New-York tribune., 1921-03-20
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Nnu our expert reports that int,
that embankment, upon which TIL,
safety Of the thing depends, they'v'
chucked any old thing-rocks, trees
barrels, and in one place left an ols
trestle! Besides, the dam leaks lik,
q sieve. He figures ten million gal
Ions Of waste day. Think Of that
And the officers certified the ac
counts over their own signatures
Iwice-three times sometimes--
more'n they've done!"
bad as that?" exclaimed Ran
dolph, wrinkling his forehead.
yes, bad as that!' echoed Endi
cott, Indignantly. "Oh, it's a regu
lar steals You can nail 'em ali fo,
forgery in the third degree!"
Randolph pulled silently on hi.
cigar.
tits even worse than those sill
stockings made out" continued En-
dacott. "They didn't know half. Of
it. DO you want me to get up the
indictments?"
Randolph did not answer.
Want to go over it yourself?"
mo, I'll take your word for it,
replied Randolph.
"How about the indictments?''
persisted Endicott.
"Well, you might as we'll be get.
ting them ready" answered Ran
dolph, thus disposing of the matte,
in the simplest way.
THE press duly reported the re.
ception Of the delegation a,
Randolph's Office, and his promise to
look into the business; the grand
jury leaked, as it sometimes does
and rumors of the impending indict.
ments got abroad; worst of all. an
enterprising reporter for yellow
journal stole copy Of the engi-
neer's report, and his paper pub
lished it in full with photographs of
the embankment composed of "any
old thing" including the trestle.
Even the regular organization felt
that it would be a bad break if, out
of difference to public opinion, some
action were not taken-not, of
course, formal accusation of
crime, but ''presentment" Of some
sort. Endicott finished his indict-
ments and laid them on Randolph IS
desk for approval.
Then, coincidentally, Mulvany tel.
ephoned that he was coming round
for lunch, and he and Randolph had
talk-nothing for publication, you
understand--and Mulvany did the
conversation.
"Of course you don't care whether
these fellows are indicted or not, f"
said he, "and neither more do /. But
Hopper holds powerful bit of stock
in the company, and there's no use
running counter to him, for he's
good for fifty thousand at the next
election-your election, Ranny, my
boy. Now, my own feelin' about the
matter is that you can't make a
crime out of building a raysoovooy.
How can it be crime to use less
sand in the concrete than the con-
tract calls for? Sure, that's no
crime-it's business! Better go easy,
and think it over before you commit
yourself to anything serious"
R ANDOLPH returned to the office
with his warm glow Of affection
for Mulvany modified by the con-
sciousness that for party reasons
the boss had indicated to him
course Of action which he knew ran
counter to his duty. Still, he had
not yet examined the papers him
self, and he had good excuse for
going slow. He promised himself
that that was all he would do--even
for Mulvany; for, although he had
heen doing favors all his official life,
it had never been "put up" to him in
quite this way before.
1t was fifteen years since, filed
with hopeless ambition to enter
political life, he had graduated from
the law school at Charlottesville
and, as the orator of the day, had
attracted the notice Of Mulvany,
whose private car happened to be
sidetracked at tho little town or the
way up from Hot Springs just long
enough to let it's cwner take in the
college commencement. On that pri-
vate car Randolph the same day had
left the county where he had been
born, and had come to New York by
virtue of compact with the politi-
clan, who was looking for just such
young men, with just such tongues
OF fire as his, to "whoop things up
for the bunch at Tammany Hall"
In return he promised Randolph
the organizations support and his
own. He had given that support with
all the loyalty Of his Irish heart. and