Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-05-18
CHAPTER III.
Sayler draws the Line"

I
that had been drawn by our ablest
lawyers and reviewed by the craftiest
Of the great corporation lawyers Of
New York city. Its purpose. most
shrewdly and slyly concealed was to
exempt the railways from practf-
cally all taxation. 1t was so subtly
worded that this would be disclosed
only when the companies should be
brought to court for refusing to pay
their susual share OF the taxes. Such
measures are usually "straddled"
through the legislature--that is. Meth
er party takes the responsibility, but
the boss of each machine assigns TO
vote for them all the men whose
seats are secure beyond any ordinary
assault OF public indignation In this
case, Of the 81 members of the lower
house, 81 we're assigned by Dunkirk
and IL by Silliman to make up a ma.
/ jorty with three to spare.
My boss, Dominick, got wind that
Dunkirk and Siliman were cutting an
extra melon of uncommon size. He de-
scended upon the capitol and served
notice on Dunkirk that the IL Dom
mick men assigned to vote for the bill
would vote against II unless he got
! I,000 apiece for them - S77 600.
4 Dunkirk needed every one Of Dom
inick's men to make up his portion of
the majority: he Welded after irving
in vain to reduce the price All Dom
mick would SAY TO him on that point,
so | heard afterward, was:
| Every day you put me off ! go up
thousand dollars a head"
We who were to be voted so nroft-
ably for Dunkirk, Silliman, Dominick.
and the railroads, learned what was
going on--Silliman went on a tear
and talked too much Nine of us, not
including myself, got together and
sent Cassidy, member from the Sec
ond Jackson county district, to Dom
mick to plead for share. happen
ed to be with him in the Capital City
! Hotel bar when Cassidy came up, and
hemming and having, explained how
he and his fellow insurgents felt.
Dominick's veins seemed cords
straining to bind down demon strug-
Cling TO escape. It's back to the
| bench you GO Pat Cassidy-back to
the bench where | found you" he
! snarled. with a volley of profanity
and sewage. Il don't know nothing
| about this here bill except that it's
for the good of the party Go back
| to that gang of damned wharf rats.
and tell em, if | hear another squeak.
I'll put 'em where | got EN-"
Cassidy shrank away with fur
tive glance of envy and hate at me,
whom Dominick treated with peculiar
consideration think it was be-
cause i was the only man OF educa-
ton of any pretensions to family
in official position in his machine. He
used to like to class himself and me
together as we gentlemen" in con-
trast to them muckers,' meaning my
colleagues.
Next day just before the voting
began, Domiuick seated himself at the
| front of the governors gallery-the
only person in IT, | see him now as
he looked that day-black and heavy
/ jawed and scowling. leaning forward
and both forearms on the railing, and
his big. fiat cha resting On his up
turned. stubby thumbs He was
there to see that each Of us. his crea-
lures, dependent absolutely upon him
4 for our political lives, should vote as
he had sold us in block. There was
no chance 10 shirk or even to squirm.
{ AS the roll-Cal proceeded. one after
another, seven Of us, obeyed that will
frowning from the gallery-jumped
through the hoop of fire under the
quiyering lash ] was the eighth on
the roll
Sayler!' How my name echoed
through that horrible silence.
| could not answer Gradually every
face turned toward mel could see
them, could feel them, and, to make
bad enough worse, l yielded to an inn
pertous fascination, the fascination OF
that incarnation Of brute-power-
power OF muscle and power Of will.
] turned my eyes upon the amazed,
furious eyes of my master. 1t seem
ed to me that his lips must give pass
age to the oaths and filth swelling be-
meath his chest and seething behind
his eyes.
"Sayler!" repeated the clerk in O.
voice that exploded within me.
NO.! I shouted-not in answer
to the clerk bar in denial Of that in
solent master-to-dog command from
the beast in the gallery.
The look in his eyes changed to re.
lief and contemptuous approval.
There was murmur of derision from
my fellow members. Then ! remem-
bered that negative was, at that
stage of the bin, a vote for i'll had