Summary
Emerging from the hallucinogenic haze of an Orientalist opium den, a nameless protagonist—shaking off the lethargy of addiction—embarks on a grueling pilgrimage toward redemption. This trajectory leads him to Cincinnati, where he adopts the quintessential alias 'John Smith' and pivots from chemical dependency to a fervent, almost religious crusade for Prohibition. His meteoric rise in the political sphere pits him against the monolithic Whiskey Trust and the Machiavellian Senator Mallon. As Smith grapples with an obliterated past and an burgeoning romance with Mallon’s daughter, Edith, his adversaries deploy a ghost from his drug-addled history: a woman claiming to be his wife. The narrative culminates in a monumental psychological and political confrontation in Washington, where a literal army of society’s discarded 'derelicts' descends upon the Senate, forcing a reckoning between Smith’s forgotten identity and his public mission.
Synopsis
The story opens in an opium den in China showing a white girl and two men suffering from the effects of the soul destroying drug. The younger man suddenly rises from his hard bench. Turning to his companions he cries out, "I am through with this life: I am going back to America and decency. Come, go with me." But the other two pay no attention to his words and he leaves alone. After a hard struggle drowning a fierce desire for the drug by an over-indulgence in drink, he arrives in Cincinnati. He stumbles into a mission house and there comes to him the resolve to give up forever all drink. Unable to recall his name or anything about the past, he registers as John Smith. Realizing the havoc that "demon rum" makes of hearts and homes, John Smith devotes his life to the prohibition cause. He soon becomes a force in political affairs. Among those most interested in seeing the liquor interests win out is Senator Mallon of Ohio, who has been elected by the Whiskey Trust. Mallon's daughter, Edith, is attracted by John Smith, and she sympathizes with his fight for the right. He, in turn, is won over by her charm and he longs to declare his love, but always present with him is that doubt as to his past life, who he is and where he came from. The whiskey men finally decide to crush Smith socially. Mallon writes him a note stating that he and his daughter desire that all social relationship between them be discontinued. Smith only laughs at the note. Smith's companions in China drift to Washington. Through Simpson, the oppositions learn of Smith's life in the opium den and determine to make use of it. The woman declares that Smith is her husband and tells of incidents to prove her statement. Edith is overcome to see the man she loves claimed by this depraved creature and begs Smith to deny that this is his wife, but sadly shaking his head, he says although he doesn't remember the woman, she may be right. He may have married her in the days back of memory. The day of the great fight arrives. From all over the country comes a huge crowd summoned by Smith to plead for the prohibition cause. Through the streets of Washington they surge up the Capitol steps, into the very Senate chamber, this great army of derelicts by their very presence, an unanswerable argument against whiskey. The voters are swayed by the remarkable crowd and John Smith's fight is won. The woman, brought to a realization of the wrong she has done, rushes to Smith and confesses that she lied, that she is not his wife. She recalls to him conversation in which he told her of his mother and his early home life. Slowly Smith's memory returns, the past is recalled, and clasping Edith in his arms, he tells her that now that he can remember all; there is no longer any reason why they should remain apart.
