t to the reformatory, Mr. West. Not at all. I'm only opposed to
spending a hundred thousand dollars for it in a poverty year."

"Oh! You want the reformatory, but you don't want it now. That's where
you stand, is it?"

"Yes, and everybody else that understands just what the situation is. I
believe in this reformatory--the _Post_ converted me, that's a fact--and
if you'll only let her stand two years, take my word for it, she'll go
through with a whoop. But if you're going to hurry the thing--"

"What's your idea of hurry exactly? The war has been over forty years--"

"And look how splendid we've got along these forty years without the
reformatory! Will you care to say, Mr. West, that we couldn't make it
forty-two without bringing great danger to the State?"

"No, certainly not. But the point is--"

"The point is that if we spend all this money now, the people will kick
the party out at the next election. I wouldn't admit this to many,
'cause I'm ashamed of it, but it's gospel truth. Mr. West," said Plonny,
earnestly, "I _know_ you want the _Post_ to stand for the welfare of the
party--"

"Certainly. And it has been my idea that evidence of sane interest in
public morals was a pretty good card for--"

"So it would be at any ordinary time. But it's mighty different when the
people from one end of the State to the other are howling economy and
saying that all expenses must go to bed-rock or they'll know the reason
why. There's the practical side of it--look at it f'r a minute. The
legislature was elected by these people on a platform promising
strictest economy. They're tryin' to carry out their promise faithfully.
They turn down and postpone some mighty good plans to advance the
progress of the State. They rejuice salaries in various
departments"--(one was the exact number)--"heelers come up lookin' f'r
jobs, and they send 'em away empty-handed and sore. Old-established
institutions, that have been doin' grand work upbuildin' the State f'r
years, are told that they must do with a half or three quarters of their
appropriations f'r the next two years. You've seen all this happen, Mr.
West?"

West admitted that he had.

"Well, now when everything is goin' smooth and promisin', you come along
and tell 'em they got to shell out a _hundred_ _thousand dollars_ right
away f'r a brand-new institution, with an annual appropriation to keep
it up. Now s'pose they do what you tell 'em. What happens? You think
there's no po