cloud of flour, the substancefilling his eyes and mouth and covering him from head to foot. Foronce the _Investigator_ man could boast that he was a white man, buthe did not think to do it. And before he had recovered sufficiently torecognize his assailants, they had fled.

  Hearing approaching footsteps, he stepped aside as Senator Hamblin andCyrus Hart Miller passed. Hidden behind a tree, he gnashed his teethwith rage as the objects of his hatred disappeared. He then left hisplace of concealment and started homeward.

  The campaign went on, and Senator Hamblin bled freely. His chances weredesperate, the Daley crowd drawing so heavily from him that at times theelection of the opposition party candidate seemed almost assured. Millerwas at work day and night, and wherever money could be used to win backstrong leaders the price was paid and the wanderers brought back to thefold.

  At the Cleverdale Woollen Mill, of which Senator Hamblin was a largestockholder, three powerful bosses opposed him. One had seen thenecessity of "getting straight" for his employer, the others refusingto see their duty, or rather their interest. Having been exhorted andcoaxed, it was evident they meant to "stick," and, each controlling manymen, it became necessary to resort to other means to prevent oppositionto the Senator.

  As a warning to others, one of the bosses was to be removed from hisposition at the factory. Of course it would not do to openly dischargemen for having political opinions of their own, for that would be calledproscription, and in this free land would never be tolerated. Besides,a candidate could ill afford being called a "bulldozer," so, pay-dayarriving, one of the bosses was discharged, and informed that his workdid not please. He denounced the company for depriving him of the rightof enjoying his own opinions, the charge being indignantly denied, butthe company put a stanch Hamblin man in the vacant place, while theother stubborn boss, thinking discretion the better part of valor, wasnot slow in deserting Daley. The factory hands were soon made solid fortheir employer, for in the factory were posted large placards bearingthe words:

  EMPLOYES ARE EXPECTED TO VOTE FOR DARIUS HAMBLIN FOR STATE SENATOR.

  Will any man vote the bread and butter from the mouths of his wife andchildren?

  Senator Hamblin meanwhile treated his daughter with great kindness.He did not refer to the scene at the Opera House, or again forbid hermeeting Alden. He gave her large sums of money to distribute among thecharitable institutions and poor of Cleverdale. Belle was happy atbeing allowed to assist
the needy, and her father found her a valuableaid to his ambition. It was not strange, with so much money wiselydistributed, that his canvass should grow more promising as electiondrew nearer. Men were sent into every part of the senatorial district,and if argumentative power availed not, more solid inducements wereused. The powerful railroad interests were helping Daley, but evenwith the contributions from the great monopolies he continually lostground. When he was nominated the mad passions of his backers held fullsway, but as time passed men became cooler, and the irregularity ofDaley's nomination, as well as the interest of the party, were powerfularguments in favor of Senator Hamblin. Here and there strong leaderswere recaptured, and returned with their followers to the support of theregular nominee.

  Miller managed the canvass with consummate skill. He was everywhere atthe right moment, while County Clerk Horton, Assemblyman Mannis, PaddySullivan, and others were valuable auxiliaries. "The machine" showed itsgreat strength in the emergency, and demonstrated that the most powerfulengine of American politics, when the bosses instead of the peoplehave their hand on it, _is_ the machine. Daley's canvass dwindled toinsignificant proportions, although danger was by no means impossible,for it was reported that Daley would withdraw and urge his friends tosupport the opposite party's candidate. As for Rawlings, he had reallybeen a detriment to the bolters, for his malice and treachery were soapparent that respectable people became disgusted with him, and the_Investigator_ became a boomerang. Rawlings was treated with contemptby his townsmen, and of course did not enjoy the respect of those whopurchased him.

  A week before election day the cashier of the Cleverdale National Bankdied. The directors at once called a meeting and elected George Aldencashier, choosing Sargent as teller to fill the vacancy caused byAlden's promotion. Sargent's appointment was to be kept secret untilafter election, lest it might endanger the bank president's success.

  It was a proud day for George Alden when he was formally made cashier,and Belle was agreeably surprised when her father spoke kindly of theyoung man, although he added:

  "I hope he will do nothing to destroy the confidence the directors haveplaced in him, but, like all young men, he may fall into temptation.He has greater responsibility than ever before, and in these days ofdefalcations it is hard to tell who will fall. George Alden is onlyhuman."

  Belle, biting her lip with concealed vexation, was about to reply when aglance from her mother stifled the words she would have spoken. Feelingthe significance of her father's remark, she went to her room to reflectupon what she had heard.