Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1916-01-21

Let his fellow stockholders beware
of too much optimism. He himself
had been. next to President Marley
the largest individual holder of stool
in the company. r He had sold all bu
an extremely small portion before the
panic and wished that he had sold the
balance. for the outlook was very
gloomy. He did not wish to make hi.
remarks in the form Of a personal ii
rade, but he did feel it necessary It
point out that the downfall and ulti
mate ruination of their company WA.
due. not to mismanagement, but tt
, political manipulation.
LET me tell you the truth" ht
| shouted. I'VE have with us today
at this very meeting. a man Of trench
dous power and influence; a politician
| OF national renown: one who is at thi:
moment under the searching eye OF
the law; an Omnipotent friend and {
| relentless foe. and this man has chO
sen, for reasons Of his own, to wreck
and devastate and turn to useless rus
the Ring City Street railway com
pany."
Every eye was turned to Sledge. bu
that omnipotent friend and RELENTLESS.
foe, without moving u corpuscle. gazet
straight ahead at nothing.
He is no friend of the working
man" swore little Henry Peters
AS if infatuated by his impressive
ness. Attorney Tucker. who was paiC
by Sledge for the purpose. fgura lively
ripped the big boss up the back. skin
ned him alive. hung up his hide to dry
and scattered his ashes to the winds
painting him as an Unsuitable monster
and chiefly calling attention to his hab
its Of ruthless devastation. Wherever
the present street Car company had &
line the new one would have one OIL
an adjoining street. with newer ant
better and swifter cars, and q closer
schedule. and unless something radica
were done he would not give a con
tinental cuss per bale for the stock OF
the now rapidly dying Ring City Street
Railway company.
A long low sigh. like the midnigh,
soughing in II churchyard. arose from
that meeting. as Attorney Tucker sat
down. Little Henry Peters. with d
livid face. clutched the arm of hi.
waffle necked neighbor.
'If that man had only come back
| could have got thirty-five for my
stock he walled. I'm ruined.
shall lose my home! Frank Marley is
a rotten business man"
''Yeh"' intoned the crooked noset
one. They're all thieves"
Jim Delaney. who. with a clear eye
and a straight cOuntenance. could make
louder speeches than any man in the
Eighth ward. painted even a blackel
picture than Attorney Tucker. ant
when he sat down he had bankrupteC
every stakeholder within the sound OF
his voice. 1t even seemed incredible
that street car should still be whz
zing outside. Little Henry Peters sal
numbly. with his hair clutched in his
hands If he could have snapped his
$4,000 worth Of street railway stock fOl
q jackknife with two broken blades his
conscience would have hurt him. and
every stakeholder was in his class
Misery sat enthroned on every counte
nance.
Daniel B. Atkins, rising young law
yer, with no capital but an empty con.
science and silver tongue. was the
first individual since Marley to offer q
CLEAN Of hope.
He admitted all that the preceding
gentlemen had said and believed, him
self. that the company was reduced to
pauperism unless something radical
could be done. He had believed this
so thoroughly that he had lain awake
nights trying to evolve a plan for their
salvation.
He had evolved ft-a scheme where
by the company could not only raise its
stock to par. but place it at premium
whereby the company could become O
monopoly and extend its business to
meet the growing demands of the city
and become again per cent divi
dend concern, capable Of piling ur
again tremendous construction sur
plus. On his own responsibility he had
gone to the organizer Of the rival new
company and had labored with him fol
hours to persuade him to come to this
meeting and lay before it a rather nov
ell but life saving proposition. Would
the stockholders permit him to intro
duce the eminent promoter and organ
izer. Mr.. B0ZZam. who would presen,
his proposition in person?
The stockholders would They said
so. with so vociferous and almost tear
full clamor that President Marley
could scarcely make himself heard tc
obtain formal vote on the PROPOSE
ton.
Mr.. BOzzam entered. with his hail
not too smoothly brushed nor his
clothes not so immaculate, but he look
ed businesslike and sat down quietly
in the seat courteously offered him by
President Marley. He was wide
shOuldered man. with pleasant coun-
tenance and Il good forehead. who look
Oh aS If hp had muscles un1ar his cOot