Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-08-24

know anything about the railroad CON-
pany's business in this state can learn
it for the asking and at first hand.
Secrecy and all the various brands Of
political s%kulduddery that have been
admitted in the past are to be shown
the door. This Is the intimation that
was made to me. Wasn't it made t o
youT"
Gantry did not reply directly to the
direct demand. On the other hand, he
very carefully refrained from answer
ing it in any degree whatsoever.
You have your job to hold down
and I have NINE" he returned. "What
you say goes as it lies, of course, but
brothers if l were you"
"If by the little brothers you mean
the pie eaters I'm going to fire them
out neck and crop, Richard. They
make me excessively weary
Gantry's playful mood fell away
from him like a castoff garment.
81 don't quite believe I'd do that If
I were you, Evan. There are pie eat
ers on both sides in every political con-
test, and. while they can't do any cause
any great amount Of good, they can
often do a good bit Of harm. I
wouldn't be too hard on them If 1 were
you"
what would you do, or, rather,
what did you do when you We're man
aging the state campaign two years
ago|" inquired Blount pointedly.
81 cut the pie" said the traffic man.
ager simply.
"1n other words, you let this riff
raft blackmail you and incidentally
put a big black mark against the com
pany's good name"
ooh, no; 1 wouldn't put it quite that
strong. Not many of these little fell
lows ask or expect money. A free ride
now and then on the railroad is about
all they look for"
But you can't give them that IN.
der the interstate commerce law" pro-
tested the purist.
mot outside of the state, of course
But inside of the state boundaries it's
our own business"
you mean it was our own bust.
state ratp law two years ago" cor
rected Blount.
cit is u own business to this good
day-in effect. That part Of the law
has been q complete dead letter from
the day the governor signed it. Why
very men who argued the loudest and
voted the most sp%itefully for it came
to me for their return tickets home al
the end of the session. Of course We
kept the letter of the law. 1t says
that no free passes shall be given
We didn't issue passes. We merely
gave them tickets out of the cas- anG
charged them up to expense"
"Faugh.." said Blount. you make
me sick. Gantry, it's that same child
ish whipping of the devil around tn,
stump by the corporation, an expe
dent that wouldn't deceive the mos
ignorant voter that ever cast a ballo
its that very thing that has stirre'
the whole nation up to this unreason
able fight against corporate capital
Don't you see it?"
Gantry shrugged his shoulders.
II guess I take the line of the leas
resistance-like the majority of them,
was the colorless reply. 'When j
comes to practical politics.
Don't say practical politics to me
Dick" rasped the reformer. "We'v
got the strongest argument in til
world in the fact that the present lay
is an unfair one, needing modification
or repeal. We mustn't spoil that argu
ment by becoming lawbreakers ou1
selves and descending to the method
Of the grafters and the machine pol
ticians the country over. If you hav
been sending these pie eaters to me
don't do it any more 1 have no US
for them, and they won't have an;
use for me after I open up on them.
II don't believe I'd do anythin,
RASH" said Gantry.
Dating from this little heart to hear
talk with the traffic manager, Bloun
began to carry out the new policy
"the starvation policy" as it soon cam
to be known among the would b
henchmen. The result was not alto
gether reassuring. 4-..
Many Of the small gfafters were O.
tie payrolls Of the railroad company
and Blount was soon definitely assure,
Of what he had before only suspecte
that they were merely nominal en-
ployees, given q payroll standing S
that there might be an excuse for Civ
ing them free transportation and a re
tainer in the form of wages, if need
full.
In many cases the ~ramifications 0
the petty graft were exasperatingi,
intricate. For example, one Thoma
Gryson, who was on the payrolls a
a machinist's helper in the repair shops
demanded free transportation acros
the state for eight members of hi
family" Questioned closely, he ad
] mitted That tho "familv'' was his onl,