Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-11-25

was largely due to the fnorougniy sys-
tematic manner ir. which its opera
tions were conducted. Notning was
left to chance or to any pne's memory.
In turn, the subocdinstes presented
careful reports of the days transac-
tions. At $50 o'clock ME Towle would
go over these documehta Sizing up"
the actual results for fubmission later
to the chief himself. between 7.3o and
$50 o'clock the "Machine" dined; the
remains Of the feast having been re-
moved, the doors were locked and the
books brought out.
II AIN outsider could k9essibly have
obtained the entry to e headquar-
ters OF The whitney Massachusetts,
Pipe Line, say at 9 oclo f. any even
ing during the session. h<hmight cas-
fly have imagined himself - The Mad
ison Square Garden or at 3httersaIps
on the night of the first bay Of an In
ternational horse sale. ms is what
he would see: In Parfs Aseated at
long table, a dozen or Mr.. Towle's
chiefs, all in their shirt sleeves. smok-
ing unanimously; before each a sheet
Of paps- on which was printed list
of the members Of me legislature;
against every name &C blank space for
memoranda; at the head Of the table
Towle himself, frowninE severely over
similar sheet having broader mem-
oranda spaces. One after another the
chiefs would call of the names OF the
legislators, reporting tas they went
along. The outsider would hear dron-
ed monotonously: "..s... from ......,
not my man; ...... from ...-.., my
man ard IS man; seen today,
stood same as yesterday; ...... from
-, raised price $40, making 1t $3.50;
agreed; $40 paid on account, total Of
$50 due; raised because ...,.. told
him that he had got $40 more from
l4-s
As each man reported, the other
chiefs and Towle discussed the details,
and when decision on disputed points
was arrived at, Towie would make
memors ndum on his blank, and the
chief concerned recorded the order In
the little note book which each car
ried. All reports in at last, Towle re-
tired to Room IL and speedily return
ed with the "stuff," consisting Of cash,
stock, puts, calls }or transportation
tickets, which he dealt out to the
chiefs To fulfill the promises they had
made for the day. It would be obvi-
GUS to The outsider as soon as he had
learned what was being dealt IN, that
a large proportion OF the members OF
nn~ o<,l No,,rf 81 Mou-
sachusetts had bargained with the
different members OF "the machine"
to sell their votes, mot only In COM
mittee, but in full saession Of the leg
islature 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 or
Bay Stlte Gas or Dominion Coal, or
transportation on any Of the railroads
In the United States or Canada The
latter appeared to be class Of re-
muneralion Towle favored. probably
because 1t cost nothing.
You may ask here: Could such
things happen without attracting pub
lie attention? Or. are the citizens OF
ton OF their legislature that they could
witness unmoved this wholesale brib-
ing campaign conducted In full day
light from Youngs Hotel? Thank
heaven this is not 30. There are In
every American community honest,
sturdy souls, who tcan be depended on
to come forward IN emergencies, ana
cry out aloud against q threatened po-
litical crime. Above the brute hubbub
Of q citys roar their voices are heard
like THE voice Of conscience. and the
hurryiny throng pauses second In It's
mad rush after dollars to listen 10
their tale of the commonwealth's
wrong. But what's IN the air is not
on the earth. The practical poitic.-
ians, whose affair II Is to heed and
counteract these honorable protests,
laugh contemptuously at the vanity OF
any contest between theories and their
"stuf." They know the overpowering
logic Of gold. @ -t.
There were public meetings In Bos-
ton; good government clubs through
out the state met and resoluted; cfti-
zens' organizations howled robbery
and ynalfeasance. For a few weeks
Massachusetts seemed all wrought up.
From the space the papers gave the
protestants, one might imagine that
there was a chance for virtue, but the
results were more apparent than real.
Day by day, night by night, the ma
chine" ground away at Youngs, and
as its product fell into the hopper
Whitney and Towle only smiled at the
clamor and waited the moment when'
as Towle coarseiy put 1t, "the reform
ers had yawped themselves TO
standstEll."
That day came at last. One by one.
all in q. perfectly orderly and method
ical manner, the giving-bonds- to-
compel promises clauses restrictive
amendments and other peoples safe
guards had been voted down, and the
Are you ready for the main ques-
tion% having been put In both houses,
the Massachusetts, Pipe Line Charter
was duly passed and sent to the gov
ernor. It required his signature to
make the bill hard and fast law,
and that, once appended, all Towies
promises to pay became due.
But the governor vetoed the bill, ana
a desperate effort was made by the
promoters to pass 1t over the veto.
Failing in this, they acceded to the
governors demand that the charter De
amended so that the highest price at
which gas could be sold was 50 cents
a thousand, and then he would sign II.
This did not enable the prom oters to
carry out their promises. Ar. Law
son concludes the inc:ient as follows:
Early next morning there came 10
my Office two wild eyed. desperate
creatures, Towle and Mr.. Patch. Wnen
I looked upon the big, powerful man
who had always seemed In any ngnt
In which had heretofore beheld MIN
to fear neither man nor God-when l
looked and saw his plight pitied MIN
deeply, sincerely. he carried laIse
travelling bag and Mr.. Patch carriea
two others.
Lawson, for Gods sake, don't 40
what they are all doing-don't uporaio
me! I've got to get out into the world
and be dead to all know-famiiy,
friends, every one. II I stay It's state
prison or worse, and Whitney says
must GO. I've got all the papers TO-
gether, and Whitney has given me
what cash he had on hand, and this
check Of $4,000. Do me one last 'Iavor
get me gold for 1t. I know l have
no right to ask any favors OF you, Dut
think IL you were In my place. nave
a wife and children, and-and the
great strong man wept like child.
called my secretary and IN snort
time George Towle, with the $4,000 IN
gold and the bags OF evidence, raoeo
out Of my life and into the gray ihist
Of eternity, s
A few days after a vessel dropped
anchor Of the island OF Jamaica;
George Towie's body was carried
ashore and buried, and Mr.. Patch was