some action to avert what I now realized as
an infamy pressed upon me, yet in conflict with the pressure of this
necessity there persisted that old rebellion, that bitterness which
had been growing all these years against the man who, above all others,
seemed to me to represent the forces setting at nought my achievements,
bringing me to this pass....

I thought of appealing to Leonard Dickinson, who surely, if he knew of
it, would not permit this thing to be done; and he was the only man with
the possible exception of Miller Gorse who might be able to restrain
Judd Jason. But I delayed until after the luncheon hour, when I called
up the bank on the telephone, to discover that it was closed. I had
forgotten that the day was Saturday. I was prepared to say that I would
withdraw from the campaign, warn Krebs myself if this kind of tactics
were not suppressed. But I could not get the banker. Then I began to
have doubts of Dickinson's power in the matter. Judd Jason had never
been tractable, by any means; he had always maintained a considerable
independence of the financial powers, and to-day not only financial
control, but the dominance of Jason himself was at stake. He would fight
for it to the last ditch, and make use of any means. No, it was of
no use to appeal to him. What then? Well, there was a reaction, or an
attempt at one. Krebs had not been born yesterday, he had avoided the
wiles of the politicians heretofore, he wouldn't be fool enough to be
taken in now. I told myself that if I were not in a state bordering on
a nervous breakdown, I should laugh at such morbid fears, I steadied
myself sufficiently to dictate the extract from my speech that was to be
published. I was to make addresses at two halls, alternating with Parks,
the mayoralty candidate. At four o'clock I went back to my room in the
Club to try to get some rest....

Seddon's Hall, the place of my first meeting, was jammed that Saturday
night. I went through my speech automatically, as in a dream, the habit
of long years asserting itself. And yet--so I was told afterwards--my
delivery was not mechanical, and I actually achieved more emphasis, gave
a greater impression of conviction than at any time since the night
I had lost my control and violently denounced the reformers. By some
astonishing subconscious process I had regained my manner, but the
applause came to me as from a distance. Not only was my mind not there;
it did not seem to be anywhere. I