The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-08-13

Hell doomed aspect.
Wanda knew him well, by sight. For
whenever political crises swept Wash
lngton he was as certain to appear as
are vultures to congregate for the
feast. He was Ralph Van Dyke, a
New Yorker, and counsel for a great
railroad. His was one Of the shrewd.
est legal minds in America. And he
had SO carefully trained that mind 70
the million dark intricacies Of corpora
ton law as to be doubly worth the an
nual fortune he reaped from the Inter.
ests.' What Jim Blake was in politics,
Ralph Van Dyke was in corporation
law. The chance word Wanda had
Just overheard had been spoken by
him.
Are things still going as badly with
the Mullins bill as when you wired me
today" he had asked Neligan.
"Oh," returned Neligan, 1--WE had the
house cinched when it was reported.
We'd have passed it, hands down, if
we could have jammed it through then.
But now-we may as well stand up to
facts-we're as good as licked"
But, gentlemen urged Van Dyke
impatiently, this bill has to pass"
Sure it has gloomily assented
Neligan. "Only it can't. Unless some
thing explodes Standish before it
comes to a vote Oh, it's the people!
They're reform-crazy. They don't know
| what they want, and nine years out of
| ten they don't want anything except to
stay asleep and let the right crowd
handle the country. But when man
like Standish gets them to listen to
him, they ali wake up and yell for re-
form and purity in politics as hard as
waking baby squalls for its bottle.
They've made him popular idol"
"The people!" scoffed Van Dyke.
"They make an idol one minute and
overturn it the next
That's right" agreed Gregg, "but
the Mullins bill will be defeated before
they get time to overturn Standish
The people are awake. They really
seem to have an idea we ought to keeT
some of our promises. And, say! After
ALL we did promise them a lot o.
things"
Did WEI" echoed Neligan. awe
made our platform look like a cross
section of the Ten Commandments
fringed with pages of Pilgrims Prog
ress. Yah! That's the trouble. Weir
over-promised."
eff we could loosen Standishs pul
with the parsons" said Neligan, "we'
have him against the ropes in on
round"
Nov you are talking sanity" al
proved the lawyer, THAT was jus
hat was waiting to suggest"
well, we didn't wait for you to sus
gest it," retorted Neigan. I'VE aren
corporation law-contortionists, pc
haps, but we've got few grains c
gray matter left. That's the first stur
we tried We put good men on tn
case to look up Standish's record-t
find one break that we could hang
story on"
, "Well?"
well, from their reports, Stands
seems to have led a life that woul
{ make Saint Anthony and Sir Galaha
and the Pilgrim fathers look like
bunch of soused Tenderloin FOUNDERS
You're sure your men left nothin
] uncovered?"
g do you think we'd overlook an
{ thing when the whole game hangs c
it?"
That's right, Van Dyke" suppl
mented Gregg. We've been oy,
d Standish's record with a microscop
He's cost us enough to make IL
search mighty careful. Even if yc
I don't give US credit for sense enoug
{ to probe the business, you'll have
c allow that Mark Robertson's no foo
And Robertson's moved heaven al
l. hell to get something on Standish. B
8 he can't. Robertson's got more
stake than any of us. If Standish licl
him in this fight and gets the speakc
ship it'll cost Mark Robertson mo
than most people could understan
! Selfiespect and ambition and futu
and"
| 1T sure will" agreed NeiiSaB, Lei
sect must be close on five year
now, that Standish and Robertsc
have been at each others threats. FL
years-no, six. Ever since RobertsC
/ ran for governor and Standish dug
that smelly franchise deal again
him. Robertson's had it in for hi
ever since"
| Just when I'm all loaded up to II
guards with perfectly good stock tn
| will go to pieces like a card hou
/ when the bill fails!" walled Gregg.
i Cut out the whine!" ordered Ne
i gan. "You aren't the only man who
i bought stock that Standish will tut
into waste paper. Oh, that man Stan
i ish! He's got the country runniI
H after him like flock Of hens after Il
Il farmer at feeding-time They thir
his private life's got Saint Peter al
Anthony Comstock dashed to the ma
\ and that his politics are so pure they
\ make Abraham Lincoln feel like
ward heller. He's no man. He's
" d,