Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-01

"l'nn worse" he confessed, "Pve just
been shot through the heart"
their burdens to the strength of the
barrier. Protected by this arm Of steel
and stone and timber lay the terminal
buildings of the Alaska Northern. as
the HeidIemann line was called. and
there also lay the terminus of the old
McDermott enterprise into which Cur
It's Gordon had infused new life Both
places showed plenty Of activity when
O~Neil and his two companions arriv
ed late one afternoon.
Kyak they found was inferior TO
Omar in its public accommodations.
and Murray was at a loss TO find shell
ter for the girls until his arrival was
made known to the agents of the Alas
ka Northern. Then Mr.. Trevor. the
engineer in charge. looked him up and
insisted upon sharing his quarters with
the visitors In Trevor's bearing was
no suggestion Of an enmitT like Cor
don's He welcomed his rival warmly.
After dinner O'Neil took Natalie
TO see the sights. while Eliza prof
tied by the opportunity to interview
Trevor. II her numerous tits with
O'NeiI she had not been oversuccess-
full from the point of view Of her mag
azine articles, but here at her hand
was the representative of the power
best known and best hated for its ac
tivities in the northland. and he SEEM
ed perfectly willing to talk. Surely
frsm him she would get information
that would count
Understand. I'm on the side of your
enemies she warned him.
$50 is everybody else" Mr.. Trevor
laughed. but that's because were mis-
understood"
THE intentions of any trust warrant
suspicion"
He shrugged THE HeidIemanns
are just ordinary business men, like
O'Neil, looking for investment They
heard OF a great big copper field hid
den away back yonder in the noun
tains and they bought what they CON
sidered to be the best group Of claims.
They knew the region was difficult OF
access. but they figured that railroad
from tidewater would open up not only
their own properties, but the rest of
the copper belt and the whole interior
country They began to build a road
from CorteZ when some shoe stringer
raised the cry that they had monop-
olized the worlds greatest copper sup
Div and had doubled cinched 1t by
monopolizing transportation also. That
started the fuss They needed cheap
coal. OF course, just as everybody else
needs it, but somebody discovered the
danger of a monopoly of that and set
up another shout Ever since then the
hn
government withdrew all coal lands
from entry, and it now refuses to
grant patents to that which had been
properly located. We don't own a
foot of Alaskan coal land, Miss Apple
ton. On the contrary, we haul our
fuel from British Columbia, just like
O'Neil and Gordon. Those who would
like TO sell local coal to Us are pre-
vented from doing so"
sit sounds well to hear you tell IT,"
said Eliza. But the minute the coal
patents are issued You viii buy what
you want, then freeze out the other
people You expect 10 control the
mines, the railroads and the steamship
lines, but public necessities like coal
and oil and timber and water power
should belong 10 the people. There
has been al awakening Of the public
conscience. and the day of monopolized
necessities is passing"
AS long as men own coal mines they
will sell them. Here we are faced not
by a question of what may happen,
but OF what has happened. If you
agreed 10 buy a city lot from a real
estate dealer and after you paid him