The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-01-09
Election of Senator Gitkinz.


{ in TWO months was evenly divided. EX-
[ actly half its members on joint ballot
! belonged to the political organization
/ Of which Senator Gitkinz was che of the
/ heads. Fer purposes of Identification il
/ may be called the Blue party. The Red
party, which was bitterly opposed TO
! Senator Gftkinz had an equal number
( of votes in the legislature lacking only
T one. The odd man was State Senator
Mari. elected as an independent from
/ one of the interior counties of the state.
! If Mari voted for Senator Gitkiuz, his
/ election was assured. IF. as was EXPECT
/ ed he voted for the cUucus nominee Of
/ the Red party. IT would lee necessary to
/ detach some opposition member from his
/ party aHeeiance. That was The problem
which Senator Gitkinz was facing.
+ Three men sat in q little room open
ing into the library of Senator Gitkinz s
I house in the town Of Carton. They were
! smoking and looking into the fire. Git
/ kim himself was a large man Of 81
! dressed SC well that his clothes were
not at ali noticeable His heavy fgure
was topped by a large and wen shaDe1
/ head. His iron gray hair was worn long
and his face smooth shaver. With his
( deep set black eyes and eagle beak he
( looked not unlike the pictures OF DAM j
/ Webster
/ The man standing next the table was
/ Gregory ITppman. for more than fifteen
years the private secretary of Senator
/ CitLinz
/ The third man IN the room was Charles
+ Swerin, tai, thin and gaUnt. with faded
/ blue eyes looking out through hig bowed
/ gold glasses. Swerin's name never got
into the papers. To the few he was
known as "the brains of Senator Git
kim"
/ The three were completing their plan
/ Of action for the campaign so close at
hand.
i've gone over all Of them said
Swerin. and think we had better con-
cantrate on old Senator Mari 1t VIII
/ seem more natural if he fops than If one
/ Of the regular Reds comes over to rs.
( Let's see what you've got on Mari,
I Gregg 2"
The private secretary got up, unlocked
and opened the doors of tall cabinet
Tt was filed with littIe pigeon-hoIes, each
of them numbered. He ran his fingers
down the list to the name Of MARI.
noted the number opposite 1T. and then
pulled from the cabinet the little tin
box which bore the same number. The
box was half filled with papers and clip
pings
Mari was born in New York state"
began Uppman. "Fi5s father was q farm
in the district school, and he has had
to support the family ever since. He
was admitted to the bar when ne was
40 years old. He is attorney for the
street car company which' owns the line
/ in Hartn his home town. This is the
first time he has ever held office. Is
rated at from 5000 to $4,000"
Il think I know how to manage old
man MARI" said Swerin, after mo-
Gregg?"
NO; never saw him in my life"
well L want you to find out all about
that street railway line which he repre-
sents as attorney. Get its capital, IT'S
condition. and the names of its chief
owners, and try to find out whether 1t
can be bought at a reasonable price"
Within a week state Senator MARI re-
ceived a letter from a Chicago lawyer
asking If the HartiI street car line, for
which he was attorney. was on the mar
ket IF it could he bought az reason
able figure, the lawyer wrote he might
be abe to find a purchaser for it.
Tt happened that the Hartil street car
company had never been a profitable in
vestment It's owners were local capital
lists. who had been chiefly moved 70
build the line by town pride The best
it had ever done was to pay expenses.
It's owners, as Mari knew. would be de-
lighted to get the property off their
hands, provided only that it might be
maintained and kept running.
He had a conference with the men
who owned most of its stock before he
answered the letter from Chicago. Then
he wrote That while the company was
not anxious ITO sell out. Il might con-
slider an offer Of $1,000. The Chicago
man came hack with a proposition to
pay 5000 There followed further ne
eoiatiOns by correspondence Finally
MARI was asked to make trip to Chi
cagO to talk the matter over. Before he
left an upset price OF $4,000 was fixed
for the property
wen let it 90 at $4,000" the presi-
dent Of the company said to Mari, az
the latter stepped on the train.
Gregory Uppman met him at the Union
station and introduced himself as one of
the men Interested in the purchase Of
the road The two went directly TO the
lawyers Office. There the deal was dis
cussed at length. As final proposition
the new syndicate made an offer Of S55,-
COO. to which MARI refused to listen.
Finally PpDman came to the point
III tell YOU what, Mari" he said
you use your influence with the COM
pany to get them to accept $500 and
we'll be glad TO pay you personal com
mission of 5000 when the deeds are
SIGNED"
The more Mari thought Of the matter
the more It seemed TO him that perhaps
he would be justified in taking the 5000
He had secured the price fixed By the
owners of the line Surely there was 10
harm I'm his making little ont Of 81
on his own account. Besides he needed
the money badly IT, after thinking i-
over, he concluded that it would ba best