第153章

I was in an unenviable state of mind when he left me.I had an impulse to send for Miss McCoy and ask her if she had understood what Krebs was "driving at,"but for reasons that must be fairly obvious I refrained.Iread over again that part of Krebs's speech which dealt with the immediate programme of the Citizens Union.After paying a tribute to Greenhalge as a man of common sense and dependability who would make a good mayor,he went on to explain the principle of the new charter they hoped ultimately to get,which should put the management of the city in the hands of one man,an expert employed by a commission;an expert whose duty it would be to conduct the affairs of the city on a business basis,precisely as those of any efficient corporation were conducted.This plan had already been adopted,with encouraging results,in several smaller cities of the country.He explained in some detail,with statistics,the waste and inefficiency and dishonesty in various departments under the present system,dwelling particularly upon the deplorable state of affairs in the city hospital.

I need not dwell upon this portion of his remarks.Since then text-books and serious periodicals have dealt with these matters thoroughly.They are now familiar to all thinking Americans.

XXV.

My entrance into the campaign was accompanied by a blare of publicity,and during that fortnight I never picked up a morning or evening newspaper without reading,on the first page,some such headline as "Crowds flock to hear Paret."As a matter of fact,the crowds did flock;but I never quite knew as I looked down from platforms on seas of faces how much of the flocking was spontaneous.Much of it was so,since the struggle had then become sufficiently dramatic to appeal to the larger public imagination that is but occasionally waked;on the other hand,the magic of advertising cannot be underestimated;nor must the existence be ignored of an organized corps of shepherds under the vigilant direction of Mr.Judd Jason,whose duty it was to see that none of our meetings was lacking in numbers and enthusiasm.There was always a demonstrative gathering overflowing the sidewalk in front of the entrance,swaying and cheering in the light of the street lamps,and on the floor within an ample scattering of suspiciously bleary-eyed voters to start the stamping and applauding.In spite of these known facts,the impression of popularity,of repudiation of reform by a large majority of level-headed inhabitants had reassuring and reenforcing effects.

Astute citizens,spectators of the fray--if indeed there were any--might have remarked an unique and significant feature of that campaign:that the usual recriminations between the two great parties were lacking.Mr.

Parks,the Republican candidate,did not denounce Mr.MacGuire,the Democratic candidate.Republican and Democratic speakers alike expended their breath in lashing Mr.Krebs and the Citizens Union.

It is difficult to record the fluctuations of my spirit.When I was in the halls,speaking or waiting to speak,I reacted to that phenomenon known as mob psychology,I became self-confident,even exhilarated;and in those earlier speeches I managed,I think,to strike the note for which I strove--the judicial note,suitable to a lawyer of weight and prominence,of deprecation rather than denunciation.I sought to embody and voice a fine and calm sanity at a time when everyone else seemed in danger of losing their heads,and to a large extent achieved it.I had known Mr.Krebs for more than twenty years,and while I did not care to criticise a fellow-member of the bar,I would go so far as to say that he was visionary,that the changes he proposed in government would,if adopted,have grave and far-reaching results:we could not,for instance,support in idleness those who refused to do their share of the work of the world.Mr.Krebs was well-meaning.I refrained from dwelling too long upon him,passing to Mr.Greenhalge,also well-meaning,but a man of mediocre ability who would make a mess of the government of a city which would one day rival New York and Chicago.(Loud cheers.)And I pointed out that Mr.Perry Blackwood had been unable to manage the affairs of the Boyne Street road.Such men,well-intentioned though they might be,were hindrances to progress.This led me naturally to a discussion of the Riverside Franchise and the Traction Consolidation.I was one of those whose honesty and good faith had been arraigned,but I would not stoop to refute the accusations.I dwelt upon the benefits to the city,uniform service,electricity and large comfortable cars instead of rattletrap conveyances,and the development of a large and growing population in the Riverside neighbourhood:the continual extension of lines to suburban districts that enabled hard-worked men to live out of the smoke:I called attention to the system of transfers,the distance a passenger might be conveyed,and conveyed quickly,for the sum of five cents.I spoke of our capitalists as men more sinned against than sinning.Their money was always at the service of enterprises tending to the development of our metropolis.