Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-04-11

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the senate. and In a cunningly worded
amendment tackled on In the upper
house had found what he was seeking.
Under the existing law foreign corpor-
ations were subject to- state super
''ision, and were dealt with as pre-
sumably unfriendly aliens. But the
senate amendment to House Bill
Twenty-nine fairly swept the inter-
state corporations, as such. out Of ex-
istence, by making 1t obligatory upon
them to acquire the standing of local
corporations. Charters were to be re-
fled with the secretary Of state: resi-
dent directories and operating head
quarters were to be established with
in the boundaries of the state: in
short. the state proposed. by the
terms of the new law. to deal only with
creatures of its own creation.
Kent saw. or thought he saw. the
fine hand of the junto In all this. 1t
was a still hunt in which the long
est way around was the shortest way
home. Like all new-country codes, the
organic law of the state favored local
corporations, and 1t might be urged
that bill placing the foreign compa-
nies on a purely local footing was an
unmixed blessing to the aliens. But
on the other hand, an unprincipled ex-
ecutive might easily make the new
law an engine of extortion. To 60 no
further into the matter than the re-
quired refiling of charters: the state
constitution gave the secretary of state
auasi-judicial powers. 1t was within
his province to pass upon the applica-
tions for chartered rights, and to deny
them II the question pro bono publico
were involved.
Kent put two and two together, saw
the wide door of exactions which
might be opened, and passed the word
of warning among his associates;
after which he had watched the course
of the amended House Bill Twenty
nine with interest sharp-set, planning
meanwhile with Hildreth, the editor
of the Daily Argus, an expose which
should make plain the immense pos
sibilities for corruption opened up by
the proposed law; a journalistic salvo
of publicity to be fired as last re-
sort.
The measure as amended had
passed the senate without debate,
and had gone back to the house. Here,
after the second reading, and in the
very hour when the Argus editorial
was getting itself cast in the limo
types, there was a hitch. The mem
ber from the Rio Blanco, favoring the
measure in all Its parts, and fearful
only lest corporation gold might find
a technical flaw in 1t, moved that 1t
be referred to the committee on ju-
dietary for q report on its constitution
ality; and, accordingly, to the COM
mittee on judiciary 1t had gone.
Kent recalled the passing Of the
crisis, remembering how he had has
tened to telephone the Argus editor
to kill the expose at the last moment.
The incident was now a month in the
past, and the committee had not yet
reported; would never report, Kent
imagined. He knew the personnel
of the committee on judiciary: knew
that at least three members Of 1t were
down on the list, made up at the be-
ginning of the session by his COL
leagues in the army of observation, as
"approachables." Also, he knew by
inference at least, that these three
men had been approached, not with
out success, and that House Bill
Twenty-nine, with its fee-gathering
amendment was safely shelved.
Its an ill-smelling muck-heap!" he
frowned, recalling the incidents OF
the crisis at the suggestion let fall
by the two outgoing lobbyists. And SO
much of this dog-watch as isn't sick
eningly demoralizing is deadly dull.
as Crenshawe puts it. II | had any
where to 60, I'd cut the galleries for
tonight"
He was returning the newspaper to
his pocket when it occurred to him
that his object in buying 1t had been
to note the stock quotations.; daily
duty which, for Elnor's sake, he had
never omitted. Whereupon he re-
opened it and ran his eye down the
lists There was decided upward
tendency in westerns Overland Short
Line had gained two points; and
Western Pacific
He held the paper under the near
est electric globe to make sure:
Western Pacific, preferred, was quoted
at 58k, which was one point and a
half above the Brentwood purchase
price.
One minute later an excited life
saver was shut in the box Of the pub
lie telephone, gritting his teeth at
the inanity of the central operator
who insisted on giving him "A-1224"
instead of ALBA" the Hotel Wei
Ilington.
mo, no! Can't you understand? |
want twelve-thirty-four; one, two,
three, four: the Hotel Wellington"
There was more skirling Of bells.
another nerve-trying wait, and at last
the clerk Of the hotel answered.
What name did you say? Oh, it's
you, is it, Mr. Kent? Ormsby? Mr..
Brookes Ormsby? No. he ism here;
he went out about two minutes ago.
What's that you say? Damn? Well,
I'm sorry, too. No message that can
take? All right. Good-by."
This was the beginning. For the
middle part Kent burst out OF the tel
ephone box and took the nearest
shortcut through the capitol grounds
for the street-car corner. At a quar-
ter of nine he was cross-questioning
the clerk face to face in the lobby Of
the wellington. There was little more
10 be learned about Ormsby. The club
man had left his key and gone out.
He was in evening dress, and had ta-
ken a cab at the hotel entrance.
Kent dashed across to his rooms
and, in a feverish race against time,
made himself fit to chase a man in
evening dress. There was no car in
l sight when he came down, and he,
too, took cab with an explosive order