oo willing
to renew their contracts for another year. This did not satisfy Newmark,
however.

"What we want," he told Orde, "is a charter giving us exclusive rights
on the river, and authorising us to ask toll. I'm going to try and get
one out of the legislature."

He departed for Lansing as soon as the Assembly opened, and almost
immediately became lost in one of those fierce struggles of politics not
less bitter because concealed. Heinzman was already on the ground.

Newmark had the shadow of right on his side, for he applied for the
charter on the basis of the river improvements already put in by his
firm. Heinzman, however, possessed much political influence, a deep
knowledge of the subterranean workings of plot and counterplot, and a
"barrel." Although armed with an apparently incontestable legal right,
Newmark soon found himself fighting on the defensive. Heinzman wanted
the improvements already existing condemned and sold as a public utility
to the highest bidder. He offered further guarantees as to future
improvements. In addition were other and more potent arguments proffered
behind closed doors. Many cases resolved themselves into a bald question
of cash. Others demanded diplomacy. Jobs, fat contracts, business
favours, influence were all flung out freely--bribes as absolute as
though stamped with the dollar mark. Newspapers all over the State were
pressed into service. These, bought up by Heinzman and his prospective
partners in a lucrative business, spoke virtuously of private piracy
of what are now called public utilities, the exploiting of the people's
natural wealths, and all the rest of a specious reasoning the more
convincing in that it was in many other cases only too true. The
independent journals, uninformed of the rights of the case, either
remained silent on the matter, or groped in a puzzled and undecided
manner on both sides.

Against this secret but effective organisation Newmark most unexpectedly
found himself pitted. He had anticipated being absent but a week; he
became involved in an affair of months.

With decision he applied himself to the problem. He took rooms at the
hotel, sent for Orde, and began at once to set in motion the machinery
of opposition. The refreshed resources of the company were strained to
the breaking point in order to raise money for this new campaign opening
before it. Orde, returning to Lansing after a trip devoted to the
carrying out of Newmark's directions as