The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01

against Melin, and it was tried in White
Plains. 1t cost him $500 TO defend the case,
but he won, and John Melin's inn opened
again. 1t has been open ever since. Its
popularity has increased locally, but Of
the hundreds of men employed on the
Rockefeller estate. none buys his beer
there. 1t is generally understood that
patronage of Melin is perilous to perma-
nency in the Rockefeller employ. Still. the
innkeeper did a good business. and was
satisfied. His chance to get back at his
rich neighbor came last month.
The Rockefellers take great interest In
road building. John d. and his brother
William have built at their own expense
many miles of roadway for the public
good. 1t is important TO their interests
that the road Commissioners should be in
sympathy with them. They did not like the
road commissioner, William Hutton, and
secured the nomination of one of their
own workmen, named Rosa. Hutton,
though a Democrat, is an old friend of
Melin, who is a stanch Republican. One
day he came into Melin's place much de-
jected.
THE Rockefellers are going to beat me,
john" he said.
Don't let Them said Melin. Flight
EN-, same as me-"
What's the use?" said Hutton; they've
got all their workmen's votes
"An right said MeIin; IF you won't
fight EN-, I'll fight EN- for you"
He threw himself heart and soul into the
campaign. There was nothing at stake
for him, but he wanted to beat John d.
Rockefeller. Night and day he worked.
At 6 o'clock in the morning he was on
the road. and often would be still at work
at midnight. His wife looked after the
inn while he Travelled around getting votes
for Hutton. Meanwhile, the Rockefellers
were working hard for their man. No
doubt they could. by a judicious use of
money" have got enough votes to win, but
Mr.. Rockefeller is not a man who does
that sort of thing. 1t was a fair fight and
a hard one. The Rockefeller wagons car
ried the Rockefeller laborers to register
and afterward to vote. But when the
count was over John D. Rockefeller's man
was beaten by "a votes.
ROCKEFELLER BEATEN.
when Hutton got the news says Melin,
in relating his victory, "he come to my
place an he throw his arms 'roun' me an
1 throw my arms round him. an he says.
John. you did it; you can have anything
/ got;' an / say, L don't want It. an we
both dance on the floor"
Probably Melin was the happiest man in
the township that night. For several days
following. the inn was a sort of ratification
hall. The successful candidates lost no
time in congratulating Melin. not only be-
cause he had been the one man who had
o.ro x-io+o-xy 20 tlaro hrt II hoao,r-a
in their election. he had brought to himself
a greater triumph than had come TO any of
them. He had beaten John D. Rockefeller.
To the prejudiced minds of many of these
partisans, Melin's victory took on a gigan-
tic significance. and they talked in large
phrases of the humble citizen who had de-
feated the aims of the most powerful
Standard Oil Trust. Melin, to them, was
the modern st. George, who, single handed
and alone. had chopped off the grasping
tentacles of the Pocantico hills dragon and
had forced it to flee from the limits of the
Mount Pleasant corporation.
But Melin himself has no such notions.
He understands how much the Rockefellers
have done for the community. Now that
he has won his fight he is thinking of Civ
ing up the place. He talks of this entirely
without rancor. His view is that it has
been a give-and-take, fair fight between
himself and Rockefeller, and he harbors no
resentment at the thought that in the end
his millionaire neighb will get his place.
II work here for seventeen years inside"
he says, land L get very tired. Maybe L
sell out after while and then Rockefeller
get my place. Maybe 1 go back to Sweden
then for a visit, 1 don't know. Anyhow, 1
win this time. Ach, l work hard for Hut
ton. and L got sick, too, but L win the
fight" HERBERT WALLACE.
(COpyright)