The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1913-07-05
CHAPTER vi.
A Meeting and An Interruption

learned the Roadway Standish was
making in Granite The better
classes, almost TO man. flocked 10
Gives standard. by series OF fiery
speeches he succeeded In rousing q
certain hitherto dormant enthusiasm
among the business men OF the town.
They found 20 their surprise that he
was neither visionary nor a mere
agitator: that he based his plans not
on some Utopian Altruria OF high.
souled commonwealth but on pracu
cal basis Of clean government
lie pointed out 10 them how utterly
the Machine ran the Mountain State;
how the railroads and the vested IN.
terests Of the party clique sent their
own representatives TO the Legisla.
ture. and then made them grant
fraudulent franchise after fraudulent
franchise 10 the men who sent them
there. How the taNes were raised
and so distributed that the bTunt fell
upon the people who least protitcd by
the State expenditures and by the
legalized Wholesale ro0beries. How,
in fact. the populace OF Granite and or
the whole Mountain State wore being
ridden at will by a handful of I'M
scrupulous men.
That Caleb Conover was the head
and front OF the clique referred TO
everyone was well aware. yet Standish
studiously avoided all mention OF his
name. all personal Evaporation.
Whereat Caleb Conover wondered
nightly. Stenographic reports OF
Gives speeches and OF the increas.
ingly large and enthusiastic meetings
he addressed were carefully conned
grin with which he read the first OF
these reports changed gradually 10 a
scowl as time went on.
lie had made no effort TO suppress
or In any way 60 modest these early
meetings. He wanted TO try out his
young opponents strength, gauge his
following and his methods. But when.
10 his growing establishment. he found
Give was actually winning a respect.
full. ever larger. hearing In his home
town. he decided IL was high time TO
call halt Accordingly ne sum.
moned Billy Sheylin.
What's doing?" ne asked CURLY, as
he received his henchman in the
Mausoleum study.
"To.night's the big rally at Snyder
Opera House. you know" replied
Billy. "Standish's booked to make his
star speech before he starts on his
State tour. He's got a team OF Good
Comment geezers from Boston to do
spiel. and he's calm this the big
gest scream OF the campaign so far
Say. that young feller's maxim an
awful lot OF noise, Boss. When are
You goin' 10 give us the Office to put
the combination on his mouth? On
the level. he amt doin' you no good
The SILK Socks is with him already
and he's winner with the business
bunch in family groups"
Look here. said Caleb. pointing
out OF the studys north window
which commanded view OF exclusive
Pompton Avenue and It's almost
equally fashionable cross streets
how would you figure up the popu
lation OF that district"
The SILK. Seekers? You knows
well as me. Thirty-eight hundred In
round numbers"
and over there?" pointing east.
9TH business districk? An easy
$4,000"
SAY 10000 in botn. s'pose they are
all for young standish. Now look
here"
He crossed the long room and ran
up the shade OF one of the south win
dows. The great marble house stood
on the edge OF hill.crest. overlook
ing a distant vista OF mean, winding
streets. dirty. interminable rows oil
tenements. factories and small shops
Through the centre. hlp a huge
snake. the tracks OF the G., G.. a X
wound their way. and over all q
smeared pail OF reek and coal smoke
brooded like some vast bird of prey
I Coal yards. docks. freight houses, ele
vators. shanties and once more that
interminable sea Z dingy, squalid
domiciles.
Whats the population down there
Billy"
"Hundred'n ten thousand, six hun
dred an" began Sheylin glibly
AN every soul OF them solid for you
Boss Sixteen thousand TO hundred
/ n'ten-thous-"
That's right So long as the
youngsters content to speak his little
pieces here in Granite. I've stood BY
and - Airc - = l=-@---.1s - It's