Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-12-09
HRIslNe A LEolsLATuRE.

That six months between May | and
November / Was the most crowded peril
cd ian all my experience UT to that time.
Eyents or consequence tumbIed over
one another In startling succession. We
actually lived on sensations. In exer-
cising the historians right 70 choose
the order OF setting them down 1 am
puzzled as 10 which to give procedure.
Shall | men with the sensational
bribery OF the Massachusetts legisla
ture which occurred within this period.
or the episode that was the exciting
climax OF that interval Of trial? About
this time, too, occurred the laying ~
the foundation of scoppers" and Anal
gamated. but that certainly requires a
chapter TO itself. However, az all are
starry examples Of what made "fren-
zied finance" possible, and as any n
fits into my story as well ahead as be-
hind the other two, Ill take them IN
the succession above set down
The Whitney machine for the manu-
facture and molding of Legislation was
complex but efficient. It achieved Won
ders lis broad daylight. Considering
what ii ala and how 1t was done, the
astonishing fact In that no cutlery &c
speak OF was ever raised at Its per-
formances. II was vastly b0laer thar
Tammany and made fewer excuses foi
what II grabbed.
r y III llEAA VI injury p tOiktR ~
his lawyer, George ii. Towle, big Of
brain. %ponderous OF frame. n With
the strength Of an OK. A nan OF ter
rifle temper, he new not the meaning
of the word fear. Nothing aroused
him to such frenzy as 10 have to do
with d legislator who unnecessarily
haggled over the price OF his vote OF
naianneAAD On snch occasions. when i
lieutenant had reported that Senator
This or Representative That would not
come Into camp. Towle, with an oath
would simply say, Take me TO him
and I'll have his vote IN ten minutes
or thereH be occasion tor a new cleo
tion In his district tomorrow"
Second In command was Mr.. Patch
Towle's secretary and factotum. his
exact opposite In every way. Where
Towle was brutally straight to the
point. MI. Patch was as smooth an jn-
triguer as ever connected himself with
secrets by way of keyhcles and tran
SONS. II lis q Beacon hill tradition that
for years Towle on final payment day
would nave the members OF the Mas
sachugetts legislature march through
his private offices one at a time, and
handing each OF them their loot, wouIV'
proclaim: Well, you're settled with III
full. aren't you? That represents your
vote on----and OH Then he
would Loudly identify the bill and the
UdEIithtdfS - III Liz 5CttjAE VIII RtNll1l
a partition with a st~enographer would
be Mr. Patch. who after his notes had
been written out would Witness the ac-
curacy OF the stenographer's repor
When the Legislature assembled again,
old members. the same story goes
would be requested To call on TowIt
to renew acquaintanceship. Then he
would alloy them to look oyer his menu
oranda Just to keep 'em from being
toe proud" as he gently phrased ii.
Subordinate TO Towle and Patch was
a long line Of emineEtly respectable
lawyers known all over the common
wealth as "Whitney,s a~ttorneys." These
men participated at nominations, GRATED
at elections. and took care OF the finer
preliminary details.
IT liz seldom the public lis given an
opportunity OF seeing a picture. drawn
to life, OF the Legislatures OF one of the
greatest states In the Union In the act
OF being bribed to grant the vofarfes
OF ~"frenzied fnance," for nothing. those
things which should and do belong tic
the people, and for which the sysfem's
votaries would willingly ray millions
OF dollars TX they were compelled To-
| shall dwell On the performance thai
ensued at this juncture 0f my story
l3ng enough 10 present an outline o.
the process.
Headquarters for whisney's Mas-
sachusetts pipe line Were opencd al
Young's hotel. parlors ., 10. aad ~,
rooms So, 3 second story ftnnls Par-
Tors vand 10 We're the genefni fHrsption
room, while II was for the S~sa1scanttex
himself and the holdins a in 4
fcouelu<o< = pn6e Y