Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-11-28

II HtuqudTCeIS lOr w nlCney vi 'SSaCnu
sets PIPE Line were opened at Young's
Hotel, Parlors 8, 10 and II, Rooms 6, Z,
s, second story front. Parlors 8 and 10
were the general reception room, while
II was for the commander himself and
the holding of important and "touchy"
interviews. The rooms 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 We're
used for educational purposes. In the
morning the place was deserted, but at
noon the parlors began to till up with
the different members o. the "Machine"
and their friends, trustworthy members
of the Legislature. A little later an
elaborate luncheon would be served, the
supernumeiaries eating in one room,
Towle and his chiefs and the legislators
in the other. There the gossip OF the
morning eession was exchanged and the
work laid out for the afternoon legis|a-
tive and committee sessions. Anothel
interval OF silence and peace until 5 80
the real business OF the day began. Mr..
Patch was generally on the ground first,
carrying the books in which the bribery
records were kept, for be it remembered
that the efficiency of the Whitney ma
chine was largely due to the thoroughly
systematic manner in which its opera
tons were conducted. Nothing was lett
to chance or to any ones memory. In
turn, the subordinates presented careful
reports of the days transactions. At
$50 Mr.. Towle would 90 over these
documents, "sizing up" the actual re.
suits for submission later to the chief
himself. Between 1880 and $50 the
l"Machine" dined; the remains of the
least having been removed, the doors
wee locked and the books brought out.
If an outsider could possibly have OBJ
tanned the entry to the headquarters of
The Whitney Massachusetts Pipe Line
say at 8 O'Clock any evening during he
session, he might easily have imagined
himself at the Madison Square Garden
or at Tattersall's on the night OF the first
day of an international horse.sale. This
is what he would see: In Psrlor 10,
seated at long table half dozen Of
Mr.. Towels chiefs, all in their shirt.
sleeves, smoking voluminously; before
each sheet OF paper on which was
printed list Of the members of the legis-
lature; against every name blank
space for memoranda; at the head Of
the table Towle himself, frowning severe.
ly over similar she having broader
memoranda spaces. One after anolner
The chiefs would call off the names OF
the leg ,iators, reporting as they went
along. The outsider would hear dloned
monotonously: "....... from ..... not
my man; ....... from my man
and ........'s man; seen today, stood
same as yesterday; ........ from. ......,
raised price $50, making it $3.50; agreed
$40 paid ON account, total of 100 due |;
raised because. ....... told him that he
had got $50 more from :"
AS each man reported, the other chiefs
and TOwle discussed the details, and
when decision on disputed points was
arrived at, Towle would make memo
randum on his flank, and the chief con-
cerned recorded the order in the little
notebook which each carried. All re-
ports in at last, Towle retired to Room II
and speedily returned with the "stuf,"
consisting of cash, stock, puts, calls, or
transportation tickets, which he dealt
out to the chiefs to fulfil the promises
they had made for the day. 1t would be
obvious to the outsider, as soon as he
had learned what was being dealt in,
that a large proportion OF the members
of the Great and General Court of Massa.
chusetts had bargained with the differ
ent members OF "the machine" to sell
their votes not only in committee but in
full session of the legislature, that the
price was to be paid when the votes were
cast, though something was invariably
exacted on account, to tie the bargain.
Payment seemed to be made in cash,
calls on Bay State Gas or Domion Coal,
or transportation on any OF the railroads
in the United States or Canada. The
latter appeared to be class of remunera-
ton Towle favored probably because it
cost nothing.