“I’m not letting my own feeling decide it,” said Peter. “I’m thinking of the party. For every vote the Labor people give Maguire, the support of that party will lose us a Democratic vote.”
“But we can’t win with a triangular fight. The Republicans will simply walk over the course.”
If Peter had been a hot-headed reformer, he would have said: “Better that than that such a scoundrel shall win.” But Peter was a politician, and so saw no need of saying the unpleasantest thing that occurred to him, even if he felt it. Instead, he said: “The Labor party will get as many votes from the Republicans as from us, and, for every vote the Labor party takes from us, we shall get a Republican vote, if we put up the right kind of a man.”
“Nonsense,” cried Number One.
“How do you figure that?” asked another.
“In these panic times, the nomination of such a man as Maguire, with his truckling to the lowest passions and his socialistic speeches, will frighten conservative men enough to make them break party lines, and unite on the most certain candidate. That will be ours.”
“But why risk it, when, with Maguire, it’s certain?”
Peter wanted to say: “Maguire shall not be endorsed, and that ends it.” Instead, he said: “We can win with our own man, and don’t need to trade with or endorse the Labor party. We can elect Maguire by the aid of the worst votes in this city, or we can elect our own man by the aid of the best. The one weakens our party in the future; the other strengthens it.”
“You think that possible?” asked the man who had sought information as to what they “were here for.”
“Yes. The Labor party makes a stir, but it wouldn’t give us the oyster and be content with the shells if it really felt strong. See what it offers us. All the local and State ticket except six assemblymen, two senators, and a governor, tied hand and foot to us, whose proudest claim for years has been that he’s a Democrat.”