第59章

"By God,that's the only man in the whole place!"I was aware,for the first time,of a neighbour at my side,--a solid,red-faced man,evidently a farmer.His trousers were tucked into his boots,and his gnarled and powerful hands,ingrained with dirt,clutched the arms of the seat as he leaned forward.

"Didn't he just naturally lambaste 'em?"he cried excitedly."They'll down him,I guess,--but say,he's right.A man would lose his self-respect if he didn't let out his mind at them hoss thieves,wouldn't he?

What's that fellow's name?"

I told him.

"Krebs,"he repeated."I want to remember that.Durned if I don't shake hands with him."His excitement astonished me.Would the public feel like that,if they only knew?...The Speaker's gavel had come down like a pistol shot.

One "war-hoss"--as my neighbour called them--after another proceeded to crush the member from Elkington.It was,indeed,very skillfully done,and yet it was a process from which I did not derive,somehow,much pleasure.Colonel Varney's army had been magnificently trained to meet just this kind of situation:some employed ridicule,others declared,in impassioned tones,that the good name of their state had been wantonly assailed,and pointed fervently to portraits on the walls of patriots of the past,--sentiments that drew applause from the fickle gallery.One gentleman observed that the obsession of a "railroad machine"was a sure symptom of a certain kind of insanity,of which the first speaker had given many other evidences.The farmer at my side remained staunch.

"They can't fool me,"he said angrily,"I know 'em.Do you see that fellow gettin'up to talk now?Well,I could tell you a few things about him,all right.He comes from Glasgow,and his name's Letchworth.He's done more harm in his life than all the criminals he's kept out of prison,--belongs to one of the old families down there,too."I had,indeed,remarked Letchworth's face,which seemed to me peculiarly evil,its lividity enhanced by a shock of grey hair.His method was withering sarcasm,and he was clearly unable to control his animus....

No champion appeared to support Krebs,who sat pale and tense while this denunciation of him was going on.Finally he got the floor.His voice trembled a little,whether with passion,excitement,or nervousness it was impossible to say.But he contented himself with a brief defiance.

If the bill passed,he declared,the men who voted for it,the men who were behind it,would ultimately be driven from political life by an indignant public.He had a higher opinion of the voters of the state than those who accused him of slandering it,than those who sat silent and had not lifted their voices against this crime.

When the bill was put to a vote he demanded a roll call.

Ten members besides himself were recorded against House Bill No.709!

In spite of this overwhelming triumph my feelings were not wholly those of satisfaction when I returned to the hotel and listened to the exultations and denunciations of such politicians as Letchworth,Young,and Colonel Varney.Perhaps an image suggesting Hermann Krebs as some splendid animal at bay,dragged down by the hounds,is too strong:he had been ingloriously crushed,and defeat,even for the sake of conviction,was not an inspiring spectacle....As the chase swept on over his prostrate figure I rapidly regained poise and a sense of proportion;a "master of life"could not permit himself to be tossed about by sentimentality;and gradually I grew ashamed of my bad quarter of an hour in the gallery of the House,and of the effect of it--which lingered awhile--as of a weakness suddenly revealed,which must at all costs be overcome.I began to see something dramatic and sensational in Krebs's performance....

The Ribblevale Steel Company was the real quarry,after all.And such had been the expedition,the skill and secrecy,with which our affair was conducted,that before the Ribblevale lawyers could arrive,alarmed and breathless,the bill had passed the House,and their only real chance of halting it had been lost.For the Railroad controlled the House,not by owning the individuals composing it,but through the leaders who dominated it,--men like Letchworth and Truesdale.These,and Colonel Varney,had seen to it that men who had any parliamentary ability had been attended to;all save Krebs,who had proved a surprise.There were indeed certain members who,although they had railroad passes in their pockets (which were regarded as just perquisites,--the Railroad being so rich!),would have opposed the bill if they had felt sufficiently sure of themselves to cope with such veterans as Letchworth.Many of these had allowed themselves to be won over or cowed by the oratory which had crushed Krebs.

Nor did the Ribblevale people--be it recorded--scruple to fight fire with fire.Their existence,of course,was at stake,and there was no public to appeal to.A part of the legal army that rushed to the aid of our adversaries spent the afternoon and most of the night organizing all those who could be induced by one means or another to reverse their sentiments,and in searching for the few who had grievances against the existing power.The following morning a motion was introduced to reconsider;and in the debate that followed,Krebs,still defiant,took an active part.But the resolution required a two-thirds vote,and was lost.

When the battle was shifted to the Senate it was as good as lost.The Judiciary Committee of the august body did indeed condescend to give hearings,at which the Ribblevale lawyers exhausted their energy and ingenuity without result with only two dissenting votes the bill was calmly passed.In vain was the Governor besieged,entreated,threatened,--it was said;Mr.Trulease had informed protesters--so Colonel Varney gleefully reported--that he had "become fully convinced of the inherent justice of the measure."On Saturday morning he signed it,and it became a law....