l-conditioned, and uncontrollable that he would not
let the ballot suffice him. The ballot was almost nothing to him.
Strikes and bribery were his great subjects; the beauty of the one
and the ugliness of the other. The right of the labourer to combine
with his brother labourers to make his own terms for his labour, was
the great lesson he taught. The suicidal iniquity of the labourer
in selling that political power which he should use to protect his
labour was the source of his burning indignation. That labour was the
salt of the earth he told the men of Percycross very often;--and he
told them as often that manliness and courage were necessary to make
that salt productive. Gradually the men of Percycross,--some said
that they were only the boys of Percycross,--clustered round him, and
learned to like to listen to him. They came to understand something
of the character of the man who was almost too shame-faced to speak
to them while he was being dragged round to their homes on his
canvas, but whom nothing could repress when he was on his legs with
a crowd before him. It was in vain that the managing agent told him
that he would not get a vote by his spouting and shouting. On such
occasions he hardly answered a word to the managing agent. But the
spouting and shouting went on just the same, and was certainly
popular among the bootmakers and tanners. Mr. Westmacott was asked
to interfere, and did do so once in some mild fashion; but Ontario
replied that having been called to this sphere of action he could
only do his duty according to his own lights. The young men's
presidents, and secretaries, and chairmen were for awhile somewhat
frightened, having been assured by the managing men of the liberal
committee that the election would be lost by the furious insanity of
their candidate. But they decided upon supporting Moggs, having found
that they would be deposed from their seats if they discarded him. At
last, when the futile efforts to control Moggs had been maintained
with patience for something over a week, when it still wanted four or
five days to the election, an actual split was made in the liberal
camp. Moggs was turned adrift by the Westmacottian faction. Bills
were placarded about the town explaining the cruel necessity for such
action, and describing Moggs as a revolutionary firebrand. And now
there were three parties in the town. Mr. Trigger rejoiced over this
greatly with Mr. Griffenbottom. "If they haven't been