Macon beacon., 1921-09-09

cOmpanys business before you are
through with it. Marrow, here, rep
resents Marshall, and l represent
Henckel and myself. What are you
going to do about those ground leasesT'
Nothing at all, except to insist upon
/ the condition under which they We're
| granted by the railroad company"
Meaning that you are going to try
TO hold US to the fixed percentage
charge for handling, packing, loading,
and transferringT
Meaning just that. If you raise the
/ proportional market-price charge on
the producers and merchants, the
lenses Will terminate"
81 thought that was about where
you'd land Now listen: we're It
Marshall and IenCke and land
what we say, goes as it lies. We are
going to use the present c. S. & w.
plants and equipment, charging our
own storage and handling percentages,
based on anything we see fit. If you
pull that grOund-ease business on MS
and try to drive us out, we'll fight you
all the way up to the Supreme court.
II you beat us there, Wen merely
move over 10 the other side Of your
tracks TO our old Red Tower houses
and yards and 60 on doing business
at the old stand"
The boss sat back in his chair, and
could tell by the set OF his jaw that
he was refusing TO be panic-stricken.
"YOu are taking altogether too much
for granted, aren't your he put In
mildly. You are assuming that the
courts will eventually nullify the terms
Of the ground-leaseS, or, II they do
Not, that the railroad company will
DO nothing TO save its patrons from
falling into this new graft trap"
Hatch snapped his fingers. Nov
you are coming to the milk in the
cOcOnut" he raped out. THAT Is
exactly what we're assuming. You
are going to LET 20, once for all, Nor
cross. You are not going to fight us
In the courts, and neither are you 60
Ing to harass US out Of existence with
short cnrs, Over-charges and the thou
sand and one petty prosecutions that
you railroad buccaneers make use OF
to line your own pockets"
But II we refuse to lie down and
let you walk over us and our patrons
what then1" the boss inquired.
That brought the explosion. Hatch's
eyes blazed and he smacked fist into
palm.
Then We'll knife you, and we'll do
II 10 velvet finish After 20 long
q time, we've got you where You can't
side-step. NOrcross."
The boss refused to he panic
stricken; or, anyhow, he looked that
way.
I'VE have heard that kind OF talk
many times In the past" he said. THE
way to make II effective is to produce
the goods"
That's just what we're here to dol"
snapped the Red Tower president vim
dictively. you, aud the Big Fellows
In New York, want lot Of the state
railroad laws repealed or amended
If you can't get that string united
you cant gamble any more with your
| stock. Well and good. You came
here six months ago and set out to
manufacture public sentiment In favor
Of the railroad. You ran up your
'public-be. pleased flag and beat the
tom-tOm and blew the hewgng until
you got lot OF doits and chuckle-
heads and easy marks to believe that
you really meant It,"
well, go on"
with all this humbug and hula.
balloo you still couldn't be quite Ger.
tain TINT you had made your point !:
that your measures would carry
through the incoming legislature.
After the primaries gou counted noses
among the candidates and found II
was going to be tight squeak--a
ID tight squeak. Then you did what
you railroad p'oIA always do; YOU
slipped our qu'r'2 z Il bought few
meD-just to he ~ - safe side"
So II was sprung al last Hatch
was accusing US Of the one thing that
we hadn't done; that the boss knew
we hadn't done
I'm afraid you'll have to try again,
Mr.. Hatch" he said, with sour little
smile. Then he added: Anybody can
make charges, you know"
Hatch jumped to his feet and he
was almost foaming at the mouth.
Right there Is where we've got
you r. he shouted. "You were too eau
tious TO put one OF your own men In
the field, so you sent outside for your
briber. He was stranger, and he
had to have help IN finding the right
men to buy. Dedmon, here, was out
Of n joh--thanks to you and your
meddling-and the steering stunt Of.
fered good pay, Do you want any
more"
The boss shook hls head.
at Is matter of complete indlfer-
ence 10 me- don't know IN the least
what You are talking about. and you'll
pardon me. J hope, il ! say that il
doesn't greatly interest," me-"
"By heavens-lll make II interest
youl The easy-mnrk candidates were
found and bought and paid for-aGd
maybe they'll stay bought and maybe
they won't. But than isn't the point
For n little more money--my money
this time-each Of these men bvs msds