The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-14

'em body and soul to the point whore
they can earn one more dollar by
breakin' with me than by maxim with
me, and when that day comes they'll
break, and then it's me and them for
1t, like it was with you. got to fight
for 1t every day. and the day get
licked, I'm DONE"
But aren't you afraid Of the
courts?" INTERCEPTED Holman.
1.-THE courts! shifted Tank. in dis
gust You didn't go to the courts.
did you? You got to have clean hands
to go into court, and your'n wasn't
clean, were they" Tank shot q
shrewd glance into the face of Holman.
A flush stole over the latter's features.
Tank continued:
There might not have been any
graft in that Harbor teamin' contract,
but the way you got it wouldn't have
sounded very nice when the gaff was
into you and you was maxim the roar,
would 1t? And 1t wouldn't have read
very we'll In the newspapers out on the
hill. The fact is the courts wasn't any
good to you and me this time. And let
me tell you something else: They talk
about the saloon graft and the tender
loin graft. These aren't the biggest
CRAFTS nor the biggest grafters amt
handlin' these propositions. The big
graft and what makes this machine Of
mine to-day is the service companies
and the general business graft. They're
what make me. When l hit the cob
bles, as I'm like to some day long
ways of, yet, 1t won't be tn wards
that'll put me out. It'll be the big
business interests, and they'll try to
throw me the minute they can get a
man who'll organize the graft as we'll
as do, and give them more Of It,"
"But are there no honest men?" ex.
claimed Holman.
"Oh, plenty of 'em!" assured Mr..
| Tank. These men are all some hon
est, personally. at least most of em.
They wouldn't steal cent. They pay
their debts. Some Of 'em are even
what you call good men, but they can't
tell when tip becomes bride or
when a personal accommodation be-
comes special privilege.
T" It wasn't me you was buckin'. You
| was buckin' every man in this town
that's getting special privilege of any
| kind. from the president Of the trac.
ton company that's usin' the city
streets that don't belong to him and
takin' good money for poor service to
| the boot-blacK down below here, who's
got his stand settin' six inches on the
| sidewalk, and he pays the ward man
| more for that six inches on the side
walk than he does the landlord for his
! six feet on the floor. That's the com
bination you went against, and 1t bea'
you, and It'll beat you worse II yol
monkey with 1t.
And just remember will you, tina
i know where I'm at now, and always
4 I'm runnin' the show In this town OF
commission, and take out a prett,
good one. give the interests graf
enough to keep 'em eatin' out of m.
hand, and give the town as good
government as / can for the money
When you get better people, you ge
better government. When the bes
people In the town are no better thar
what they are, you'll not get a govern
ment any better than this one. An,
remember, too, you and others like yo'
that talks about me, that I'm bette
citizen than you fellows on the hill
that talks about better things. but don
even go to the polls. The best citizel
is the citizen that votes, and sometime
the oftener he votes the better citizel
he is There's men in some of M
wards that can vote fifteen times Il
one election. There's men belongs t
that Good Government club on the hill
that amt voted in fifteen elections
And yet you fellows want to send u
the man that voted fifteen time;
Damn me, IL | wouldn rather send u
the man that never voted at all!
Mr.. Holman was In a mood to lister
Besides, he was still thinking abou
that side track. He was going to nee
1t worse than ever. now, to begin t
get his business ack. So when MI
ldlh was uOuc, 10 uiooSHou ehO gu.
ject.
mo" said Mr.. Tank, with emphasi!
"Up she comes! You get 1t when
give It to you. Maybe next time 20
won't be so fresh. Besides, / got t
give that engineer his lesson. He reel
oned 1t was all right to put that trac
in on your say so. Now, about tn
time he pulls quarter of mile Q
ties. rails and spikes, and tries to &c
, that into his construction sheets wit
, nothing to show for 1t, he'll have tn
, little lesson down in his copy-bool
too"
So Mr.. Holman went away, and Nj
Tank turned to consider the case c
| Mr.. Dunno. reformer, which, howeve
is another chapter.
THE Ead>