Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1912 — The Irregular Member [ARTICLE]

The Irregular Member

By Annie Hinrichsen

( Copyright, 1912. by Associated Literary Press! “Be stilt I wish to hear what Mr. Ralston' is saying." Mary Collins shook her head Impatiently at the men with her. "Nobody listens to Ralston,” scoffed the representative of a metropolitan .paper.’-.'-I “I do,” she retorted. “He talks swell.” "He is an irregular,” commented a 'member of the assembly, “a man who Votes according to his own convictions, instead of obeying his party’s mandates. He refuses to obey the •dictates of the party leaders. He will not make allianoes with the other' party. No party or faction can claim him. He votes as he chooses, regardless of party lines, and introduces all sorts of Impossible but {highly meritorious bills. Because he “will not stand by either party, neither party will stand by him. He is making a speech now in favor of one of his bills, but nobody is listening to him.” Mary Collins walked afaw from the •group of legislators and newspaper Imen to a place near the irregular member. . Accustomed from childhood to the lunwrltten laws of legislative procedure, trained to detect and understand ievery condition and change in the ‘mental atmosphere of the assembly, she knew that Ralston was speaking !to men whose ears were deaf to the {words of an Irregular party man. The members were reading, writing •or walking about The presiding of•fleer sat in his chair yawning ostentatiously. The pages clattered noisi(ly around the speaking member. Several times Ralston’s eyes met jMary’s. When he sat down, rewardled by the indifferent silence of his jfellow members, he turned toward •her. She shsiled and nodded with 1 emphatic approval in the shake of !h«ar pretty head. There was a flash of surprised pleasure and gratitude in ibis eyes. - When the house adjourned she was •standing near the. entrance of representatives’ ball. "Tour speech this •morning was a good one,” she said. When he smiled the firm-lipped, 'austere legislator became a boyish young man. "You are' tfie ofiiy per” son who thought so," he said, whimsically. “The members won’t listen to me and since I never accomplish anything you newspaper people pay no attention to me.” "Is it impossible for you to act in harmony with your party?” "I despise the sort of legislation my party is advocating, and I won’t work with them. I don’t enjoy being a Pariah —an irregular is a Pariah — and I’m awfully lonesome. But I’ll stick to Ay ideals.” "Ideals are sometimes cold companions,” said the girl bitterly. They had left the state bouse and were walking toward the hotel. "They are,” the man agreed. "But when we give them up we sacrifice the best of ourselves; we give up all that raises •us above the, common sordidness of life.” He pushed open the hotel- door for her. In the lobby stood Grant Warren, a leader of the house and a member of the party to which Ralston belonged. He came toward them, nodded to Ralston and spoke impatiently to Mary. Tve been waiting ages for- you. Let’s go in to lunch.” - “What do you see in that man to like?" Warren asked when were in the dining room. “His ideals, 1 think.” she answered absently. Tie irregular.jvss at a table not far from them.— ' - ——-

“The has a lot of crazy notions. The political whirl is no place for him. He will soon have a chance to redeem himself with his party. The franchise hill which was fa traduce# a few weeks ago will soon be voted on. It is a party measure and -we can pass it by a majority of one If all the members of our party vote for it But Ralston will probably refuse to support it The loss of his vote will defeat the measure. If ho stands by his party we shall forgive him his past misdemeanors. If he ‘ forsakes us we shall throw him out of the party and out of the bouse." “Shall you vote against the franchise bill?” Mary asked Ralston several days later. *T have announced my intention jet doing so. I can see nothing bat harm In it" .f-" Sou understand, do you not that your refusal to vote with your party ion this measure will cost your a great will probably cost me my seat iO the bouse I was elected by so •mall a majority that my opponent]

is contesting my seat Election contests are decided by a committee of the house.- The committee 4s ruled by men who favor the franchise bill. I have been told that my opponent, who ran on the independent ticket, has promised his vote to the men who will unseat me and give him my place If I persist in my detemination to oppose the bill I shall probably be unseated to make room for a man-whose vote will pass the blit 11 "Yet you persist in your determination?” “Of course,” he answered, as if be regarded the question as superfluous. “I can’t vote .for a bill I think is wrong. I shall leave the capital. I shall probably never see you again. I love you very-dearly,” he went on in a matter of fact tone. “But you are engaged to Grant Warren. If you were free-I’d do my best to win you.” The next morning shortly after the assembly convened Grant Warren rose and asked for recognition. . : “Mr. Speaker,” he said, “as chairman of the committee on election contests I desire to report to the house our decision in the case of Jones versus Ralston. After a careful consideration of the evidence presented we have pronounced the election of Mr. Ralston an illegal one, and declare that Mr. Jones is the lawful member from Pike county.” “Mr. Ralston,” announced the speaker, “having been declared illegally • elected, is hereby requested to leave his seat in the house.” There was silence as the sturdy, erect figure passed down the aisle. As he reached the door Mary Collins joined him and walked with him Into the rotunda. She drew him into the empty state library. "It is over.” he said briefly. “I am a political outcast, a legislative misfit I am one of those men whose misfortune it is to look oh subjects differently from their fellows. And I have to stand by my convictions.” “You are not a failure. You are a glorious success. For the sake of your ideals you endured this humiliation. Ideals are the only things worth clinging to. Do you Btlll love me and want to marry me? If you do I’ll marry you now—whenever you wish.” “What are you talking about Mary?” “When I first knew you I was engaged to Grant Warren. I did not love him. But the life of a self-sup-porting woman is sometimes very hard. Mine has been cruelly hard. He has wealth and position, t intended to marry him for the material advantages he could give me. I had had Ideals of marriage for true love, but I had put them aside. When I knew you I began to care for you as I had never cared for any other man. But Grant was a success and very rich. So I tried to smother the ideals and marry him. But I can’t do it, I realized today when you walked from the house that I honored and loved you and the nobility you represent beyond anything else in the world. I want the man I love and I want to live up to my old Ideals of love and marriage. But perhaps you don’t want a woman who has been so mercenary. I don’t care what you are politically and I don’t card how poor you are —” “But I’m not poor,” he said, staring at her in joyous bewilderment. “I’m only a poor politician. I am sound in business sense. I have a great deal of money, more than you can spend. Do you really love me, sweetheart? It Isn’t just pity for a political outcast?" “An outcast?” she said, scornfully. “I call him a hero.”