Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-03-09

degree. 1t will make a penal offense
OH the part Of the officers to bond a
company for more than it's capitaliza-
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 Il. 1t will prevent the
running Of winter cars without double
glass protection for the motormen. 1t
will be made illegal to have more than
n strap in every eighteen inches of
space. 1t will be made illegal for q
full car to run by a signaling pedes-
TRAN, and 1t will be made illegal, al
though this will be scattered in three
or four places in the bill, and sur
rounded with a lot Of ambiguous Ian
guage, for any franchise to be granted
for as long a period as fifty years."
THAT'S the talk" nodded Sledge.
Restrictive legislation"
II thought you could get along with
forty-nine years and eleven months"
stated Allerton. Moreover think we
can frame the bill to protect the peo-
ple.'
Can you slip it through"
"Digglesby thinks so, although he
agrees with me that about six months
after it's done somebody will explain it
so that the voters will understand it,
and the man who fathers it will have
his name chiseled alongside Benedict
Arnold's."
keen philosophy.
Exactly" conceded Allerton, with a
philosophy which, though unexpressed,
was still keener. "There's only one
political post of any worth which would
be open to him after the prejudiced
public had its erroneous Judgment per-
manently fixed"
"The senate" guessed Sledge.
"The United States senate" firmly re-
peated Allerton. looking Sledge square
ly in the eye. That's the n place
in which political opprobrium cannot
reach a man."
Sledge studied long and carefully and
made some painstaking readjustments.
In order to make a place for n man
he had to do considerable shifting on
his political chessboard and eventually
push a pawn off the edge.
"I1l see what can be done about
that he promised.
"That matter being clearly under
stood as we'll as the others we men
tioned-the legal representation and
the amount Of stock l am to acquire-I
think the bill a feasible one and the
legislation to be exactly such as is
needed by the changing requirements
of our modern civilization"
"Applause," observed Sledge, devel-
oping an unexpected turn for repartee.
"Will Digglesby fight the bill himself?'
mo; he'll put Bailey Cooper on the
job" grinned Allerton. "This will be
about the last time he can be used that
way too. That young spellbinder is
getting too wise. Digglesby's almost
afraid of him now"
Cant we get him." asked Sledge.
mo chance" regretted Allerton.
Hes too young yet"
Don't risk him." warned Slcdge.
Leave it to Digglesby and Buck
ley" advised Allerton. "They know
Bailey like a book. They know what
he thinks when he locks himself in his
room. and he'll tear into this bill as if
he We're fighting the devil himself, face
to face. After he gets through the real
argument will begin, and anything any
body else says against it will sound
habby. After that We'll bury the bill
in committee until there's something
exciting in the house, split in the fifty
year franchise amendment and pass
the thing some rainy AFTERNOON when