The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him

by Paul Leicester Ford

  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  COMMISSIONS.

  Peter made his dinner call at Miss De Voe's, but did not find her athome. He received a very pleasant letter expressing her regret atmissing him, and a request to lunch with her two days later, and to gowith some friends to an afternoon piano recital, "if you care for music.If not, merely lunch with us." Peter replied that he was very sorry, butbusiness called him to Albany on that day.

  "I really regret it," said Miss De Voe to Dorothy. "It is getting solate in the season, that unless he makes his call quickly, I shallhardly be able to give him more than one other chance."

  Peter's business in Albany had been sprung on him suddenly. It wasneither more nor less than a request sent verbally through Costell fromGovernor Catlin, to come up and see him.

  "It's about the food and tenement commission bills," Costell told him."They'll be passed by the Senate to-day or to-morrow, and be in Catlin'shands."

  "I hope he'll make good appointments," said Peter, anxiously.

  "I think he will," said Costell, smiling quietly. "But I don't believethey will be able to do much. Commissions are commonly a way of stavingoff legislation."

  Peter went up to Albany and saw Catlin. Much to his surprise he foundthe Governor asking his advice about the bills and the personnel of thecommissions. But after a few minutes he found that this seeking for aidand support in all matters was chronic, and meant nothing special in hisown case.

  "Mr. Schlurger tells me, though he introduced the bills, that youdrafted both. Do you think I had better sign them?"

  "Yes."

  "Mr. Costell told me to take your advice. You really think I hadbetter?"

  "Yes."

  The Governor evidently found something solacing in the firm voice inwhich Peter spoke his "yes." He drew two papers towards him.

  "You really think I had better?"

  "Yes."

  The Governor dipped his pen in the ink, but hesitated.

  "The amendments haven't hurt them?" he queried.

  "Not much."

  "But they have been hurt?"

  "They have been made better in some ways."

  "Really?"

  "Yes."

  Still the Governor hesitated, but finally began a big G. Havingcommitted himself, he wrote the rest rapidly. He paused for a momentover the second bill, and fingered it nervously. Then he signed itquickly. "That's done." He shoved them both away much as if they weredangerous.

  "I wonder," thought Peter, "if he enjoys politics?"

  "There's been a great deal of trouble about the commissioners," said theGovernor.

  "I suppose so," said Peter.

  "Even now, I can't decide. The leaders all want different men."

  "The decision rests with you."

  "That's the trouble," sighed the Governor. "If only they'd agree."

  "You should make your own choice. You will be held responsible if theappointments are bad."

  "I know I shall. Just look over those lists, and see if you thinkthey'll do?"

  Peter took the slips of paper and read them.

  "I needn't say I'm pleased to see my name," he said. "I had no idea youwould think of me."

  "That was done by Costell," said the Governor, hastening to shift theresponsibility.

  "I really don't know any of the rest well enough to express an opinion.Personally, I should like to see some scientific men on eachcommission."

  "Scientific! But we have none in politics."

  "No? But this isn't politics."

  "I hoped you'd think these lists right."

  "I think they are good. And the bills give us the power to takeevidence; perhaps we can get the scientific part that way."

  Peter did his best to brace Catlin up; and his talk or other pressureseemed to have partially galvanized the backbone of that limpindividual, for a week later the papers announced the naming of the twocommissions. The lists had been changed, however. That on food consistedof Green, a wholesale grocer, and a member of the Health Board. Peter'sname had been dropped. That on tenements, of five members, was made upof Peter; a very large property-owner in New York, who was a member aswell of the Assembly; a professional labor agitator; a well-knownpolitician of the better type, and a public contractor. Peter, who hadbeen studying some reports of a British Royal Commission on the samesubject, looked grave, thinking that what the trained men in England hadfailed in doing, he could hardly hope to accomplish with suchill-assorted instruments. The papers were rather down on the lists. "Theappointments have destroyed any chance of possible benefit," was theirgeneral conclusion, and Peter feared they were right.

  Costell laughed when Peter spoke of the commissions. "If you want Catlinto do anything well, you've got to stand over him till it's done. Iwanted you on both commissions, so that you could see how useless theyall are, and not blame us politicians for failing in our duty. Greenpromises to get you appointed Secretary of the Food Commission, which isthe next best thing, and will give you a good salary for a time."

  The Tenement Commission met with little delay, and Peter had a chance toexamine its motley members. The big landlord was a great swell, who hadpolitical ambitions, but was too exclusive, and too much of a dilettanteto be a real force. Peter took a prejudice against him before meetinghim, for he knew just how his election to the Assembly had beenobtained--even the size of the check--and Peter thought buying anelection was not a very creditable business. He did not like what heknew of the labor agitator, for such of the latter's utterances andopinions as he had read seemed to be the cheapest kind of demagogism.The politician he had met and liked. Of the contractor he knew nothing.

  The Commission organized by electing the politician as chairman. Thenthe naming of a secretary was discussed, each member but Peter having acandidate. Much to Peter's surprise, the landlord, Mr. Pell, named RayRivington.

  "I thought he was studying law?" Peter said.

  "He is," said Pell. "But he can easily arrange to get off for the fewhours we shall meet a week, and the five dollars a day will be a verynice addition to his income. Do you know him?"

  "We were in college together. I thought he was rich."

  "No. He's of good family, but the Rivingtons are growing poorer everyyear. They try to live on their traditions, and traditions don't paygrocers. I hope you'll help him. He's a very decent fellow."

  "I shall vote for him," replied Peter, marvelling that he should be ableto give a lift to the man who, in the Harvard days, had seemed sothoroughly the mate of Watts and the other rich fellows of the "gang."Rivington being the only candidate who had two votes, he was promptlyselected.

  Thirty arduous minutes were spent in waiting for the arrival of thefifth member of the Commission, and in the election of chairman andsecretary. A motion was then made to adjourn, on the ground that theCommission could not proceed without the secretary.

  Peter promptly objected. He had been named secretary for this particularmeeting, and offered to act until Rivington could be notified. "Ithink," he said, "that we ought to lay out our programme."

  The labor agitator agreed with him, and, rising, delivered an extemporespeech, declaring that "we must not delay. The leeches (here he lookedat Mr. Pell) are sucking the life-blood of the people," etc.

  The chairman started to call him to order, but Peter put his hand on thechairman's arm. "If you stop him," he said in a low voice, "he'll thinkwe are against him, and he'll say so outside."

  "But it's such foolishness."

  "And so harmless! While he's talking, look over this." Peter produced anoutline of action which he had drawn up, and having written it induplicate, he passed one draft over to Mr. Pell.

  They all let the speech go on, Peter, Mr. Pell and the chairman chattingover the plan, while the contractor went to sleep. The agitator tried tocontinue, but as the inattention became more and more evident, hisspeech became tamer and tamer. Finally he said, "That is my opinion,"and sat down.

  The cessation of the oration waked up the contractor, and
Peter'soutline was read aloud.

  "I don't move its adoption," said Peter. "I merely submit it as abasis."

  Not one of the members had come prepared with knowledge of how to go towork, except the chairman, who had served on other commissions. He said:

  "I think Mr. Stirling's scheme shows very careful thought and isadmirable. We cannot do better than adopt it."

  "It is chiefly copied from the German committee of three years ago,"Peter told them. "But I have tried to modify it to suit the differentconditions."

  Mr. Pell objected to the proposed frequent sittings. Thereupon theagitator praised that feature. The hour of meeting caused discussion.But finally the scheme was adopted, and the date of the first sessionfixed.

  Peter went downstairs with Mr. Pell, and the latter offered to drop himat his office. So they drove off together, and talked about theCommission.

  "That Kurfeldt is going to be a nuisance," said Pell

  "I can't say yet. He evidently has no idea of what our aim is. Perhaps,though, when we really get to work, he'll prove useful."

  Peter had a call the next day from Rivington. It was made up of thanks,of college chat, and of inquiry as to duties. Peter outlined thepreliminary work, drafted the "Inquiries" and other printed papersnecessary to be sent out before the first meeting, and told him aboutthe procedure at the meetings.

  "I know I shall get into all kinds of pickles," said Ray. "I write sucha bad hand that often I can't read it myself. How the deuce am I to takedown evidence?"

  "I shall make notes for my own use, and you will be welcome to them, ifthey will help you."

  "Thanks, Peter. That's like you."

  The Commission began its inquiry, on the date fixed, and met three timesa week from that time on. Peter did not try to push himself forward, buthe was by far the best prepared on the subject, and was able to suggestthe best sources of information. He asked good questions, too, of thevarious witnesses summoned. Finally he was the one regular attendant,and therefore was the one appealed to for information elicited atprevious meetings. He found the politician his best helper. Pell wasuseful when he attended, which was not very often, and even thisintermittent attendance ceased in June. "I'm going to Newport," heexplained, and did not appear again till late in the fall. Thecontractor really took no part in the proceedings beyond a fairlyfrequent attendance, and an occasional fit of attention whenever theinquiry related to building. The labor-agitator proved quite a good man.He had, it is true, no memory, and caused them to waste much time inreading over the minutes of previous meetings. But he was in earnest,and proved to be perfectly reasonable as soon as he found that thecommissioners' duties were to inquire and not to make speeches. Peterwalked home with him several times, and they spent evenings together inPeter's rooms, talking over the evidence, and the possibilities.

  Peter met a great many different men in the course of the inquiry;landlords, real-estate agents, architects, engineers, builders,plumbers, health officials, doctors and tenants. In many cases he wentto see these persons after they had been before the Commission, andtalked with them, finding that they were quite willing to give facts inprivate which they did not care to have put on record.

  He had been appointed the Secretary of the Food Commission, and spentmuch time on that work. He was glad to find that he had considerableinfluence, and that Green not merely acted on his suggestions, butencouraged him to make them. The two inquiries were so germane that theyhelped him reciprocally. No reports were needed till the next meeting ofthe Legislature, in the following January, and so the two commissionstook enough evidence to swamp them. Poor Ray was reduced almost todespair over the mass of "rubbish" as he called it, which he wouldsubsequently have to put in order.

  Between the two tasks, Peter's time was well-nigh used up. It wasespecially drawn upon when the taking of evidence ceased and thedrafting of the reports began. Ray's notes proved hopeless, so Petercopied out his neatly, and let Ray have them, rather glad thatirrelevant and useless evidence was thus omitted. It was left to Peterto draw the report, and when his draft was submitted, it was accompaniedby a proposed General Tenement-house Bill. Both report and bill wereslightly amended, but not in a way that Peter minded.

  Peter drew the Food-Commission report as well, although it went beforethe Commission as Green's. To this, too, a proposed bill was attached,which had undergone the scrutiny of the Health Board, and had beenconformed to their suggestions.

  In November Peter carried both reports to Albany, and had a long talkwith Catlin over them. That official would have preferred no reports,but since they were made, there was nothing to do but to submit them tothe Legislature. Peter did not get much encouragement from him about thechances for the bills. But Costell told him that they could be "whippedthrough. The only danger is of their being amended, so as to spoilthem."

  "Well," said Peter, "I hope they will be passed. I've done my best,whatever happens."

  A very satisfactory thing to be able to say of yourself, if you believein your own truthfulness.