IRRIGATION, POLITICS, AND SECTIONALISM 83 



away. I went home to gaze helplessly upon 

 thirsty young peach and apple trees, many 

 of which died, of course, and the orchard 

 had to be partially replanted the following 

 spring more time wasted again. The usual 

 wail went up equally, of course concerning 

 ' hard times ' and the ' poor man.' And all 

 this took place in the dire and memorable 

 year 1894 the year of the Coxeyite Army 

 and other such exhibitions. The elections 

 resulted principally, over and above the afore- 

 said losses, in furious mutual accusations, 

 foul-mouthed abuse delivered through the 

 medium of its usual mouthpiece, the village 

 newspaper ; and stuffed ballot-boxes, fraud, 

 bribery, and corruption of every description, 

 darkened the air nay, darken it yet, two years 

 afterwards. Perpetual squabbling, varied by 

 an occasional ' shooting,' takes the place of 

 progress. 



One method of securing the votes of our 

 enlightened fellow-citizens is worthy of men- 

 tion. On the evening before election-day, 

 the henchmen of one political party rounded 

 up forty or fifty Mexicans well primed in 

 advance with whisky, and, putting them into 



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