He set forth
his case--the case which meant his political checkmate, then waited.
Selma had risen and stood with folded arms gazing into distance with the
far away look by which she was wont to subdue mountains.
"Have you finished?" she asked. "What you are proposing to do is to
sacrifice your life--and my life, James Lyons, for the sake of
a--er--fetish. Horace Elton, under the pretence of friendship for us,
has taken advantage of your necessities to extract from you a promise to
support an evil scheme--a bill to defraud the plain American people of
their rights--the people whose interests you swore to protect when you
took the oath as Governor. Is a promise between man and man, as you call
it, more sacred than everlasting truth itself? More binding than the tie
of principle and political good faith? Will you refuse to veto a bill
which you know is a blow at liberty in order to keep a technical
business compact with an over-reaching capitalist, who has no sympathy
with our ideas? I am disappointed in you, James. I thought you could see
clearer than that."
Lyons sighed. "I examined the bill at the time with some care, and did
not think it inimical to the best public interest; but had I foreseen
the objections which would be raised against it, I admit that I never
would have agreed to sign it.
Pages:
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540