River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-10-30


The bill had it's second reading a
the council meeting Tuesday, but un
der orders from Kerr nothing further
was done with 1t at that time. He be
gan to worry about the approaching
election. What to him was the pass
ing of the bill at that time compared
to the control of the city for the 1ext
two years? If he let it sleep no"
and the election went his way then il
could be passed soon after. By the
time another election rolled around
Belmont would have forgotten.
So it came about that the Kerr ad
herents tried to forget the franchise
When the bill disappeared they were
loud in their denunciation of the op
position thieves who had stolen it
With this outburst they were willing
to subside and forget the matter, but
this the News would not permit
Wright kept it to the front and they
we're forced to accept it as an issue
The continuous attitude of apology
necessitated by this was weakening
them every day. The independent
wave which had been sweeping over
the country had been late in striking
belmont there having been no news
il was increasing to the volume Of 2
tidal wave which Kerr would have
hard work pouring oil upon.
The editor Of the News recognized
chat it was only a Pyrrhic victory he
had won by securing the shelving of
the franchise for the present. He was
net blind to the fact that the fran.
chise would bob up serenely after cleo
ton. Now that he had aroused the
town ar1 had committed himself TO a
fight against the ring, he determined
to carry it on. it had not beer his
purpose, before the franchise bill had
drawn his fire, to enter with great
heat into the coming election cam
paign, but he saw that the impetus
given the opponents Of the machine
would carry them we'll on toward vic
tory at the polls. Carrying the cleo
ton would be great advertisement
for the paper If it lost, the News
could not be any worse off than is was
now.
Kerr forgot none of the precautions
he had taken in being prSpared to EN-
baIrass Wright III his work if che oc
casiou should arise. Ehe merchants
who, through Kerr's influence, had pat
roniZed the News, suddenly withdrew
their advertising. Many who had been
in before the paper had changed aands
now ceased to use it's columns If a
store was using the News and furnish
ing supplies to the workhouse or the
jail, it faced the alternative of losing
Using TO the Banr2r The proprietor,
being part OF tLe machine, else moth
ing would eves have been purchased
from him fer the citys use, promptly
gave UP th3 News. 1t was the same
with meat markets. Other lines of
business were approached in ether
ways. out the result was always the
loss of advertising revenue
to the News. Even the railroads we're
dereIict in delivering his white paper,
and Wright spent many an anxious
hour tracing cars from the mill to
find them lost in the Belmont yards.
One valuable source of information
was developed by the News in a for
mer machine hanger-on named Jack
Durken. He came to work in the cir
department of the paper, and
Wright first heard of him through the
manager. At Wright's re-
quest the man came to his office and
that he had not received fair treat
mont at the hands of the other gang
sters. He had lived in the disrepu-
table first ward, and had had trouble
with Mike Noonan, a ward leader.
For his work he had been made a
street cleaning inspector, but after
having incurred the ire Of Noonan had
lost his Job.
Nothing the enemy did was able
to keep Wright from publishing a pa
per every day. Every issue was a
constant reminder to Belmont that
things we're not as they should be and
that the way to remedy conditions was
to defeat the city machine at the polls.
The editor spent all his daylight hours
at his office, and often was there until
late in the night in conference with
various leaders. The opponents of
Kerr had some old scores to settle,
and this was their chance. The post
master was usually to be found on
Kerr's side, although under cover, but
this time ne could not afford 10 use
his influence for his party in city af-
fairs-even for a consideration. The
boss knew the game too well to press
him.
IN the last days of the campaign the
anti-Kerr leaders learned with sur
prise that Senator McMinitry. their
state boss. was coming to Belmont for
a day They had not sent for him.
and were at loss to account for the
visit. EIe had not taken any one into
his confidence, merely saying nc was
coming on business. Why he should
journey from Washington to Belmont
for so short a stay they could not uE-
derstand. He gave it out that he was
making a flying visit to his home. but
he came straight to Belmont Only
Two men besides the senator knew his
mission, the emissary who carried the
message to Washington and the man
who sent for him. David Kerr wanted
to see him.
1t was only three days before cleo.
ton when Senator McMinitry visited
Belmont. He went to the Hotel Bel
mont and took a suite of rooms, but
did not register. After Ia lg to Da
vid Kerr over the telephone, he or