Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1911-09-07

~ S0AS ~ kAV L
Incidentally. nothing that he could
have said or done could have 80 In
creased the business of his store!
His business rivals and associates In.
deed suggested, and the suggestion
was quickly seized upon by the ad-
ministration papers. that the whole
thing was a clever advertising dodge,
and that Gormly was simply using his
candidacy to boom his business There
was no satisfactory answer to this
argument, which was one Of the best
that could have been devised by the
opposition, and It was harped upon
immensely, although their leader was
vigorously justified from this charge
by his army Of fighters.
The expenses of the campaign were
enormous. Not one cent was paid out
for bribery or for the purpose OF In.
huenc1ng votes In any improper way:
but the hiring Of halls, the payment
OF b expenses Of meetings. organiza-
ton, transportation, printing. salaries.
and SO on aggregated an extraordinary
sum. Even Gormly himself had not
realized how great these expenses
would be; but he paid them without
b~lenching. His were vast.
He put at the disposal Of his candi
dacy all the accommodations and earn
ings Of twenty-five years. He } saw
that by the time the vote was taken,
his ready money would be expended.
OF course, he would still have hia
great business, which would be entire
~ unencumbered; but everything else
would go.
He still kept to his plan of printing
every week sworn statements of hia
expenses, challenging the other party
to do the same. The reason the go
ciety did not publish its expense &C.
count was not because it was ashamed
Of the amount. for it was vastly great.
er than what Gormly expended. They
had nearly as many expenses as he,
except for the newspaper advertising,
which they got free, and in addition
they disbursed an immense bribery
and corruption fund through Liney,
Cornell, Habberley and Benson.
Again and again we're Haldane and
his associates called upon for remit
tances. which were invariably forth.
coming. There was no possibility Of
refusal. Failure to win a victory
would mea financial ruin to many OF
them. Fortunately for him, 1t did not
mean So much to Haldane. although
his great fortune would be seriously
impaired by defeat. Most Of the
others, however, had turned over
l cuorvfh{nr .fhot fhou vnocc0ccoA orA
pledged their credit as well, to the
vast syndicate of which he was the
head. Indeed, he and Van Slyke would
be the only ones not totally ruined
by the election Of Gormly. Conse.
quently they paid and paid and paid.
protesting in their hearts but shutting
their teeth grimly and handing out
1.-THE cash. which was disbursed to the
best advantage by Lifey and Benson.
Gormly himself spoke every night
somewhere and the crowds that greet
ed MIN were enormous. Meanwhile
every detective in the employ of the
city, and all others who could be
suborned, were concentrating theil
efforts on Gormly's past and present
He could not take a step outside Of
his office without being Swallowed. II
was not difficult for spies to mingle
with the crowd Of buyers in his store
and %scrutinize every person who en-
tered his private room. They had
so far discovered nothing. GormlJ
had lived an absolutely clean, upright
honest, hardworking life since h<
landed in New York. They did no.
find out where he came from or ever
where he was born. The only possible
clue they had was the statement tina
he had once been in the west, will
which Haldane had supplied them
Men had secured the principal citiel
Of the west; but nothing had beer
learned. Cornell was in despair. H,
and Liffey and Benson had again ant
again been on the eve Of determining
upon the manufacture Of some degrad
ing or discriminating story which
would at least serve their purpose. /
would not be difficult to get witnesses
to such an endeavor; but it would b.
highly dangerous to resort to such al
~expedient, and they were still hest
tating and undecided.
About this time the disputed fran
chise expired. A resolution was i'm
mediately introduced In the board o
aldermen at the city hall granting
renewal Of It to the Gotham Freigh
Traction company. Every mov il
the game was watched, and the reso
luton had scarcely been read and re
ferred to a committee when It wa
: communicated to Gormly. The mex
: day the Gormly papers rang with tn
. charge that the city fathers intended
> to give away its most valuable remain
4 : ing public franchise to the Gotham
I Freight Traction company.
At the next meeting, despite tn
furious protests Of the Gormly party
, the resolution was put upon its pas
$ sage. Gormly here played his great
est political card. Attended by
body Of friends, he presented himsel
Il at the council chamber and forced ad
= mission. When the resolution r.
! newing the franchise was about to b
L voted upon, as a citizen OF New Yor