us
business. Not one word about what I intend to do until then. The session
has been a very sweet cake till now--let the ball sugar-coat it!
There'll be bitter eating provided day after to-morrow!"

He waited a moment, recovering from sudden passion.

"Ah," he said, gentle once more, "that sounds like senile raving. Pardon
me. But while I've waited for the politicians of this State to show some
signs of decency, waiting in vain, I've been swallowing back a lot of
bitterness. No more of it! To our business now. I want you to know what
is coming. I depend on you, as I have depended before, to be my master
of ceremonies--and rather grim ceremonies they will be. For I have
prepared several bills. You will introduce the House measures. I can
depend on Senator Borden, from my county, for what I choose to have
originate in the Senate. They are bills that will put our party and this
State to the test of honesty. It's strange, isn't it, that what sounds
so innocent should be so bitter?"

He opened a drawer in his desk. He took out papers and spread them
before him. He selected one.

"Abolishment of fees (a blow at every grafting officeholder); no more
railroad passes for public officials; a bipartisan tax commission that
shall haul the rich dodger out into the open--all these matters are
covered here. But into your hands, young man, I put the one measure that
is to be the most savage test of our honesty. I have put the most
thought on it. Every lawyer in this State will try to find a flaw in
it. But if I know anything about constitutional law it is framed to beat
them all. I'll not bother to read it to you. Carry it away, and guard it
and study it."

He held it up, waving it. His heart was plainly full. He talked as one
addressing the careless multitude--and talking, at the same time, to
himself.

"You may divine what it is. It handles the great topic in our State. The
source of dishonor, corruption, perjury, and hypocrisy! The prohibitory
law! Let me tell what it will do when it has been enacted into law. It
will make the Governor of this State the grand high sheriff to enforce
personally and actively this one law; it's in our constitution, and the
State should enforce its own. He will have all the resources of the
State treasury behind him. He shall have for the first time PROHIBITION.
Prohibition enforced, prohibition as the statutes have ordered it,
prohibition in actuality instead of its pretence. The pretence has
s