Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-09-24

his mouth was q SLTdlSnC line III
ruddy face.
! Such was August Tweed, king,
maker, before whom high officials
stood and listened with respect
And it was for this man and his
colleagues that Clark acted as con-
fidential iaison officer.
"Come in, come in, CLARK" Tweed
doomed, offering his huge hand.
"Tm mighty glad you showed up
today. When Miss Gilman arrived
1 was going to have her locate you.
Sit down there and have one of
these"-he offered Clark a cigar
from an ornate box-"which l just
received from a Cuban friend"
Clark knew that this man was his
friend. And it was he whom he pro-
posed to enlist in his fight against
Craddock.
81 said / was glad you came in
today" Tweed went on when their
cigars were both burning properly.
There's hell in the wind, kid"
Whenever Tweed called Clark kid"
some important revelation was
about to follow.
Clark leaned forward in his chair
and gave Tweed his eager attention.
For the moment Craddock was
swept from his mind.
Back in 1920, hd-that was be-
fore your time-we smashed the
most dangerous opposition that has
ever run against our machine in the
state. 1t was coalition that damned
near coaligned US out of office.
They were backed by powerful out
side interests with plenty of money
and brains.
"They Slapped at the organization
in a manner that was extremely
difficult to combat. They swung a
number of the boys and girls
around, and it was only after we
had used every old trick and I'M
corked a few new ones that we
beat them off.
THAT fight left its scars, though.
We expelled all the traitors from
the machine and began to build our
fences tighter and tighter. Things
have been running along so rosily
that the memory of some of the
lads has been dulled. But not mine,
kid. knew we had to fight that
fight all over again some day.
"And l was right. We do"
Tweed's eyes shone with hidden
fire, and his voice increased its
pitch. Clark remained in an atti-
tude of strict attention. There was
a very definite reason for Tweed to
tell him all this, and he awaited the
explanation.
yep; we've got to fight that
same gang again, and the battle
will be even tougher. They've got
even more money for one thing,
They hate US for another, not hav-
ing forgotten nor forgiven that last
beating. And they are going to
badly need our fifty-one electoral
votes two years from now. Follow
me, kid?"
eyes, chief" Clark said.
"Well, here's the dope, then, and
where you come in. Outside of this
city things look like a stand-of.
We've got the smaller cities and
they've got the farmers. If Man.
ming, the damned fool, hadn't bun
gled that low homestead tax bill in
the legislature last season we
might have at least some of the
farmers. But we haven't and that's
that.
Inside of town here we are pref
ty certain to at least split, too. But
every day it becomes more appar-
ent that the five Negro wards are
going to be the real battle-ground.
We must carry the city, and to do
that we must carry those wards
without doubt.
| "Now, kid, we've never asked you
to get down and mix in the mud.
But / don't know who else to lay
this on but you. The boys say you
can do it and I'm sure you can. Will
your"
"Of course, chief" Clark said
without hesitation.
| Good! knew you would. But
it's going to be tough. The other
side knows how important those
Negro votes are, too. They'll make
| all kinda of yropoisao CO mill 1,,a