The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-21
dunno looked at Mr.. Donnelly mar

4
| had developed concerning the prosecu-
ton, his desire to be recognized as a
supporter, and his haste to place Mr.
Dunno under some sort Of obligation.
| all tended to cry aloud some mystery
And, once aroused, the suspicion found
much to feed on. Mr.. Dunno knew that
these three men represented the
Twentieth Century Traction Company,
4 controlling all the trolley lines In the
city; the Combined Gas & Lighting
Company comprising the gas trust and
most Of the electric lighting facilities,
and then the Bankers Trust Company
and other important financial inter-
ests. Dunno had reason to believe that
money had been corruptly used by both
the trolley companies and the lighting
combine to influence legislation, but he
had not, up to the present moment sup
posed 1t could have been done with the
guilty knowledge of these eminent and
! highly respectable business men. DON
nelly was member of the University
Society. Manning was president of the
| Astronomical Society. Macy had given
fifty thousand dollars to found lee
tureship in ethics at the Divinity
House. All were members Of the Good
Government League, which was a
highly theoretical organization. but
one that stood for certain very definite
ideals. II these men we're not trust
worthy, who were?
will you have receipt" said Mr..
Dunno.
mo. Oh, no. by no means. no." said
! Mr.. Donnelly, protesting somewhat too
much by his reiterated negatives that
he wished to show the fullest conf
dence in Mr.. DUNES integrity.
Mr.. Dunno picked up the phone and
spoke to his secretary in the next
| room.
Have Mr.. Irwin. treasurer OF our
Committee come over at once, pre-.
pared to receive large sum of money
in currency" he said.
81 was wondering about Tank" said
Mr.. Donnelly. Aren't you afraid it's
going to be too hard to convict him?
Wouldn't It be better to keep on trying
just the corrupt officials, the little fell
lows, so to speak? If you were fighting
them one at time, they'd be going 1t
alone and easy to pick of, but when
you Adt0 DkS DuuGl VI
against Tank, he makes common cause
with the little fellows and throws all
his tremendous power behind each
single defence, so that, in reality,
you're fighting him all the time and
he's hard man to beat. In fact he
never has been beaten yet"
He will be beaten this time" said
Mr.. Dunno, coldly, looking at Mr.. Don
nelly with such sharp eye that that
gentleman Immediately abandoned all
notion that he could. upon any pretext
whatever. influence. for the present at
least, the prosecution Of Tank in any
way.
After moment, however, he picked
up courage to go at the question which
after all, interested him most.
What would be your attitude IN
case your further investigation devel
ops the fact that certain large business
interests of the city have been practi
cally held up by the Tank machine te
the extent that they were confronted
with the alternative of either yielding
to their unreasonable, extortionate
and, well, l might say criminal de
mands, or of going out Of business?"
Mr. DUNES face again grew hard.
A bribe is a bribe," he said, in tina
sharp, incisive way of his. Mr.. Don
nelly's face fell
"Of courge," Mr.. Dunno said. an
!, especially anxious to do nothing tina
will disturb business conditions or In
fiict any permanent injury on capital
, 1t is to be feared Mr. Richard Dunno
: reformer, was not altogether guileles
~ i1 rly h,,tM nnnnQflv
SO eager as to be unsuspecting.
i THAT is exactly the idea" said he
"The very idea that Mr.. Manning, MI
|, Macy and were discussing to-day. W
were saying that you, being bushes
man yourself, would have proper r.
q gard for that, and would consider tn
:. business interests and doubtless b
glad to take counsel with-with tn
: representatives of-of say. the large
u business interests of the city before d.
I ing anything radical along that line.
q Mr.. Dunno was doing some yer
swift thinking Suspicion multiple
that Manning, Donnelly and Macy wer
( not only corrupters of city officials, br
g so skilled In the art that they wei
actually preparing to corrupt him,
!, uniustly influence him to their priva'
advantage. On the OIueT uduu,
II much preferred to give them the ben
9. fit of the doubt for the present.
% 1t was ten minutes after two. 4
a. two-thirty Tank was to be there wit
y the man who could convict certai
ID bribe-givers, and the sudden activiti
s. of Dcnnelly and his friends suggestf
,r that they, through breach with Tan
ii expected to be denounced to him al
le wished to forestall such action. Allo
1t ing this reasoning to be correct, 1t W
u clear, then, that Tank was coming wi
ut some witness to denounce these We
men.
se I'VE should be very glad to be re
d, resented in any such consideration
es that" urged the eager Mr.. Donnel
n who, unfortunately for him, could y
II, read what was passing in the mind
a the reformer.
-, To be frank with you. then" So
ei Mr. Dunno, II have one such matt
!h- coming up this afternoon. and as
30. time is tolerably full, should be We
10 ~. Mnn