The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-15

value OF publicity Either he did not
get sunlight enough into the rotten
City Hall deal or else the rays that
streamed in were devitalized IN some
way.
He resolved to try again, and this
time to go farther, to put his hand
upon the actual criminal, to catch him
If possible In the act, red-handed,
where the public might see when he
flung open the next closet door not
only the hideous skeleton OF public
right, throttled and stripped bare, but
the man or men who did the throt-
Ting, with their hands at the victims
throat. He believed he would have to
employ detectives now as well as re-
porters. He would require legal adj
vice, and special prosecutors. His
campaign had gone long enough to
discover to him few men of like sym,
pathies. Without difficulty he raised
small fund of twenty-five thousand
dollars from men who wanted to see
things improved, and the regime of
graft and corruption ended or
amended. 1t came from the banks, or
rather from individual bankers, from
| public spirited merchants and the like.
He set his detectives going and 1t was
not long before they were on the in
| side. Soon one of them arranged to
| buy saloon license The license tt
| self was but $500 a year, but it cost
! $4,000 to get the license O. K.'d by the
Board OF Police Commissioners. The
Chairman Of the Board was to handle
the matter, himself 1t was to be
/ paid over in certain room at q GER
| tain time, by one of the detectives,
and Mr.. Dunno and lawyer and an
other detective were to be present be-
! hind folding doors and hear the bar
gain assented to and see the delivery
made, and then arrest the man, the,
Chairman Of the Board Of Police Com
missioners, and take from him the
marked money.
Just while this was planning, and
before it was accomplished, the Presi-
dent Of the United States visited the
city. 1t was either strange accident
or bit of humor on the part of some
one, or perhaps. 1t was the Bosss own
arrangement that gave Dunno and him
seats together Dunno was Disguised.
He had not known Tank well. The
Boss shrouded himself with veil of
mystery. He seldom made public
appearance. except in eth wards" as
he denominated the teeming blocks in
which the great mass of the hand
workers and the poor of the city lived.
He operated through lieutenants. And
while very accessible to them the pub
lie seldom saw him. He made few
speeches and campaigned by proxy.
In the course Of the evening Dunno
discovered that while the man used
knife and fork indifferently he ap-
plauded those particular points In the
speeches which Dunno himself liked,
and that he saw the point as quickly
as any, and even might anticipate It.
His big, heavy features were always
dominated by those two keen. shrewd,
often kindly twinkling eyes. He
laughed with all his more than two
hundred pounds at the witty things.
His small eye suffused with something
like moisture when tender sentiment
was expressed.
He's mighty human animal, any
how was the sort of modified verdict
that Dunno allowed himself after a
time.
How's circulation" asked Tank
after a while, by the way of being
, neighborly.
keeping up" grunted Dunno with
very bad grace. The question angered
him. Tank had not shown the slight
, est resentment toward him. During
, the six months the Sentinel had been
pounding at the Tank machine, ripping
, it wide open to public view, Tank had
not even been disturbed, or IL SO, he
, had not displayed it. Dunno had lam.
, pooned the man till he came to hate
him. and here beside him sat the big
: amiable, alert individual with hi!
' feathers unruf1ed, his feeling unhurt
and his equanimity undisturbed. n,
3 even asked how circulation was!e /
2 flashed through DUNES mind tina
. Tank regarded his work as a mer'
n campaign for public favor, an endeavo
t to create news and increase circula
v ton, public trick to advance pri
3 vate interest; that he, like Tank him
e self, was merely using the municipa
: government for selfish personal &C
i count @
IS Circulation isn't the only thing
o care about" he snapped, hotly
It MOI" said Tank interrogatively.
e Dunno accepted the challenge In tina
a 1nterrogatory tone.
.r I'm interested he said in expo
: ing the rottenness with which the cit
y government is fostering to-day, and NJ
J. only exposing it, but in actually detec
ID ing the officials who are betrayin
,e their trust and sending them to jail
Of You amt a-goin' to get anywhel
20 dom that" exclaimed the Boss in eve
ie tones, as he munched walnut.
Dunne's cheek flushed hot, but II
r meeting was breaking up Just then ar
10 there seemed no opportunity for Il
lg extended reply that he felt necessar
z You're in wrong, young man., co
IN tinued Tank in a paternal sort OF wa
1T Come and see me at my office at t
!e o'clock tomorrow, and I'll tell y
ed why"
at Dunno was surprised at the invi'
es ton and the frankness Of 1t. He sto
he for moment, looking Tank square
If. in the eye, AS newspaper man t
e. proffered interview seemed inviting
wv the extreme From the reforme
ed point of view he foresaw complication
h. But the journalistic instinct I
umphed and the reformer perked
mt a bit at the prospect, also. Tank "
en- known to be frank map. He mie
by talk lot, and Dunno knew that eV
ad the most discreet man IL he talks 10
ne enough may say something he out
ls. not. and so he said:
&nt