The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-07-30
They Chuckle AS They Tell
How They Put One Over
Steel Trust.
THINGS ARE EXPLAINED
Another Story Of What Lead up to
the Resignation
of A. F.

One of the Chicago exchanges has an
interesting story regarding the poll
tical situation at Gary, which is, in
part, as follows
Wouldn't it make you mad?
You were a Billion Dollar Trust and
had picked out nice quiet wilderness
to build a city, had bought almost all
OF the property. had spent $2O,O0O,O00
a the rate Of $2OoOOOO a month and
intended to spend $1SO.O00,000 more TO
finish all for yourself
AND
You suddenly found that forty y-nine
quiet Germans who had lived on the
place had elected s12 a month mayor
who wouldn't let you run the town?
That. with some trimmings of an
interesting nature, is exactly what has
happened to the steel trust down at
Gary, Ind
Then the company began to ask for
franchises Here looms up the $f2
month mayor and his fellow members
of the town board.
1t happens that when the yeomanry
of the community We're called together
last July to exercise the sovereign
right to choose town officials. that
there came from over the plain toward
Toleston, the only forty nine male resi-
dents of the place. They were Of
Teutonfc ancestry, cared little for en-
perors. trusts and private ownership Of
things and merely voted for three men
who were to hold office until Jan. /,
1910.
These three men were Thomas E
Knots, real estate man. who was
made mayor, John f. Sears, who offered
coffee in small lots to consumers in
the capacity of an itinerant merchant.
and occasionally offered prayers in the.
Methodist church for the souls of the
community, and NJ a. Caldwell, an en-
ploye Of the steel trust.
They were elected for the very per-
Tod when All Of the public utility fran
chises were to be given out. They
could not be budged until the time
had passed for the entire shaking of
the plum tree.
According to the story as told from
the side of the Common People, these
men were elected by the forty mine
original and genuine residents of Gary
the Teutonic fathers of the metropo-
lis of the burning sands. These faith
ers. according to the same story elect
ed the three because they promised
schools for their children, certain
roads and other things essential to the
public welfare.
According to the story of the trust,
which is equally funny, they were vir-
tuauy appointed by the steel trust.
which had entrusted the task to 4. L.
Knots. then employed at $4,000 a
ha 10
election said the trust was a pure
fake. and no real citizen named the
three defenders Of the faith and guard
ians of the public rights.
BE that as it may the trust did not
raise this objection until It had accept
ed franchises for the gas. water and
electric light plants, and it is estopped
from complaint as to the legality Of
the election now that it finds itself un-
able To ride the broneho government.
Steering between the rocks Of the
two contentious the ultimate fact is
reached that Mayor Thomas L. Knots
and his two associates control the poll
tical aspect of the town as completely
as though they had been born to run
the job. The steel trust is dependent
upon their will for the next two and
one half years.
Viewing the fact, the weight Of the
statement viii be appreciated when il
is said that the trust came before the
three and asked for franchise for a
street railway company The weight
viii be further understood when it is
said that two or three had conceived
the idea of getting street railway
company i'm power that would make
more concessions than the trust was
willing to give.
When the trust found that It's chief
franchise had gone ont of its hands
a howl came 1t said that \. f. Knots
brother to the mayor, had been dis
missed from the service of the trust
and that he was getting even.
Mayor Knots himself had this K
say yesterday when he was found il
the midst Of the sand metropolis q
millions:
when Gary was about to becom,
Incorporated we found that there wer,
forty -nine citizens, principally Ger
mans. living out west near Toleston
They wanted schools for the children
ana other things Of a public nature
They were about to become fncorporat
ed as q part of Toleston and we per
suaded them, under promise Of III,
school and other things they wanted
to come into Gary and become incor
porated. Ne one else lived here at tha
time
They formed the corporation anC
elected the three trustees. Then tn,
trust did not want TO give them Their
schools and other improvements w