The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-03-25
CHAPTER III.
SayIer draws the Line"

SayIer Draws the Line"
In February the railways traversine
Dur state sent TO the capitol a bill
that had been drawn by our ablest
lawyers and reviewed by the crafties,
of the great corporation lawyers oil
New York city It's purpose, most
ehrewdly and sIyly concealed was &c
exempt the railways from practi
rally all taxation. 1t was so subtly
worded that this Vrould 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
5ority with three to spare.
Ny 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 Ii Dom
mick men assigned to vote for the bill
would vote against 1t unless he got
$1,000 apiece for them - SIT 900
sDunkirk 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 I heard afterward, was:
Every day you put me off l go up
% 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
inick 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 a demon strug-
Cling to escape. Its back to the
bench you go. Pat Cassidy-back to
the bench where found YOU" he
snarled, with a volley of profanity
and sewage. II 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 EN- where | got en-
Cassidy shrank away with a fur
tive glance of envy and hate at me,
whom Dominick treated with peculiar
consideration think it was be-
cause / 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. / 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 will
frowning from the gallery-jumped
4 !, oil, he ~ ~
quivering 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, | yielded to an i'm
perious fascination, the fascination OF
that incarnation of brute-power-
power of muscle and power of will.
j 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 a
voice that exploded within me.
NO" | shouted-not in answer
TO the clerk. but 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 contemptrous approval
There was murmut of derision from
my fellow members. Then | remem-
bered that a negative was. at that
stage of the bill. a vote for it had
done just the reverse of what | in
tended The roll-can went on and l
sat debating with myself. Prudence.
inclination. the natural timidity of
youth, the utter futility of opposition,
fear, above all else. fear-these join
ed in bidding me let my vote stand
as cast. On the other side stood my
notion of self-respect l felt I must
then and there and for ever decide
& 500 ES5