Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-09-14

Aot "Su uiM W uuQ OUT! VI u
thing he was fairly well assured
Gantry was lodging him. was ap-
parently keeping an accurate record
OF his movements. for whenever the
hurryings to and fro permitted a fly
ing visit to the capital Gantry was al
ways out of town.
With the awakening suspicion came
a rapid putting together Of two and
two. Wherever he went there was al
ways the same pressing hospitality.
with many urgings to delay his going.
At the same time it became evident in
many little ways that he was in reali-
ty merely skimming over the surface
in his campaign work.
That a hot political fight was going
on all around him he could not doubt.
The newspapers were full of it, and in
many sections of the state the fight
had become acrimonious and bitter.
But, although he was supposed to be
in the fight, it began to be apparent
that he was little more than an on
locker when it came to the really vital
struggle Of the moment.
1t was as if everything had been
carefully prearranged. like a sort Of
triumphal procession. None the less
the invisible barrier, the barrier which
was shutting him out from the inner
workings Of the campaign. was there.
and he could, neither surmount it nor
push it aside.
Notwithstanding the hard work and
the hard travelling he was doing he
did not let the missionary effort out
weigh the sturdier purpose, which was
to hold his principals rigidly up to the
mirror of a vigilant watchfulness.
Arguing that the opposition newspa-
pers would be quick to seize upon any
charge of corruption involving the rail
road company. he read them faithful
ly. AS yet there had been nothing
more than spiteful i~nnuendoes and a
raking over of past misdeeds. though
many of the editors were charging a
secret alliance between his father and
McEickar and warning their readers
to look out for startling developments
later on.
Not content with mere w~atchfulness.
however. Blount got his finger upon
the pulse Of occasions whenever he
could. On his brief %stopovers in the
capital he kept his eyes and ears open
for the earliest hint Of any charge of
chlcanery. and, though he was I'M
able to get hold of Gantry personally.
he kept up a steady fire Of letters and
foInrra ms .,1 rni,tinr tn tho ca I,
end-absolute and utter good faith
and the UNFOLDING of his hands in the
public plea for q square deal.
To these the traffic manager replied
suardedly. but enthusiastically. The
management was delighted with the
good work done and doing by the new
division counsel; public opinion was
slowly but surely changing; it would
be a landslide election, and Blount
could take credit for his due.
In all this Blount did no fail to re
mark that there was never anything
said about the Hathaway bargain. and
the omission made him the more
earthed other and similar bargains
made IN the past.
For example, there was a practical
and very effective irrigation trust, an
alliance. offensive and defensive, of
the big irrigation companies. Control
ling the water under proprietary
rights. as most Of them did. these
companies could influence many votes
among the beneficiary farmers. Land
deals in the past with the railroad
company had been the basis for cor
ruption here, and. with the electric
power people. preferential freight
rates had been traded for the votes OF
employees, as with Hathaway.
Some Of these special rates were
still in force, as the quiet investigation
on the ground developed, w%hereupon
Blount's communications to Gantry
took on a more emphatic tone. The
tariffs must be revised and one Of two
things must be ~done-either the prefer
entail Of the favored corporations must
be withdrawn or the public rates must
be leveled down to meet the specials.
It was on a second speechmakine
visit to Ophir that Blount had his frst
face to face chance at the traffic man.
ager after the opening of the CORE
spondence battle.
A meeting of the Mine Owners as,
ISOLATION, moving for a readjustment
of the classification on copper matte
and bullion at a time when the rail
road company might be supposed to be
on the giving hand, took Gantry tc
the great camp in the C%arnadine hills
and the first man he met at the hotel
was the new dictator of policies fol
the Transcontinental company.
made a mistake, didn't you, Dick
coming while I was here?' said the
reformer, with a very lifelike replica
of his fathers grim smile. IT suppose
you've got an immediate engagement
to go somewhere or see somebody"
mo; I wish I had" was the hearty
admission. Say, Evan. you are get
ting to be a perfect nightmare with
your letters and kilograms. You've got
me so I'm afraid to open my desk
Why can't you let well enough alone:
You haven't heard Of any skulduddery