The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-03-29
CHAPTER III.
Sayler "DraWs the Line"

OdJlcF draws IflO Lille
In February the railways traversing
our state sent to the capitol a bill |
that had been drawn by our ablest |
lawyers and reviewed by the craftiest
of the great corporation lawyers of
New York city. It's purpose, most
shrewdly and sly1y concealed was to
exempt the railways from practi- |
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 usual share of the taxes. Such
measures are usually "straddled'
through the egislature-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, 80 were assigned by Dunkirk
! and II by Silliman to make up a ma
jority with three to spare
My boss, Dominick, got wind that
Dunkirk and Silliman 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 it unless he got
| $1,000 apiece for them - SIT 600
Dunkirk needed every one of Dom
inick's men to make up his portion of
the majority; he yielded after trying
In vain to reduce the price All Dom
| mick would say to him on that point
SO l heard afterward, was:
| Every day you put me off go up
q thousand dollars a head"
| We who were to be voted so profit
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 a 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. Its back to the
bench you go, Pat Cassidy-back to
the bench where I found you," he
snarled, with a volley of profanity
and sewage 81 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, II l hear another squeak,
I'll put 'em where I got EN-"
Cassidy shrank away with q fur
tive glance of envy and hate at me,
whom Dominick treated with peculiar
consideration think it was be-
cause l 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 I'VE gentlemen" in con-
trast to them muckers,' meaning my
colleagues.
Next day. just before the voting
began, Dominick seated himself at the
front Of the governors gallery-the
only person in 1t. l 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 chin resting on his up
turned, stubby thumbs. He was
there to see that each of us, his crea
lures, dependent absolutely upon him
for our political lives, should vote as
he had sold US in block. There was
no chance to shirk or even to squirm
AS the roll-call proceeded, one after
another, seven of US, obeyed that viii
frowning from the gaIlery-iumped
through the hoop OF fire under the
quivertng lash. was the eighth Oh
the roll
Sayler." How my name echoed
through that horrible silence!
/ could not answer. Gradually every
face turned toward me- could SCI
them, could feel them, and, to make
bad enough worse. yielded to an i'm
perious fascination, the fascination b
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 behinr
his eyes.
"Sayleri" repeated the clerk in
voice that exploded within me.
.No!" l shouted-not in answe
to the clerk, but in denial Of that In