Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-03-13

was made to me. Wasn't 1t made to
your
Gantry did not reply directly TO the
direct demand. On the other hand, he
very carefully refrained from answer
Ing 1t In any degree whatsoever.
You have your job to hold down
and l have mine." be returned. What
you say goes as 1t lies. OF course. but
I shouldn't be too hard on the little
brothers If / were you.D
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 Ike a CASTOR garment.
81 don't quite believe I'd do that IL
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 II / were
you"
what would you do, or, rather,
what did you do when You were man
aging the state campaign two years
agoy' inquired Blount pointedly.
II cut the pie" said the traffic man.
ager simply.
"In other words, you let this ria
raft blackmail you and incidentally
put a big black mark against the COM
pany's good-name."
"0h, 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 un-
der the interstate commerce law" pro-
tested the purist-
Mot outside Of the state. Of course.
Butinside of the state boundaries it's
our w business"
"You mean 1t was our WI bust
ness previous to the passage of the
state rate law two years ago" cor
rected Blount.
at is our own business to this good
day-in effect. That part of the law
has been a complete dead letter from
the day the governor signed it. Why,
bless your innocent heart, Evan, the
very men who argued the loudest and
voted the most sp~itefully for it came
to me for their return tickets home at
the end of the session. OF course we
kept the letter Of the law. 1t says
that no free passes shah be given.
We didn't issue passes. We merely
gave them tickets out of~the case and
charged them up to expense"
"Faughr' said Blount. "You make
me sick. Gantry. it's that same child
tsh whipping of the devil around the
stump by the corporation. an expe-
dent that wouldn't deceive the most
ignorant voter that ever cast a ballot
its that very thing that has stirred
the whole nation up to this unreason-
able fight against corporate capital.
Don't you see it?'
Gantry shrugged his shoulders.
81 guess / take the line of the least
resistance--fike the majority of them"
was the ~colorless reply. "When 1t
comes to practical politics.
"Don't say practical politics to me,
Dick" rasped the reformer. We've
got the strongest argument in the
I wpr1u IN rno xncr tun rro JAW
is an unfair one, needing modification
or repeal. We mustn't spoil that argu-
ment by becoming lawbreakers our
selves and descending to the methods
of the grafters and the machine poll
tictans the country over. II you have
been sending these pie eaters to me,
don't do it any more. ! have no use
for them, and they won't have any
use for me after I open up on them"
81 don't believe I'd do anything
rash,' said Gantry.
Dating from this little heart to heart
talk with the traffic manager, Blount
began to carry out the new policy
"the starvation policy" as 1t soon came
to be known among the would be
henchmen. The result was not alto
gether ~reassuring.
Many of the small grafters were on
| the payrolls of the railroad company,
and Blount was soon definitely assured
that they were merely nominal EN-
ployees. given a payroll standing 50
that there might be an excuse for CIV
ing them free transportation and a re-
tainer In the form OF wages, ii need
full.
In many cases the ramifcations Of
the petty graft were exasperatingly
intricate. For example. one Thomas
I Gryson, who was on the payrolls as
q machinist's helper in the repair shops,
| demanded free transportation across
the state for eight members of his
family" Questioned closely, he adj
mitted that the family was his only
by a figure of speech; that the rela-
tionship was entirely political.
: Blount promptly refused to recom-
mend the issuing Of employees passes
for the eight, and the result was an
immediate call from Bentley, the d.
| vision master mechanic.
"About that fellow Gryson," Bentley
began. "Can't you manage some way
to get him transportation for his Jones'
boro crowd7 He Is going to make
trouble for us If you don't"
Blount wac justly indignant. -Gry-
son is on your payroll" he retorted.
"Why don't you recommend the passes
on account of the motive power depart
ment, IL he is entitled to themf"
81 can't" admitted the master me