Финансист

Chapter XI

           Hetotaleduphispossibilities,anddiscoveredthatinalllikelihood,withalittlepreliminarymissionarywork,hecoulddisposeofonemilliondollarsifpersonalinfluence,throughlocalpoliticalfigures,couldbringthismuchoftheloanhisway.

           Onemaninparticularhadgrownstronginhisestimationashavingsomesubtlepoliticalconnectionnotvisibleonthesurface,andthiswasEdwardMaliaButler.Butlerwasacontractor,undertakingtheconstructionofsewers,water-mains,foundationsforbuildings,street-paving,andthelike.Intheearlydays,longbeforeCowperwoodhadknownhim,hehadbeenagarbage-contractoronhisownaccount.Thecityatthattimehadnoextendedstreet-cleaningservice,particularlyinitsoutlyingsectionsandsomeoftheolder,poorerregions.EdwardButler,thenapooryoungIrishman,hadbegunbycollectingandhaulingawaythegarbagefreeofcharge,andfeedingittohispigsandcattle.Laterhediscoveredthatsomepeoplewerewillingtopayasmallchargeforthisservice.Thenalocalpoliticalcharacter,acouncilmanfriendofhistheywerebothCatholicssawanewpointinthewholething.Butlercouldbemadeofficialgarbage-collector.Thecouncilcouldvoteanannualappropriationforthisservice.Butlercouldemploymorewagonsthanhedidnowdozensofthem,scores.Notonlythat,butnoothergarbage-collectorwouldbeallowed.Therewereothers,buttheofficialcontractawardedhimwouldalso,officially,betheendofthelifeofanyandeverydisturbingrival.

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