Common Cause: A Novel of the War in AmericaAdams, Samuel Hopkins
General
Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America
Adams, Samuel Hopkins
World War, 1914-1918 -- United States -- Fiction
Fortunately for Jeremy Robson, the campaign for the State offices of
Centralia, in the fall of 1915, took precedence over everything else
in the public mind. The reelection of Governor Embree on the
anti-corporation issue was all but conceded. But it was not the issue
that insured him victory. The solid German vote did that. Orders had
gone forth to the German-language press that Governor Embree, even
where special conditions made it impracticable to support him, must
be recognized as an authority on international complications and a
statesman of national caliber. For Embree’s reelection meant that he
would be next in line for the Senate vacancy, three years hence, and
Deutschtum needed sympathetic souls, such as it deemed Martin Embree
to be, in the high places of government. The real fight of the old-line
crowd was for control of the State Legislature. For this they were quite
ready to sacrifice their gubernatorial candidate, one Tellersen, a stock
war-horse of the political stables. A safe representation in either
legislative house would mean that Embree’s pet corporation measure,
aimed specially at the P.-U. and its branches, but affecting all
railroads in the State, was scotched. It might even mean that the
Blanket Franchise Bill could be put through. As a further safeguard to
corporate interests, the P.-U. intended to put forward, later, its own
legal adviser for a place on the Court of Appeals bench.
The campaign drew the Governor and Jeremy Robson closer together than
they had been since the Lusitania editorial. Where no vital matter
of principle was involved, The Guardian was quite willing to keep
off German toes. On his side, the campaigning Governor consented to
emphasize Americanism while still maintaining his attitude of sympathy
for the sentiments of the German-Americans. Embree won by a large
majority, the German districts giving him a preponderance of votes
which gravely troubled Jeremy when the figures were analyzed. But on the
legislative side it was conceded that only the brilliant campaign of The
Guardian in Fenchester and The Journal in Bellair had averted a signal
defeat. Widespread “trading” of the German-American vote had favored the
P.-U. plans. So close was the result that, when the figures were all in,
no man could say which side had won. Taking both houses together there
were at least ten indeterminate votes. Plainly the battle for control
of the State would be fought out in the spring session between the
corporation interests, locally represented by Montrose Clark and Judge
Selden Dana, and the radicals led by Governor Embree. Through that
winter Jeremy, scenting the lesser battle from afar, cried “Ha-ha!”
editorially with frequency and fervor, relegating the greater cause to
the background for the time. Herein he was honest enough, as well as
politic. He believed that the action and course of the United States
was in abeyance until the people should have opportunity of making
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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