aesar was making himself the
master of Castro Duro. He constantly assumed a more Liberal attitude in
the Chamber, and was in a position to abandon the Conservative majority,
on any pretext.

His plan of campaign at Castro Duro corresponded to this political
position of his: he had rehabilitated the Workmen's Club and paid its
debts. The Club had been founded by the workmen of a thread factory,
now shut. The number of members was very small and the labourers and
employees of the railway and some weavers were its principal support.

On learning that it was about to be closed for lack of funds, Caesar
promised to support it. He thought of endowing the Club with a library,
and installing a school in the country. On seeing that the Deputy was
patronizing the Club, a lot of labourers of all kinds joined it. A new
governing board was named, of which Caesar was honourary president, and
the Workmen's Club re-arose from its ashes. The Republicans and the
little group of Socialists, almost all weavers, were on Caesar's side
and promised to vote for him in the coming election.

Various Republicans who went to Madrid to call on Caesar, told him
he ought to come out as a Republican. They would vote for him with
enthusiasm.

"No; why should I?" Caesar used to answer. "Are we going to do any more
at Castro by my being a Republican than when I am not one? Besides the
fact that I should not be elected on that ticket and should thus have no
further influence, to me the forms of a government are indifferent;
I don't even care whether it has a true ideal or a false one. What I
do want is for the town to progress; whether by means of a dream or
by means of a reality. A politician should seek for efficiency before
asking anything else, and at present the Republican dream would not be
efficient at Castro."

Most of the Republicans did not go away very well satisfied with what
Caesar had said; and after leaving him, they would say:

"He is a very curious person, but he favours us and we'll have to follow
him."

The reopening of the Workmen's Club in Castro was the chance for an
event. Caesar was in favour of inaugurating the Club without any
celebration, without attracting the attention of the Clericals; but the
members of the Club, on the contrary, wished to give the reactionaries a
dose to swallow, and Caesar could not but promise his participation in
the inauguration.

"Would you like to come to Castro?" Caesar said to Alzugaray.