Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-06
CHAPTER III. Sayier Draws the lInc.W

S0ytSs 0bdWo kUG LIHGs
 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 slyly concealed was to exempt the railways from practi. cally all taxation. It 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 legislature-thati is, neith. CT party takes the responsibility, bu. 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 91 members of the lower house, S2 were assigned by Dunkirk and IT by Silliman to make up a ma. 5ority 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 II Dom. mick men assigned to vote for the bill would vote against 1t unless he got $7,000 apiece for them = SIT, ,0O0. 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, 50 l heard afterward, was:
 Every day you put me of go up a thousand dollars 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 tear" and talked too much. Nine of. us, not including myself, got togethe, and sent Cassidy. member from the Sec ond Jackson county district. to Dom mick to plead for share. happen cd to be with him in the Capital Cit! Hotel bar when Cassidy came up, ant hemming and having. explained how he and his fellow insurgents felt. i Dominick's veins seemed cord straining to bind down demon strus gling to escape. Its back to tn, bench you go, Pat Cassidy-back ts {: the bench where I found you" ht : snarled, with volley of profanity and sewage. T 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 'em." i Cassidy shrank away with . fur tive glance of envy and hate at me, whom Dominick treated with peculiar consideration-I think 1t 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, tsast to them muckers." meaning my
  colleagues.
 Next day. just before the voting began. Dominick seated himself at the front of the governors gallery-ths 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-jumpea through the hoop of fire under the quivering lash vas the eighth on the roll.
 saylerl" How my name echoed through that horrible silence!
 l could not answer. Gradually every face turned toward mel could see them. could feel them, and. to mako bad enough worse. I yielded to a im- perious fascination. the fascination of that incarnation of brute-power- power of muscle and power of will I turned my eyes upon the arnazed, furious eyes of my master. It seem ed to me that his lips must give pass sse to the oaths and filth swelling b. heath his chest. and seeshing behind his eyes.
 sayiers repeated the eIerk Ia q voice that sxploded within me
 So,- skouted-not h saswer 10 ths cisrk. but in denial cf that h.