"Alger Jr, Horatio - Frank's Campaign" - читать интересную книгу автора (Alger Horatio Jr)

with severe denunciation of the Administration.

He had spoken for fifteen minutes in this strain, when the
chairman interfered----

"Your remarks are out of order, Mr. Holman. They are entirely
irrelevant to the question."

Holman wiped his cadaverous features with a red silk
pocket-handkerchief, and inquired, sarcastically, "Am I to
understand that freedom of speech is interdicted in this hall?"

"Freedom of speech is in order," said the chairman calmly,
"provided the speaker confines himself to the question under
discussion. You have spoken fifteen minutes without once touching
it."

"I suppose you want me to praise the Administration," said
Holman, evidently thinking that he had demolished the chairman.
He looked around to observe what effect his shot had produced.

"That would be equally out of order," ruled the presiding
officer. "We have not assembled to praise or to censure the
Administration, but to consider in what manner we shall go to
work to raise our quota."

Holman sat down with the air of a martyr.

Mr. Frost rose next. It is unnecessary to report his speech. It
was plain, practical, and to the point. He recommended that the
town appropriate a certain sum as bounty money to volunteers.
Other towns had done so, and he thought with good reason. It
would undoubtedly draw in recruits more rapidly.

A short, stout, red-faced man, wearing gold spectacles, rose
hastily.

"Mr. Chairman," he commenced, "I oppose that suggestion. I think
it calculated to work serious mischief. Do our young men need to
be hired to fight for their country? I suppose that is what you
call patriotism. For my part, I trust the town will have too much
good sense to agree to any such proposition. The consequence of
it would be to plunge us into debt, and increase our taxes to a
formidable amount."

It may be remarked that Squire Haynes, the speaker, was the
wealthiest man in town, and, of course, would be considerably
affected by increased taxation. Even now he never paid his annual
tax-bill without an inward groan, feeling that it was so much
deducted from the sum total of his property.