Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-23

He regarded the big, putting gentle
man with curiosity mingled with the
contempt of the thin for the fat. Bull
pitt, on his part, gazed fiercely at
Vandraken through protruding eyes,
resting the backs of his hands on his
wide spread thighs.
What can I do for you tonight,
Mr.. Bulpitt?" said the young man ge-
nially, wishing to put him at his ease.
Mr. BulpitI waved a heavy fore
mand. "Sit down, young man! Sit
down right there!" and he indicated
chair in front of him.
In his establishment, Vandraken sat
down. "You-you have letter of in
PRODUCTION, believe, Mr.. Bulpitt?"
The big man produced letter from
a wallet and reached it over to Van
draken, keeping suspicious eye on
him as he read it, and putting at inter-
walls.
This letter gives no reason for the
Introduction" said Vandraken look
ing up from it. What can do for
you,"
Come back to American with mel"
replied Mr.. Bulpitt, abruptly, in his
domineering voice. Come back to
where you belong. That's what want
with you, young mani"
"Come back to America! What are
you-a detective?"
Detective nothing! I am president
of the United States Boot and Shoe
Corporation-what the papers call a
captain of industry"
Look here!" said the young man,
beginning to lose his temper. 81 wish
you would get Industrious minding
your own business. don't allow any
man to take the tone with me that
you are taking"
Vandraken had, of course, met some
Of the great captains of industry of
New York, but they had all been Of
the suave, polished type. This was
his first experience of the self-made,
rough-diamond kind, and he did not
know how to take him. 81 suppose my
uncle sent you on this delicate mis-
sion?" he added.
mo sir" replied the big man pom
pously. II am a committee of one,
representing the Society of Industrial
Corporation Presidents. AT meeting
of the society held two weeks ago it
was unanimously decided that the life
you are living is menace to the ex-
istence of concentrated wealth. The
American people are getting aroused,
they are rearing up on their hind
legs, and, i'll they start, something
will give. suppose, young man, you
read the American papers?"
Read the papers!" answered Van
draken scornfully. Does man read
his own obituary notices 2"
IF you don't read the papers how
can you know what you are doing?
That makes you more dangerous even
than we figured on Mr. Bulpitt made
note of it in little book. "The long
and short of it is, that while your NOR
ais are no concern of ours, the effect
of your morals is very much our con-
Germ
Vandraken opened his mouth as II
to speak, but the big man silenced
him with his fat forefinger s'You let
me make my spell When I've finish
ed, you'll be given an opportunity to
say your little say"
To Bulpitt and his type, all rich
young men who did not work in offices
were dudes" and dudes were young
men who had no force of character,
and young men who had no force Of
character were best treated like chill
dren; given their orders, and told not
to ask questions. Bulpitt had son
who had tried, Intellectually, to be a
dude. but Bulpitt rounded him UP and
had him Gagged in an Office. So he
thought he knew how to handle Van
draken's case. But when I've had my
say, young man, calculate there
won't be much left for you to say"
Vandraken lit cigarette to annoy
his visitor. go ahead, Mr.. Bulpitt.
You begin to interest me-"
The big man glared at him. "It's
just this; the American people aren't
really down on trusts and big for
tunes; they know we'll enough that
the men who are making them are
only themselves as they would like to
be. We hired one of the biggest novel
lists of the day, psychological expert
he called himself, to figure out just
how much the people would stand,
and It comes to this: as long as we
represent what he called the American
spirit, it's all right. The peoples of
the East, and the peoples of the West
are kindred spirits, according to his
report. The Oriental, he claims, don't
mind the High-much-a-muc and his
Grand Vizier having all the wealth of
the country, because any donkey-boy
may become Vizier and any donkey.
boys daughter may become the moth
er OF the next High-muck- a muck
'Taint likely, but it's possible Well,
same way in America. It's all an ele-
CANT gamble, and what's a gambler
without long shots and big odds? All
we got to do, this novelist figured
was to let the people win just once in
a while, like the confidence men do
That's why we started off the Metal
Trust with laboring man for presi
dent at salary of million a year
We had to thank the novelist for that
idea. tell you, some of them novelists
amt such fools as I used to think
The labortng men craned their necks
50 hard looking up at that president
they amt never looked down since.
well, sir, we hired this novelist tc
make a report on you, and he says II
we don't suppress you, the American
people will suppress us. 'We,' he says