Part 18 (1/2)

”The rich men--the big corporations--give most of it.”

”Why?”

”Patriotism,” said I. ”To save the nation from our wicked opponent.”

”How do Mr. Roebuck and the others get it back?” she pursued, ignoring my pleasantry.

”Get what back?”

”Why the money they advance. They aren't the men to _give_ anything.”

I answered with a smile only.

She lapsed into thoughtfulness. When I was a.s.suming that her mind had wandered off to something else she said: ”The people must be very stupid--not to suspect.”

”Or, the rich men and the corporations very stupid to give,” I suggested.

”Do you mean that they don't get it back?” she demanded.

”Of course,” said I, ”their patriotism must be rewarded. We can not expect them to save the country year after year for nothing.”

”I should think not!” she said, adding disgustedly, ”I think politics is very silly. And men get excited about it! But _I_ never listen.”

Arriving at the ”retreat” from the Scarborough convention, I found Burbank much perturbed because Scarborough had been nominated. He did not say so--on the contrary, he expressed in sonorous phrases his satisfaction that there was to be ”a real test of strength between conservatism and radicalism.” He never dropped his pose, even with me--not even with himself.

”I confess I don't share your cheerfulness,” said I. ”If Scarborough were a wild man, we'd have a walkover. But he isn't, and I fear he'll be more and more attractive to the wavering voters, to many of our own people. Party loyalty has been overworked in the last few presidential campaigns. He'll go vote-hunting in the doubtful states, but it won't seem undignified. He's one of those men whose dignity comes from the inside and can't be lost.”

Burbank was unable to conceal his annoyance--he never could bear praise of another man of his own rank in public life. Also he showed surprise.

”Why, I understood--I had been led to believe--that you--favored his nomination,” was his guarded way of telling me he knew I had a hand in bringing it about.

”So I did,” replied I. ”He was your only chance. He won't be able to get a campaign fund of so much as a quarter of a million, and the best workers of his party will at heart be against him. Simpson would have had--well, Goodrich could and would have got him enough to elect him.”

Burbank's eyes twitched. ”I think you're prejudiced against Senator Goodrich, Harvey,” said he in his gentlest tone. ”He is first of all a loyal party man.”

”Loyal fiddlesticks!” replied I. ”He is agent of the Wall Street crowd--they're his party. He's just the ordinary machine politician, with no more party feeling than--than--” I smiled--”than any other man behind the scenes.”

Burbank dodged this by taking it as a jest. He always shed my frank speeches as humor. ”Prejudice, prejudice, Harvey!” he said in mild reproof. ”We need Goodrich, and--”

”Pardon me,” I interrupted. ”We do not need him. On the contrary, we must put him out of the party councils. If we don't, he may try to help Scarborough. The Senate's safe, no matter who's elected President; and Goodrich will rely on it to save his crowd. He's a mountain of vanity and the two defeats we've given him have made every atom of that vanity quiver with hatred of us.”

”I wish you could have been here when he called,” said Burbank. ”I am sure you would have changed your mind.”

”When does he resign the chairmans.h.i.+p of the national committee?” I asked. ”He agreed to plead bad health and resign within two weeks after the convention.”

Burbank gave an embarra.s.sed cough. ”Don't you think, Harvey,” said he, ”that, to soothe his vanity, it might be well for us--for you--to let him stay on there--nominally, of course? I know _you_ care nothing for t.i.tles.”

Instead of being angered by this attempt to cozen me, by this exhibition of treachery, I felt disgust and pity--how nauseating and how hopeless to try to forward one so blind to his own interests, so easily frightened into surrender to his worst enemies! But I spoke very quietly to him. ”The reason you want me to be chairman--for it is you that want and need it, not I--the reason I _must_ be chairman is because the machine throughout the country must know that Goodrich is out and that your friends are in. In what other way can this be accomplished?”

He did not dare try to reply.