1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



599 



Our Homes 



By A. I. Root 



What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the 

 whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall 

 a man gain in exchange for his soul ? — Mark 8:36. 



Quite a few times during the past year 

 some of my good friends have paid me the 

 high comphment and honor of referring to 

 these Home talks as A. I. Root's "sermons." 

 While thanking them I feel that they give 

 me more credit than I deserve ; but this 

 time, dear friends, I am glad to tell you 

 that I am going to give you a real sermon. 

 Of course it will be a lay sermon, but it is a 

 real sermon for all that; and may God bless 

 the message I bring you. I feel more free 

 to write as above because this sermon is not 

 mine, and comes from a good brother whom 

 I have never met or seen. 



On page 338, May 15, I urged you to get 

 and read an article in the May Cosmopoli- 

 tan; and I now wish to urge you to get a 

 copy of that magazine for this present 

 month of September, and read "^\hat are 

 You Going to Do about It?" by Charles 

 Edward Russell. I have read the introduc- 

 tion, that I am going to copy here, a good 

 many times over; and I hope and pray that 

 it may be read over and over again. Yes, I 

 should like to have it read by every man, 

 woman, and every child who is old enough 

 to understand it — especially our young men. 

 Without any further preface, here is the ar- 

 ticle that stirred me up so powerfully : 



At luka, a decent little town in Marion County, 

 Illinois, the chief citizen was D. W. Holstlaw. He 

 was commonly referred to as the founder of luka, 

 which was not quite true: but he had helped it and 

 given much to it and was accustomed to have his 

 way about it. In the eighteenth century he would 

 have been the feudal baron. In the twentieth he 

 was the rich man of the town, the banker, political 

 leader, social dictator, and business guide. He was 

 also the example to young men and the delight of 

 the moralists. He owned much real estate; he was 

 president of one bank and chief owner in two 

 others: he built and maintained the Baptist 

 church; he selected candidates for office, and for 

 his opinions as for his character men had profound 

 respect. He was a good man 



In politics he chose his own prizes. He was the 

 acknowledged Democratic leader in his region, and 

 he went to the State legislature, first as representa- 

 tive, then as senator. He had passed his sixtieth 

 year — a life free from reproach was declining full of 

 honor. He was a good man. 



In May he went to Baltimore as a delegate to 

 the National Convention of the Southern Baptist 

 Church, of which he was a pillar. On his way home 

 he learned that he had been summoned as a wit- 

 ness before the grand jury of Sangamon County, 

 in which lies Springfield, the capital of Illinois. 

 Therefore he broke his journey at Springfield to see 

 in what way he could assist the grand jury. 



The State's attorney (or prosecuting officer) of 

 Sangamon County, a slender young man not long 

 in office, invited Senator Holstlaw to his room. 

 "Senator," said the young man, in a quiet, friendly 

 way, "did you ever hear any talk of bribery in con- 

 nection with the contract for furniture awarded at 

 the last session of the legislature ?" 

 "Why, no." said Senator Holstlaw, "I never did." 

 " Do you know a man named J. W. Knox ?" 

 "Yes, I think I have met him — in a casual way." 

 "Did you write and mail to Mr. Knox before Jan- 

 uary 18th, a letter addressed to him in Chicago?" 



" I don't think I did. I have no recollection of it." 



" Did you ever make any appointment with him?" 



" Xo, I did not." 



" Kver seek to make any appointment with him ?" 



" No, I did not." 



"Ever communicate with any of the representa- 

 tives of the furniture firms?" 



" No, I never commvmicated with any of them." 



" N'ery well." said the State's attorney. " We will 

 now go up to the grand-jury room if you like." 



So they went up to the grand-jury room, where 

 Senator Holstlaw heard the same questions and 

 gave the same answers, and was excused. 



A few minutes later he was indicted for perjury. 

 He waited in the sheriff's office. It was a gray and 

 trembling old man that sent word thence to State's 

 Attorney Edmund Burke that he desired to correct 

 his testimony before the grand jury. 



" No corrections," said Mr. Burke, not unkindly. 

 " If you are willing to make a full statement of all 

 you know about these matters it will be received. 

 But I can not discuss any thing else with you. You 

 are under indictment. I advise you to secure coun- 

 sel at once." 



The under-sherifif sent out and got him lawyers, 

 and at the close of the day Mr. Burke went home. 

 Early the next morning the lawyers were at his tel- 

 ephone asking him to call for a moment at their 

 office on his way to his own. Mr. Burke complied. 

 Spread out before them the lawyers had a copy of 

 the indictment, which Mr. Burke himself had 

 drawn. It contained the following letter: 



Fortv-slxth General Assembly, 

 State of Illinois. 



Senate, 



D. W. Holstlaw 

 4iid District, 

 luka. 

 1-12-10. 

 Mr. Kxox. Chicago. 111. 



My dear Sir 

 It has been arranged that I should see you will it be conven- 

 ient for you to meet me in Springfield Monday Evlning say 

 about 8, oclock if so leire or write me at my home i luka 111) 

 Must see you not later than above date. 



Yours Rtsp 



1). W. Holstlaw. 



The questions asked of Senator Holstlaw and his 

 answers thereto followed this letter. 



"You don't intend to prosecute on this indict- 

 ment, do you ?" said one of the lawyers. 



" I certainly do," said young Mr. Bvirke. 



Some lawyer's prolegomena followed, and then 

 came the news that Senator Holstlaw wanted to 

 confer with Mr. Burke. 



"Nothing to confer about," said the young man, 

 and he got up and moved for the door. " I came 

 here under the impression that you had something 

 to say that related to my duties. Senator Holstlaw 

 has counsel; they will have to look out for his 

 interests.'' 



"Well, how about an order of immunity?" sug- 

 gested counsel. 



" If Senator Holstlaw will make a full, true state- 

 ment, covering all phases of this matter and all he 

 knows about bribery, I will consent to an order of 

 immunity," said Mr. Burke. " But his statement 

 must be submitted to me in writing, and he must 

 be examined on it by me in your presence." 



Mr. Burke went out, and that afternoon Mr. 

 Holstlaw's statement came over. It was an explicit 

 confession that he had received 82500 to vote for 

 William Lorimer. present junior Senator from Illi- 

 nois, ?700 as his share of the miscellaneous graft of 

 the session, and a promise of 8I0OO for his vote on 

 the furniture contract. Bald details of these trans- 

 actions he set down — what men had bribed him 

 and when — and, in outline, apiieared something of 

 the system whereby for years a controlling clique 

 in the Illinois Legislature had sold legislation to 

 the highest bidder exactly as it might sell peanuts 

 or town lots. 



Then Mr. Holstlaw was released and allowed to 

 go home. When he arrived at luka his son-in-law, 

 who had gone down the line to meet him, all but 

 carried him from the car. He had not slept for 

 sixty hours; his drawn face was the color of ashes: 

 his feet hammered the earth as he tottered along. 

 The two slipped from the rear of the train, hoping 

 to avoid those same townspeople that used to wel- 

 conie their Senator when he came home and were 

 now to the shaking old man objects of unspeakable 

 terror. So he reached his house and his bed. his 

 aged wife weeping and wringing her hands, the win- 

 dow-blinds pulled down, the place darkened for 

 shame. Some days later Mr. Burke found he must 

 ask of Senator Holstlaw some further questions, 

 and went to luka. The fallen leader lay in bed, a 



