Part 2
As James understood his own genius, it was as a statesman that he wasfitted preeminently to shine. He had the urbanity, the large impassivemanner, and the magnetic eloquence of the old-style congressman. All heneeded was the chance.
With the passing months he grew more restless at the delay. There weremoments in the night when he trembled lest some stroke of evil fatemight fall upon him before he had carved his name in the niche of fame.To sit in an empty law office and wait for clients took more patiencethan he could summon. He wanted an opportunity to make speeches in thecampaign that was soon to open. That he finally went to Big Tim himselfabout it instead of to his ward committeeman was characteristic of JamesK.
After he sent his card in the young lawyer was kept waiting forthirty-five minutes in an outer office along with a Jew peddler, apugilist ward heeler, an Irish saloonkeeper, and a brick contractor.Naturally he was exceedingly annoyed. O'Brien ought to know that JamesK. Farnum did not rank with this riff-raff.
When at last James got into the holy of holies he found Big Tim lollingback in his swivel chair with a fat cigar in his mouth. The boss did nottake the trouble to rise as he waved his visitor to a chair.
Farnum explained that he was interested in the political situation andthat he was prepared to take an active part in the campaign about toopen. The big man listened, watching him out of half shut attentiveeyes. He had never yet seen a kid glove politician that was worth thepowder to blow him up. Moreover, he had special reasons for dislikingthis one. His cousin was editor of the _World_, and that paper wasbecoming a thorn in his side.
O'Brien took the cigar from his mouth. "Did youse go to the primary lastnight?" he asked.
James did not even know there had been one. He had in point of fact beenat a Country Club dance.
"Can youse tell me what the vote of your precinct was at the last cityelection?"
The budding statesman could not.
"What precinct do youse live in?"
Farnum was not quite sure. He explained that he had moved recently.
Big Tim grunted scornfully. He was pleased to have a chance to take downthe cheek of any Farnum.
"What do youse think you can do?"
"I can make speeches. I'm the best orator that ever came out of VerdenUniversity."
"Tommyrot! How do youse stand in your precinct? Can youse get the voteout to go down the line for us? That's what counts. Oratory be damned!"
James was pale with rage. The manner of the boss was nothing less thaninsulting.
"Then you decline to give me a chance, Mr. O'Brien?"
"I do not. In politics a man makes his own chance. He gets along bybeing so useful we can't get along without him. See? He learns the game.You don't know the A B C of it. It's my opinion youse never will."
O'Brien's hard cold eye triumphed over him as a principal does over adelinquent schoolboy.
His vanity stung, the lawyer sprang to his feet. "Very well, Mr.O'Brien. I'll show you a thing or two about what I can and can't do."
For just an instant a notion flitted across Big Tim's mind that he mightbe making a mistake. He was indulging an ugly temper, and he knew it.This was a luxury he rarely permitted himself. Now he decided to "go thewhole hog," as he phrased it to himself later. His lips set to an uglysnarl.
"It's like the nerve of ye to come to me. Want to begin at the topinstid of at the bottom. Go to Billie Gray if youse want to have somewan learn youse the game. If you're any good he'll find it out."
James got himself out of the office with all the dignity of which hewas capable. Go to Billie Gray, the notorious ballot box stuffer! Takeorders from the little rascal who had shaved the penitentiary onlybecause of his pull! James saw himself doing it. He was sore in everyoutraged nerve of him. Never before in his life had anybody sat andsneered at him openly before his eyes. He would show the big boss thathe had been a fool to treat him so. And he would show P. C. Frome andNed Merrill that he was a very valuable man.
How? Why, by fighting the corporations! Wasn't that the way that all thebig men got their start nowadays as lawyers? As soon as they discoveredhis value Frome and his friends would be after his services fast enough.James was no radical, but he believed Jeff knew what he was talkingabout when he predicted an impending political change, one that wouldcarry power back from the machine bosses to the people. The young lawyerdecided to ride that wave as far as it would take him. He would be atribune of the people, and they in turn would make of him their hero.With the promised backing of the _World_ he would go a long way. He knewthat Jeff would fling him at once into the limelight. And he would makegood. He would be the big speaker for the reform movement. Nobody inthe state could sway a crowd as he could. James had not the least doubtabout that. It was glory and applause he wanted, not the drudgery ofdirty ward politics.
Part 3
Under Jeff's management the _World_ had at once taken the leadership inthe fight for political reform in the state. He made it the policy ofthe paper to tell the truth as to corruption both in and out of hisown party. Nor would he allow the business office, as influenced by theadvertisers, to dictate the policy of the paper. The result was thatat the end of the first year he went to the owner with a report of adeficit of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars for the twelvemonths just ended.
Captain Chunn only laughed. "Keep it up, son. I've had lots of fun outof it. You've given this town one grand good shaking up. The whole stateis getting its fighting clothes on. We've got Merrill and Frome scaredstiff about their supreme court judges. Looks to me as if we were goingto lick them."
The political campaign was already in progress. Hitherto the publicutility corporations of Verden had controlled and practically owned themachinery of both parties. The _World_ had revolted, rallied the bettersentiment in the party to which it belonged, and forced the conventionto declare for a reform platform and to nominate a clean ticket composedof men of character.
Jeff agreed. "I think we're going to win. The people are with us. The_World_ is booming." It's the advertising troubles me. Frome and Merrillhave got at the big stores and they won't come in with any space worthmentioning."
"Damn the big advertisers," exploded Chunn. "I've got two million coldand I'm going to see this thing out, son. That's what I told Frome lastweek when he had the nerve to have me nominated to the Verden Club.Wanted to muzzle me. Be a good fellow and quit agitating. That was theidea. I sent back word I'd stuck by Lee to Appomattox and I reckoned Iwas too old a dog to learn the new trick of deserting my flag."
"If you're satisfied I ought to be," Jeff laughed. "As for theadvertising, the stores will come back soon. The managers all want totake space, but they are afraid of spoiling their credit at the bankswhile conditions are so unsettled."
"Oh, well. We'll stick to our guns. You fire'em and I'll supply theammunition." The little man put his hand on Jeff's shoulder with achuckle. "We're both rebels--both irreconcilables, son. I reckon we'regoing to be well hated before we get through with this fight."
"Yes. They're going about making people believe we're cranks andagitators who are hurting business for our own selfish ends."
"I reckon we can stand it, David." Chunn had no children of his own andhe always called Jeff son or David. "By the way, how's that good lookingcousin of yours coming out? I see you're giving his speeches lots ofspace."
A light leaped to the eyes of the younger man. "He's doing fine. Jamesis a born orator. Wherever he goes he gets a big ovation."
Chunn grunted. "Humph! That'll please him. He's as selfish as the devil,always looking out for James Farnum."
"He wins the people, Captain."
"You talk every evening yourself, but I don't see reports of any of yourspeeches."
"I don't talk like James. There's not a man in the state to equal him,young as he is."
"Humph!"
Captain Chunn grumbled a good deal about the way Jeff was always pushinghis cousin forward and keeping in the background himself. In
his opinion"David" was worth a hundred of the other.
The Vision Splendid Page 7