The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-10-01

| ton. Here he was Saddled with
4 twenty fve-year lease of one of the
most expensive piers in New York:
4 here he had great warehouse six
blocks or more away from the pier:
here he had also vast store several
miles from the warehouse; here was
a railroad that practically connected
all three, provided one OF two little
spurs or switches could be built from
pier to railroad, and from warehouse\
to railroad. 1t was perhaps the one
mistake that he had made in his bust
ness career not to have arranged mat
tiers before all this came to climax.
The railroad people meant to make
him pay. They were resolved that
he should; he was equally determined
that he would not
He was not alone in his position,
| however; for it was found on all sides
he discovered it by making quiet in
quiries-that other shippers and
merchants seeking similar privileges
were being held up in the same way
The road had proved enormously ex-
| pensive to build; the stock had, been
watered numerically Contracts
which had been entered into for the
construction of switches were found
to be of little value; means were avail.
able TO break them and evade them.
and the whole water front of New
York found itself practically helpless
in the grasp of this octopus of corpo-
! ration.
There had been no clamor In the pa
i pers over. this matter; but there was
tremendous undercurrent of resent
ment and dissatisfaction, and Gormly
thought he saw an opportunity of turn
| ing it to his own account To expose
the Ubiquitous methods of procedure
of the Gotham Freight Traction com.
pany, to bring about it's ruin or it's
downfall by depriving 1t of the fran
chise it was abusing, to safeguard the
people in their rights in any further
grants, was certainly an object suffi-
GENTLY high and sufficiently vast to
| attract the attention, and, should he
| succeed, to awaken the admiration of
any being. And Gormly himself with
out losing sight of Miss Haldane be-
gan to look at the possibilities from a
high and noble point of view, in which
self-interest took a secondary position.
Therefore, late in November he
came boldly out in the open, and over
his own name vigorously attacked the
| Gotham Freight Traction company.
He did it in a unique way, too In
stead of the full page advertisement
OF Gormly's store which appeared
simultaneously in all the great dailies.
there was presented one morning in
! clear, direct, businesslike English
statement of the whole situation ex-
actly as 1t was. There were no threats,
no menaces, no limitations of any fu-
ture plan or purpose; just blunt
statement of facts printed in large
double-leaded type, and signed with
/ the familiar facsimile of his now ia
nous autograph.
The thing was an instant sensation.
The newspapers took it up. Other
merchants, freighters, and shippers
were interviewed, and case was in
stantly made out against the Gotham
Freight Traction company which
would have shaken less ponderous,
less thick-skinned, less Indifferent or
ganization to pieces. Even the author
tiles were interviewed, and they shed
hypocritical tears over the unfortunate
trickery by which the public had been
buncoed out of its legitimate rights,
but they took occasion at the same
time to point out that there was moth
ing whatever to be done about 1t.
The party in power was one that
had long dominated the metropolis.
To be sure 1t gave the metropolis q
fairly good government; but the peo-
pie paid over and over again. They
were robbed shamelessly right and
left, on every hand, and while some
thing was rendered. them, what they
/ got was no quid pro quo for the fright
full extravaganza of the administra-
ton. Graft abounded everywhere. The
party out of power, which had been
out Of power SO long that it had per-
force become virtuous, did not hest
tateito point out the dreadful state of
affairs to all who would listen; but it's
efforts had so far been unavailing, and
eAO pdAIy III QOWoT remained LQ6r0 De-
cause Of Its SO doing. . r."
Now the Gotham, Freight Traction
company had its weak point. Things
that depend upon the collision of SO
many INSCRIPTIONS men, not to say
villains, usually have weak point.
1t is wise man, indeed genius, who
finds out these things and assails the
organization thereat. The first prin-
ciple of good soldering is to oppose
to your adversary's weak point your
own strongest. The weak point in the
enterprise of the Gotham Freight
Traction company lay in certain link
vital to the continuance of the care
fully devised system: the franchise Of
which was about to run out.
Few people knew that the franchise
was to expire, and in the ordinary
course nothing would have happened.
An ordinance renewing 1t would have
been slipped through the board Of
aldermen, signed by the mayor, and