to the fact that it has been done. There
will be plenty of money forthcoming if you can prove to me, or, rather,
to the group of men I am thinking of, that the thing can be done."

Mr. Gilgan blinked his eyes solemnly. He rubbed his knees, put his
thumbs in the armholes of his vest, took out a cigar, lit it, and gazed
poetically at the ceiling. He was thinking very, very hard. Mr.
Cowperwood and Mr. McKenty, as he knew, were very powerful men. He had
always managed to down the McKenty opposition in his ward, and several
others adjacent to it, and in the Eighteenth Senatorial District, which
he represented. But to be called upon to defeat him in Chicago, that
was different. Still, the thought of a large amount of cash to be
distributed through him, and the chance of wresting the city leadership
from McKenty by the aid of the so-called moral forces of the city, was
very inspiring. Mr. Gilgan was a good politician. He loved to scheme
and plot and make deals--as much for the fun of it as anything else.
Just now he drew a solemn face, which, however, concealed a very light
heart.

"I have heard," went on Hand, "that you have built up a strong
organization in your ward and district."

"I've managed to hold me own," suggested Gilgan, archly. "But this
winning all over Chicago," he went on, after a moment, "now, that's a
pretty large order. There are thirty-one wards in Chicago this
election, and all but eight of them are nominally Democratic. I know
most of the men that are in them now, and some of them are pretty
shrewd men, too. This man Dowling in council is nobody's fool, let me
tell you that. Then there's Duvanicki and Ungerich and Tiernan and
Kerrigan--all good men." He mentioned four of the most powerful and
crooked aldermen in the city. "You see, Mr. Hand, the way things are
now the Democrats have the offices, and the small jobs to give out.
That gives them plenty of political workers to begin with. Then they
have the privilege of collecting money from those in office to help
elect themselves. That's another great privilege." He smiled. "Then
this man Cowperwood employs all of ten thousand men at present, and any
ward boss that's favorable to him can send a man out of work to him and
he'll find a place for him. That's a gre-a-eat help in building up a
party following. Then there's the money a man like Cowperwood and
others can contribute at election time. Say what you will, Mr. Hand,
but it's the