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


Dunno.
The interview progressed swim
mingly. Tank seemed as glad to get
DUNES point Of view as the reformer
was to get the Boss's. Mr.. Dunno ex-
planned his idea Of reform and his de-
termination to push his campaign be-
yond mere publicity to the punishment
of the guilty parties. 1t was then that
Mr.. Tank summed up the situation as
to bribery as expressed in our opening
sentence. Going beyond 1t he added:
AS long as there's givers there's
bound to be takers.
But" urged Mr.. Dunno, confidently.
about the time we put stripes on
few Of your councilmen and commits
sioners. for taking brides. they'll see
that it isn't healthy and stop it,
Not as long as there's givers." af-
f1rmed the Boss stoutly. Did you
ever stop to think what kind of men
gets themselves elected to the c ity
| town? They are just the kind that II
| you hang up FIVE hundred or thou
sand dollars for vote on any PROPOSE
| it, amt they? And nine hundred and
ninety-nine times they get away with
It, Now, what makes the man cor
rupt? He might a-been honest all his
life. You get him up there where he's
somebody for the first time in his life
| Here's company wants franchise
| for trolley line. We need trolley
| lines. Great God! amt the man hung
onto a strap long enough to think we
| can't get too many of EN-? And there's
thousand dollars in 1t for him IL he
votes for It, And he votes. Would he
have done 1t without the thousand dol
lars? Maybe. and maybe not. But
who corrupted him? The man that
wanted the franchise. You can send
him to jail. but the milk-wagon driver.
or the bartender or saloon-keeper that
gets the Job after him, he's corrupted
by the next man with a thousand-dol-
lar bill In his hand that wants fran
chise. You can railroad him to jail,
too, but bribin' goes on. The way to
stop it is to turn round and Jail the
man that pays the bribe. That's why
you won't get anywhere"
But that's exactly what we pro
pose to do" said Mr.. Dunno.
Tank snorted CONTEMPORARY.
Amt you run newspaper long
enough in this town to learn that you
can't buck money!" questioned Tank
Now, you take this trolley case the
papers are screamin their heads of
about, now, sayin' that it's crooked
and that the council was bribed to pass
It, You don't know that, and II yor
did you couldn't prove it. and II yot
could prove it. what would you prove
Why, that some councilmen tool
money to pass franchise for trolle,
line but while you was provin' tina
you'd prove that the president of thu
trolley company paid the bride, that is
that he's the real criminal and that hi
made these other men criminals. Now
you'd have merry time sending thl
president Of that trolley company t.
jail, wouldn't you? He's about tn
most respectable man in this commu
nifty He subscribed to your prosecu
ton fund, didn't he?"
: Tank laughed hilariously at tn
thought. But how long would he
you shoot past the little felon to tn
big one that you begin to see In tn
woodpile?"
3 GIVE thought of that" said Nj
4 Dunno. Wed send him up. too.
l.
g nestness. Mr.. Tanks was red wit
1 merriment He laughed uproariously
g Maybe you don't think It can /
:. done" said Mr.. Dunno with asperity.
l. 1t never has been DONE" reptile
:. Mr.. Tank. "You know what Folk dor
n In ST. Louis, but you didn't notice an
u Of the rich ones stayin' in jail, d
you? And it was the same way in Sa
l. Francisco There's supervisor OF
d there they tell me tried and convfcte
y of receivin' bride from the presidel
10 of q public service company. He's
n San Quentin dom time, now B,
g when they come to try the bribe-giv
9. It was different Same town, san
f. crime, same evidence, but the jul
Ip didn't convict. J o you see? The eN
ID dence was strong enough to send u
1T supervisor to the pen, but 1t WASH
N strong enough to send the president
lg a big corporation there"
bit but that isn't this town" declar
Mr.. Dunno, and our people are d
n. ferent kind Besides, there were u
usual complications there"
OF Same Old complications" sneer
OF Tank :" You can't send money to jai
as Morse" argued Mr. Dunno.
Morse amt got any none,
A snorted Tank.
10 "But he had some"
h. Yes, and when he lost 1t he we
i. to Jail"
e Mr.. Dunno rose to go. He had 4
N learned anything in particular. but
- was rather pleased with the intervi'
y as whole. Especially he was pleas
-, with the SNUG air of self-satisfacti
~ with which Mr. Tank bore himse
-. Evidently the Boss had no Idea OF t
"a volcano smouldering beneath his fe
- He did not know that-and Dun
r. chuckled and forgave the man for
=. insolent self-assurance. because
what he knew was soon to happen
III him.
wv