Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-10-21
By CHARLES KLEIN.

chairman. The air itself seemed
charged with electricity that needed
but n spark TO set it ablaze.
Speaking deliberately and dispas-
sionately, the master dissembler be-
gan.
They had all listened carefully, he
said. 10 what had been stated by pre-
vious speakers. The situation no doubt
was very critical. but they had wealth
cred worse storms, and he had every
reagon to hope they would outline this
storm. 1t was true that public opinion
was greatly incensed against the rail
roads and, indeed. against all organ
lied capital and was seeking to injure
them through the courts. For time
this agitation would hurt business and
lessen the dividends, for it meant not
only smaller annual earnings. but that
q lot of money must be spent in Wash
ington.
The eyes Of the listeners. who were
hanging on every word, involuntariIy
turned in the direction of Senator Rob
erts. but the latter, at that moment
busily engaged in rummaging among
a lot of papers. seemed to have missed
this significant allusion to the roads
expenses in the District of Columbia
Ryder continued
In his experience such waves of re-
form periodical and soon wear
themselves out, when things go on
just as they did before Much of the
agitation doubtless was a strike for
graft. They would have to go down in
their pockets, he supposed. and then
these yellow newspapers and these
yellow magazines that were barking
at their heels would let them go. But
in regard to the particular case now at
issue-this Auburndale decision-there
had been no way of preventing it. In
fuence had been used. but to no eff
feet The thing to do now was to pre-
vent any such disasters in future by
removing the author of them.
The directors bent eagerly forward.
Had Ryder really got some plan up his
sleeve, after all? The faces around
the table looked brighter, and the di-
rectors cleared their threats and set
tied themselves down in their chairs
as audiences do in the theater when
the drama is reaching its climax.
The board. continued Ryder with icy
| calmness, had perhaps heard and also
seen in the newspapers the stories re-
| garding Judge Rossmore and his al
| legged connection with the Great North
|
not believed these stories. 1t was only
natural. He had not believed them
| himself. But he had taken the trou-
bic to inquire into the matter very
| carefully, and he regretted to say that
| the stories were true. In fact, they
were no longer denied by Judge Ross
more himself.
The directors looked at each other in
| Rmazement. Clasps of establishment,
| incredulity, satisfaction, were heard all
over the room. The rumors were true,
then? Was it possible? Incredible!
| Investigation, Ryder went on, had
shown that Judge Rossmore was not
only interested in the company in
| whose favor as judge of the supreme
court he had rendered an important de-
cision; but, what was worse, he had ac-
cepted from that company a valuable
gift-that is, $4,000 worth of stock
for which he had given absolutely
nothing in return unless, as some
claimed, the weight of his influence on
the bench These facts were very ugly
and so Unanswerable that Judge Ross
more did not attempt to answer them
and the important news which he, the
chairman, had to announce to his fel
low directors that afternoon was thai
Judge Rossmore's conduct would bt
made the subject of an inquiry by con
gress.
Ryder sat down, and pandemoniun
broke loose, the delighted director:
tumbling over each other in thei
eagerness to shake hands with the MAJ
who had saved them. Ryder had Civ
en- no hint that he had been a factor il
the working up of this case agains
their common enemy, but the directors
knew well that he and he alone hat
been the master mind which ha,
brought about the happy result.
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