Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-02-10
The Daughter Of David Kerr
By HARRY KING TOOTLE
Ray Walfe
Illustrations by Ray Walters
Copyright !, A. l.. asclars a Co. .sr.

votes without them TO let them oE,-
pose the franchise as they were in the
midst OF their canvass for reelection.
The boss held them In line.
The bill had its second reading eft
the council meeting Tuesday, but uIi-
der orders from Kerr nothing further
was done with ii at that time. He be-
gan to worry about the approaching
election What to him was the PAST
ing of the bin at that time compared
to the control of the city for the next
two years? II he let il sleep nov
and the election went his way then It
could be passed soon after By the
time another election rolled around.
Belmont would have forgotten.
So 1t came about that the Kerr aG.
herents tried to forget tho franchise.
When the bill disappeared they wers
loud in their denunciation OF the or
position thieves who had stolen il.
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
were forced 10 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
paper TO marshal the forces, but now
it was increasing to the volume of 4
tidal wave which Kerr would have
hard work pouring oil upon.
The editor of the News recognized
that it Was only Pyrrhic victory he
had won by securing the shelving of
the franchise for the present. He was
not blind TO the fact that the fran
chise would bob up serenely after cleo
ton. Now that he had aroused the
town and had committed himself 10 a
fight against the ring, he determined
TO carry it on 1t had not been 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 well on toward VIC
tory at the polls. Carrying the cleo
ton would be Il great advertisement
for the paper. If It lost, the News
could not be any worse off than it was
now.
Kerr forgot none of the precautions
he had taken in being prepared 80 EN-
barTass Wright IN his work If the oc-
casion should arise. The 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 hands
now ceased to use its columns. If a
store was using the News and furnish
ing supplies to the workhouse or the
Jail, it faced the alternative of losing
a fat account or combining its adver-
Using TO the Banner. The proprietor,
being part OF the machine, else moth
ing would ever have been purchased
from him for the city's use, promptly
gave up the News 1t was the same
with meat markets. Other lines of
business were approached in ether
ways, but the result was always The
same-a loss OF advertising revenue
derelict I'm delivering his white paper.
and Wright spent many au 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 for
mer machine hanger-on named Jack
Durl1en. He came to work in the cir
culation department of the paper, and
Wright first heard of him through the
circulation manager. At Wright's re-
quest the man came to his Office and
from his story the editor gathered
that he had not received fair treat
ment 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 pa
per every day. Every issue was a
constant reminder to Belmont that
things were 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 sattle.
and this was their chance. The post
master was usually to De found on
Kerrs side, although under cover, but
this time he could not afford to use
his influence for his party in city al
fairs-even for 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 Belmon; for
q day. They had not sent for him.
and were at a loss to account fer the
visit. He had not taken any one into
his confidence. merely saying 40 was
coming on business. Why he should
Journey from Washington to Belmont
for so short a stay they could not I'M
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 tho man
who sent for him. David Kerr wanted
70 see him.
1t was only three days before cleo
ton when Senator McMinitry gisited
Belmont He went to the Hotel Bel
mont and took a suite OF rooms. but
did not register. After talking 10 Da-
vid Kerr over the telephone, he or
dered an early luncheon for two served
in his private parlor, Kerr arrived
before the table was spread and i'm
mediaGely began TO explain the situa-
ton. All through the meal the two
men talked, MeMinitry questioning
ord Tyerr axOlainfng