The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 13, 1916, Page 9

" the cause. When Two Old Line Crooked Politicians Meet - L. M. Slipry, prominent politician, met I. B. Dodger, also a politician, in the lobby of the Pickem hotel at - Skinnerville, ‘one day. last _week. It was a solemn meeting—solemn as at ~a first class funeral. . They met unexpectedly and solemly shook hands—shook hands as men do who have had mutual sorrows. For Only -knowing looks passed between them. Then slipery said: - “Busy, Dodger?” “No-0-0,” said Dodger, indifferent- Iy. - ; p “Come up.to my room a moment,- then,” said slipry. : The two.took the elevator. a moment no words were spoken. ashes from his cigar, his restless eyes minute. They won’ After the door. was shut, the door An.his eye.” locked, the key-hole plugged, - the transom closed and the shades drawn, ~ T Slipry motioned Dodger to a seat while he himself sat down on the bed. TS Campaign “Rotten.”-- ; Dodger * sat fumbling with his watch charm and vacantly stared at THE NONPARTISAN LEADER Two Famous Political Leaders Mest ani Talk Over Prospects of Coming Campaign----Wouldn’t Even Gwe' Farmers A Few Crumbs at Last Legislative Session----Now They Fear Farmer Vote. By N. P. DICTAGRAPH searching the mournful “countenance of ‘the dejected Dodger. ; “I've struck aplenty,” said the lat- ter warmly. “For two weeks I have been gumshoeing around over the state and what I've struck I tell you is .aplenty.” ¢ “Ice?” interrogated Slipry, with just the suspicion of a twinkle “Ice, hell!” ejaculated the gloomy Dodger. “Ice would, be hot as the equator compared ~ with what I struck. Ice would be like hot iron .on a fevered brow along side the re- ception I got the last two weeks.” He paused a moment, chewing vig- ‘#79918 callander which-hung on the.Orously the dead cigar, while Slipry “wall. Slipry laid aside his dérby hat, looked .on sympathetically. ran his fingers through his stubby=-s - “There’s Nothing Doin’ ” hair and dropped “his hand ‘on -his thigh. His * eyes, ‘somewhat “blood shotten, “yet "quick and nervous, sought the floor. “- “Well, say it, Slip,” said Dodger. “How’s the campaign comin’?” ask- ed Slipry in a monotone. “Rotten,” replied the other, turn- ing in his chair and nervously rub-: bing his chin, covered with a two- days’ growth of beard. - “'Smatter?” queired Slipry. “You know,”: came " the slightly “heated reply. : ; Slipry pulled & silver cigar case out of his pocket, gazed at it thought- fully a moment, opened it, passed, it to. Dodger. = Silence reigned except for the seratching of matches. Then the - blue smoke ' rings' rose slowly toward the ceiling. : : - “What Have You Struck? Es “What've you struck, anyhow Dodger?” said Slipry, flipping the 3 News Snapshots - An indictment against a-+ ously ill. His old throat affection is .. The Russian ‘offensive along “the ustro-German front still continues: : Hiin’sé ‘again goes abroad: as our unoffiicial envoy. -After Henry: B, ( | @/congressman and other prominent m < “There’s “nothin’ doin’," I tell you, absolutely nothin’ doin’,” he went on with a burst of freedom, “There isn/t ‘a farmer ‘in this state that you can get “within forty rods of: You can’t catch one on a motorcycle. You can’t waylay one with a shotgun. If you meet one in the road he’ll jump the fence and take to the stubble. If you undertake to corner one in a store or the postoffice he’ll jump “through a back window: Offer one a cigar and, he’ll’ look at you like you were a horse thief.” : He stopped as suddenly as he had started. His gaze rested vacantly on the 1913 callendar. nins “What’a they ‘fraid of?” questioned, the sauve Mr. Slipry. 2 ’ ““They’re not afraid of* mothing, - nor nobody,” exploded Dodger. “They simply don’t want nothin’ to do with you. They don’t want to talk to you and“théy won’t listen to you—not a LY The Kaiser is reported to be seri- at Youngtown, Ohio, last Saturday. sinking of t Several companies of militia were ~ called out to prevent rioting. administration’s prgphreil.nees The ‘ program - is' encountering’ rough aters. Even senators, who must 't give you a chance to explain a thing.’ They won't give you a pleasant look.”’ ri He relit his cigar and took several hard pulls at it. Then rising he pushed his chair back and walked to the window, pulled aside the blind and peered out. Slipry sat, with brow knitted, twirling a bunch of keys. Dodger walked across the floor a few times and then stopped, square- ly in front of Slipry. . Farmers Got Not Even Crumbs “And you fellows in the last legis- lature,” he said emphatically, shak- ing a puddgy finger at Slipry; “you felows are responsible for it all. You didn’t have sense enough to give the farmers a few crumbs and lots of promises and thus keep their friend~ ship. You acted like a lot of sore- headed kids—not like wise politi- cians. Not satisfied with injury (as they thot), you must add insult to it. Not satisfied with two-thirds of a hog, you must take it all.” O, I know it, I know it,” exclaimed Slipry dejectedly, “but”—Dodger cut him short. “If you hada passed them out one or two little measures—not strong enough to hurt anybody, jollied them up, gave them a banquet instead of abuse, grasped their horny hands of toil in true political style and made yourselves real good fellows, real shrewd politicians, there would have been easy sailing today—absolutely easy sailing, I say.” He stood with both hands thrust deep into his pockets for thirty sec- onds. Slipry’s. head, hung on his chest. A dead cigar hung between his yellow. teeth. Suddenly Dodger NINE burst forth again: £ “You know blamed well we can’t get anywhere in this state without: the farmer vote—we can’t get to first base. You knew it last winter when you made confounded fools of your- selves at Bismarck. But what did you do?—dug your own political graves and now are trying -to shove somebody else into them. You'r afraid to run yourself, so you put me up to it. Want me to sacrifice my- self on the wrath of these farmers. Well, you can just get over that de- cision, for I'm not going to do it. You fellows dug your own political graves, now you can lay in ’em. You fellows didn’t have sense enough.” . Followed Instruotions %0, Dodger, don’t rub it in,” cried Slipry, springing to his feet. “I know all you say it so. I know we are all a set of blamed fools, but what could we do? We had to follow instrue- - tions. We got our orders and dared not disobey them. Some of us real- ized at the time that we were making a mess of it. But the boss said it would all blow over before another election and we hoped he was right. . Now, calm yourself and cheer up and let’s make the best of it. Come now, isn’t there some way we can break the spell? Isn’t there some way we can, warm them up?” Sleddin’ Ain’t Good Dodger faced him with grim deter- mination on his face. “If you want any cheering up done, you can do it,” he exploded. “If you want any spells broken you get out and break ’em. I’'m done, I tell you, done. I know when I'm bilked. I know when the snow is slick and the sleddin’ good. But it ain’t good now, Slip, 1 tell you it ain’t.? Slipry advanced toward the door. Dodger looked at him in contempt. Once more in the lobby of the ho- tel, Slipry took Dodger’s hand and shook the limp member solemly. Dodger did not lift his eyes and no word passed his lips as he turned and walked out of the door. England reflected-a high state-of excitement during-the week :when- it seemed likely that Premier ~ aside for Lloyd-George, but the eight months ago has just been set- tled—Germany accepting the condi- tion of the United States. .The federal reserve board ruled Jan. 1 that agricultural implements are now to be regarded as permanent improvements to a farm and there- fore commercial paper drawn to. pay - such implements_is eligible for ounting with federal reserve S S5 8 Asquith would have to step thehalsne sy n z formep-finally indorsed-a modified form of conscription. The movement of all the Indian troops : Do‘ ‘he Week . from France to an urknown destination also. disturbed-England. , In the sinking of the Yasaka Maru, large Japanese ship, by L e s e - g gubmarineswith an American: abeard we agein-received. a-shoek. The Ancona crisis seemed likely to go to congress. Colonel Ford quit his peace party in Sweden for home Mrs. Inez Boissevain and others broke away. United- States. District Attorney H. Snowden Marshall’s fight against Labor’s Na- er] ‘Tepublics met in Washington as’the pan-American scientific congress. he Lusitania more than erty and Ponton collapsed and had to be carried to the electric chair. Deputy Warden Miller protested vig- orously against capital punishment. The Pan-American Scientific Con- . gress closed its session at Washing- . ton last Saturday. Its president, Am- bassador Suaez of Chile, annonnced ‘that the nations of America “were “united in the noble desire of seek- eéutibnél"s - and ing political ‘unity of the continent thrown into a state 50 that the nations which oppésg- it tion -of An-'may. thus lend