A Marauder Upon the Commonwealth

           Thespringandsummermonthsof1897andthelatefallof1898witnessedthefinalclosingbattlebetweenFrankAlgernonCowperwoodandtheforcesinimicaltohiminsofarasthecityofChicago,thestateofIllinois,andindeedtheUnitedStatesofAmerica,wereconcerned.Whenin1896anewgovernorandanewgroupofstaterepresentativeswereinstalledCowperwooddecidedthatitwouldbeadvisabletocontinuethestruggleatonce.BythetimethisnewlegislatureshouldconveneforitslaborsayearwouldhavepassedsinceGovernorSwansonhadvetoedtheoriginalpublic-service-commissionbill.Bythattimepublicsentimentasarousedbythenewspaperswouldhavehadtimetocool.Alreadythroughvariousfavorablefinancialinterests—particularlyHaeckelheimer,Gotloeb&Co.andallthesubsurfaceforcestheyrepresented—hehadattemptedtoinfluencetheincominggovernor,andhadinpartsucceeded.

           Thenewgovernorinthisinstance—oneCorporalA.E.Archer—orex-CongressmanArcher,ashewassometimescalled—was,unlikeSwanson,acuriousmixtureofthecommonplaceandtheideal—oneofthoseshiftilyloyalandloyallyshiftywhomaketheirupwardwaybydevious,ifnottooreprehensiblemethods.Hewasalittleman,stocky,brown-haired,brown-eyed,vigorous,witty,withtheordinarypolitician’sestimateofpublicmorality—namely,thatthereisnosuchthing.Adrummer-boyatfourteenintheWaroftheRebellion,aprivateatsixteenandeighteen,hehadsubsequentlybeenbrevetedforconspicuousmilitaryservice.

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