Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-26


company for more than its capitaaliza-
ton"
Sledge chuckled.
The bankers convention Will In
dorse that" he said.
The bill will prevent street railway
| companies from running open or sum
! mer cars when the thermometer Is be-
! low 40 degrees f. 1t will prevent the
running Of winter cars without double
glass protection for the motormen' IL
will be made illegal TO have more than
one strap In every eighteen inches OF
space. 1t will be made illegal for a
| full car to run by signaling pedes-
| trian. and it will be made illegal. al
though this will be scattered in three
| or four places in the bill. and sur
rounded with lot Of ambiguous IAN
suage, for any franchise TO be granted
for as long period as fifty years
That's the talk" nodded Sledge.
Restrictive legislation.
Il thought you could get along with
forty-nine years and eleven months,
stated Alerton Moreover. think we
can frame the bill to protect the peo-
pie
Can you slip it through
'Digcleshy thinks so, although he
agrees with me that about six months
after it's done somebody will explain 1t
so that the voters will understand 1t.
and the man who fathers it will have
his name chiseled alongside Benedict
| Arnolds."
He's dead" commented SledSe, with
keen philosophy.
Exactly" conceded Allerton, with
philosophy which. though uneXpressed,
was still keener There's only one
noljtical post of any worth which would
be open to him after the prejudiced
public had its erroneous Judgment per-
nanently fixed
The senate" guessed Sledge.
The United States senate. firmly re-
,eated Alcrton. looking Sledge square
in the eye That's the one place
which political opprobrium cannot
each a man"
Sledge studied long and carefully and
made some painstaking readjustments.
n order to make place for one man
le had to do considerable shifting on
lis political chessboard and eventually
ush pawn off the edge.
"I'll see what can be done about
hat" he promised.
That matter being clearly under
TODD as well as the others We men
ioned-thc legal representation and
he amount of stock | am to acquire
link the bill feasible one and the
ngiSlation to he exactly such as Is
'eeded by She changing requirements
f our modern civilization
Applause" observed Sledge. devel-
ping an unexpected turn for repartee.
Will Digglesby fight the bill himself:''
No: he'll put Bailey Cooper on the
OBJ" grinned Allerton This will be
bout the last time he can be used that
-ay too That young spellbinder is
citing too wise. Digglesby's almost
fraid of him now"
Cant we get him." asked Sledge.
NO chance" regretted Allerton.
He's too young yet,
Don't risk him." warned Sledge.
Leave it to Digglesby and Buck
V" advised Allerton. They know
Galley like book. They know what
re thinks when he locks himself n his
Dom. and he'll tear into this bill as if
&c We're fighting the devil himself. face
face. After he gets through the real
rgument will begin. and anything any
ody else says against it will sound
abby. After that we'll bury the bill
Il committee until there's something
Nciting in the house, split in the fifty
ear franchise amendment and pass
he thing some rainy afternoon when
Iobody's in the house but invited
'riends''
How long will it take:" inquired
Sledge.
About as long as it will take you to
round up and organize the best paying
7 street car corporations in the state
Sledge looked out of the window in
silence which seemed almost moody.
so long he said, and left by way
| Of the hall.
Meanwhile Bozzam and Timbers were
having their troubles. Two big. husky
men who looked as if they might be
primary leaders jostled them one day
and told them they had better leave
town. When they protested mildly the
huskies snarled and finally gave them
| e.,
packed