of
school. One evening he broke out in such a torrent of appeal to his
father to let him give up his studies that Paul compelled himself to
think of the boy as his first duty and reproaching himself that he had
paid little heed to him on account of political matters, he listened to
Louis that evening and in a pause of his flood of words asked the boy to
come into the library and have it out seriously.

The legislature was in session and Douglas was overwhelmed with
committee work, with shaping up bills, and winning converts to his ideas
of reform. He had anticipated opposition and difficulties of various
sorts, but the actual thing that confronted him was so much greater than
he had supposed possible that he almost let go at one time, in disgust,
and vowed he would never enter politics again. Next day he was back in
the game to stay. But from the beginning to the end of the legislative
session he was blocked in nearly every effort he made for clean, honest
reform of old, corrupt and selfish party devices. In his soul he knew,
and those who knew him knew, that he was heart and soul for the good of
the people. The measures he wanted put into law had no possible
self-seeking in them. He was clean and upright in every detail of his
private and public life, yet he faced every day facts like these:

The other paper in Milton contained columns of abuse, of
misrepresentation and of downright charges of self-seeking against him.
Man after man in the party that had asked him to run for Senator came to
him to beg him to desist from his fight on corporations that broke the
laws and charged the people prohibitive prices for the necessities of
life. Party worshippers like the Hon. Mr. Maxwell besieged the committee
room pleading for harmony, meaning by "harmony," a slavish compromise
with the greed and influence of money and power that might help the
party if they were let alone. Letters flooded him from all parts of the
state begging him or threatening him to leave well alone. Some of the
very men who had during the election campaign promised to stay with him
and help push his bills, lied outright, broke their promises and called
him a deserter and a party traitor. Old friends who had stood by him for
years, left him and in some cases became his bitterest enemies. Bill
after bill framed with only one great-hearted purpose to benefit all the
people went through the grinding process of detraction, of
vilification, of amendment and fi