The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-03-27

Much like that" / answered. Now
why shouldn't you finance the ma
chine directly and do away with Dun
kirk who takes as his own wage.
about half what you give him? H.
takes it and wastes it in stock specu
MISUNDERSTANDING with your hard
earned wealth, gambling 1t away
chserfullv, because he feels that you
people will always give him more.
What do you propose?" he asked
and / could see that his acute bust
ness mind was ready to pounce upon
my scheme and search 1t hopefully II
mercileesly.
A secret absolutely secret, combine
OF q dozen of the big corporations OF
my state-those that make the bulk
of the political business-the com
bine to me under the management oil
some man whom they trust and whose
rnrerests are business. not political
said Roebuck.
knew that he would point first and
straight at that phase of my scheme
no matter how subtly I might dis
gufse it. So I had pushed 1t into his
face and had all but pointed at 1t my
self SO that 1 might explain 1t away
-'Power?" said /. How do you make
that out? Any member OF the com
rbfne that is dissatisfied can withdraw
at any time and go back to the old
way of doing business. Besides, the
manager won't dare appear in it at all
he'll. have to hide himself from the
l~f> h0
hind some popular flgurehead. There's
another advantage that mustn't be
overlooked Dunkirk and these other
demAgogues who bleed you are inf1am
ing public sentiment more and more
against big corporations-that's their
way Of fighting you into yielding to
their demands. Under the new plan
Gheir demogogery would cease. Don't
you think it's high time for the lead.
bine intelligently against demagogery
Don't you think they have cringed be-
fore IL and have financed and foster
ed II too long,"
This argument which I had re-
served for the last, had all the effect
I anticipated. He sat rubbing his
broad, bald forehead. twisting his
white whiskers and muttering to him
self Presently he asked: When
are you and Lottie Ramsay going to
be married."
In the fall" said l. I'm about
three months"
after you are married and settled. If
You had the substantial interests to
give you the steadiness and ballast,
/ think you'd be the man for your
scheme. Yes. something-some such
thing as you suggest-must be done
TO stop the poisoning of public opin-
ion against the country's best and
strongest men. The political depart
ment of the business interests ought
to be thoroughly organized as the 9TH
er departments are. Come to me
again after you're married"
I saw that his mind was fixed, that
he would be unable to trust me until
j was of his class. of the aristocracy
OF corpulent corporate persons.
went away, much downcast; but two
weeks afterward he telegraphed for
me. and when 1 came he at once
brought up the subject Of the COM
bine.
Go ahead with It," he said. I've
been thinking it over and talking it
over. We shall need only nine others
besides myself and you. You repre-
sent the Ramsay interest
He equipped me with the neces-
eary letters OF introduction and sent
me forth on . tour Of my own state
When 1t was ended, my combine"
was formed. And / was the COM
bire-was master Of this political
blind pool. I had taken the first, the
hardest step, toward the realization
of my dream Of real political power
to become an Embossed boss, not the
agent and servant of plutocracy or
but using both to fur
Their my own purposes and plans
had thus laid out for myself the
difficult feat of controlling two fiery
Difficult, but not impossible,
If I should develop skill as a driver
for the skillful driver has a hand SC
light that his horses fancy they are
going their own road at their own
gait