Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-02-08
s.Nyah: everything's all talk

uOsScQ AllCS MAJ VAIL uSp'S WIS 1oAAo
the crisp business all which trowns
on smile and hates holiday.
Let his fellow stockholders beware
Of too much optimism. He himself
had been, next to President Marley,
the largest individual holder Of stock
in the company. He had sold all but
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 his
remarks in thej form Of a personal IL
rade, but he did feel it necessary to
point out that the downfall and ulti-
mate ruination Of ,their company was
due, not to mismanagement. but to
political manipulation.
let me tell you the TRUTH he
shouted. eve have with us today.
at this very meeting, man of tremen-
dous power and influence; politician
Of national renown; one who is at this
NON mt under the searching eye of
the-law; an omnipotent friend and a
relentless foe, and this man has cho-
sen, for reasons of his own, to wreck,
and devastate and turn to useless rust
the Ring City Street Railway com
pany.'
Every eye was turned to Sledge. but
that omnipotent friend and relentless
foe, without moving corpuscle, gazed
straight ahead at nothing.
HE is no friend of the working
mann swore little Henry Peters.
AS IL Infatuated by his impassive-
ness, Attorney Tucker, who was paid
by Sledge for the purpose. fguratively
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 a
line the new one would have one on
an adjoining street, with newer and
better and swifter cars, and a closer
schedule. and unless something radical
were done he would not give con-
tinental cuss per bale for the stock OF
the now rapidly dying Ring City Street
Railway company.
A long low sigh, like the midnight
soughing In churchyard, arose from
that meeting, as Attorney Tucker sat
down. Little Henry Peters, with a
livid face, clutched the arm Of his
waffle necked neighbor.
Il UY\ y1ov, hol: oy,1v oov,,x,s 10 nj,
could have got thirty-five for my
stock!' he walled. I'm ruined. l
shall lose my home! Frank Marley is
rotten business man..
"Yehr intoned the crooked nosed
one. They're all thieves
Jim Delaney, who. with clear eye
and straight countenance. could make
louder speeches than any man in the
Eighth ward, painted even blacker
picture than Attorney Tucker, and
when be sat down he had bankrupted
every stakeholder within the sound Of
his voice. It even semed incredible
that street car should still be whiz-
zing outside. Little Henry Peters sat
numbly, with his hair clutched in his
hands. II he could have snapped his
$1,000 worth Of street railway stock for
a 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.
DanieF B. Atkins, a rising young law
yer, with no capital but an empty con-
science and a 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
pauperlsm unless something radical
could be done. He had believed this
so thoroughly that he had lain awake
nights trying to evolve plan for their
salvation. So
He had evolved tia scheme where
by the company could not only raise its
stock to par. but place it at premium:
whereby the company could become a
monopoly apd extend its business to
meet the growing demands OF the city
and become again 4 per cent Giyi-
dend concern, capable Of piling up
again a tremendous construction sur
plus. On his own responsibility he had
gone to the organizer Of the rival new
company and had labored with him for
hours to persuade him to come to this
meeting and lay before it rather nov.
el but life saving proposition. Would
the stockholders permit him to intro
dnce the eminent promoter and organ
izer, Mr.. Bozzam, who would present
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 to
obtain formal vote on the PROPOSE
ton.
Mr.. Bozzam entered, with his hair
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 a wide
shouldered man. with pleasant coun-
tenance andra good forehead. who look
ed as IL he Ind muscles under his coat.
and he was well liked by the con-
course. Little Henry Peters judged
that he was a keen business man, but
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