Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-12-09
..Frenzied Finance s sson sAar

e % VI - y HEAR AogA F~
poses. In the morning the place was
deserted, but at noon the parlors began
10 nil up with the different members
of the machine and their friends,
trustworthy members OF the Legislature,
A little later an elaborate luncheon
would be served, the supernurneraries
eating in one room, Towle n his
chiefs and the legislators In the other.
There the gossip of the morning ses-
sion was exchanged and the work laid
out for the afternoon legislative and
committee sessions. Another interval
Z or silence and peace until $3.50, then
the real bushes OF the day began.
I Mr.. Patch was generally or the ground
first, carrying the books In which the
bribery records were kept, for be 1t re-
membered that the efficiency Of the
Whitney machine was largely u TO
the thoroughly systematic manner In
which It's operations were conducted.
Nothing was left 10 chance or 10 any
ones memory. In turn, the subordi-
mates presented careful reports OF the
days trasactions. At $50 MIR. Towle
would go over these documents, sizing
up the actual results for submission
later TO the chief himself. Between
1890 and $3.50 the machine" dined: the
remains OF the feast having been re-
moved, the doors We're locked and the
books brought out.
II an outsider could possibly have
obtained the entry to the headquarters
Of the Whitney Massachusetts, pipe line,
say at 8 o'clock any evening during
the session. he might easily have
imagined himself at the Madison
Square garden or ut Tattersall's on the
night OF the first day OF an interna-
tional horse sale. This is what he
would see. In parlor 10. seated at a
long table a dozen OF Mr.. Towle's chiefs.
all In their shirt sleeves smoking vol
~nminously; before each a sheet OF paper
on which was printed a list of the
members OF the legislature; against
every name a blank space for memo
randa; at the head of the table Towle
himself, frowning severely over a sim
liar sheet having broader memoranda
spaces, One after another the chiefs
would call off the names of the legis-
iators, reporting as they went along.
The outsider would hear droned mon
enormously: 80. from .....not my
mani ...... from. ....., raised price $40,
making it $3.50; agreed; $40 paid on ac-
count. total OF &a0 due, raised because
told him that he had got $40 more
Y from. .....f
AS each mar reported, the other
chiefs and Towle discussed the details
and when a decision on disputed points
was arrived at Towle would make q
memorandum on his blank and the
chief concerned recorded the order IN
the little note book which each carried.
All reports in at last, Towle retired TO
room ii and speedily returned with
the stuff" consisting OF cash, stocks,
puts, calls, or transportation tickets,
which he deals out to the chiefs to full
fill the promises they had made for the
day. 1t would be obvious to the out
slider, az soon as he had learned what
was being dealt in, that a large proper
ton OF the members Of the great and
general court OF Massachusetts had
~bargained with the different members
or sthe machine" 10 sell their votes,
not only in committee, but in full ses-
sion OF the legislature, that the price
was to be paid when the votes were
cast, though something was invariably
expected on account, to tie he bargain.
Payment seemed TO be made in cash,
calls on Bay State Gas or Dominion
Coal or transportation on any of the
railroads in the United States or Can
ada. The latter appeared TO be a class
OF remuneration Towle favored, prob
ably because Ii cost nothing.
o may ask here: Could such
things happen without attracting pub
lie attention? Or, are the citizens of
Boston so habituated to the corruption
OF their legislature that they could wit
ness unmoved his wholesale bribing
campaign conducted In broad daylight
from Young's hotel? Thank heaven,
this is not SO. There are In every
American community honest, sturdy
souls who can be depended on to come
forward in emergencies and cry aloud
against a threatened political crime.
Above the brute hubbub OF a city's roar
their voices are heard like the voice of
conscience, and the hurrying throng
pauses a second In It's mad rush after
dollars to listen to their tale OF the
commemorative wrong. But what's
In the air Is not on earth, The practi-
cal politicians whose affair ii is to
heed and counterfeit these honorable
protests. laugh contemptuously at the
vanity of any contest between theories
and the stuff" They know the over
powering logic OF gold.
There were public meetings In Bos-
ton; good government clubs met and
r~esoluted citizens organizations
howled robbery and malfeasance. For a
few weeks Massachusetts seemed ali
wrought up. From the space the a
pers gave the protestants one might
Imagine that there was q nance for
Virtue. b the results Of tha clamor
were mote apparent than real.
One by one. all In a perfectly orderly
and methodical manner. the giving
bonds to -compel- promises clauses, re-
strictive amendments and other peo-
pies safeguards had been voted down
n the Are o ready for the main
question: 7" having been put in both
houses. the Massachusetts Pipe Line.
charter was duly passed and sent on
to the governor. 1T required his sigma
ture TO make the bill a hard-and- fast
law, and that once appended. all Towle's
promises to pay" became due.
As the campaign neared a finish
Whitney had a number OF times In
formed his chiefs, and they the MEM
beers 81 the legislature, that he had
been personally assured by the COVER
nor that Ii the bill passed both houses
he would sign 1t. On this score all in
terest had been relieved OF doubt, and
Immediately upon the senate's favor
able action Bay State and Dominion
Coal shares advanced In price. Dur
ing he period the governor had the
bill under consideration there was an
active and rising market and a great
volume OF transactions on the stock ex-
change. Apparently the period OF
peace and prosperity a dawne at
last. But we were not yet out Of
gnarled fate's clutches.
In the midst OF u n forenoon
Of trading, suddenly. without the slight
est warning. both stocks began to sink
In price like pigs or lead from a cap
sized boat. At once I was on the de-
fensive& To prevent a. wild market
panic during theSfew minutes consumed
In getting telephone connection with
a. N ofafahofsua I had m utfrchaa az fhnt-