ree years' voting law, however,
behind which, as behind an entrenchment, the very luxurious corporation
lay comfortable and indifferent.

The mayor sent for his corporation counsel, and studied gas law for
awhile. He found that at the State capital there was a State board, or
commission, which had been created to look after gas companies in
general, and to hear the complaints of municipalities which considered
themselves unjustly treated.

"This is the thing for me," he said.

Lacking the municipal authority himself, he decided to present the facts
in the case and appeal to this commission for a reduction of the gas
rate.

When he came to talk about it he found that the opposition he would
generate would be something much more than local. Back of the local
reduction idea was the whole system of extortionate gas rates of the
State and of the nation; hundreds of fat, luxurious gas corporations
whose dividends would be threatened by any agitation on this question.

"You mean to proceed with this scheme of yours?" asked a prominent
member of the local bar who called one morning to interview him. "I
represent the gentlemen who are interested in our local gas company."

"I certainly do," replied the mayor.

"Well," replied the uncredentialed representative of private interests,
after expostulating a long time and offering various "reasons" why it
would be more profitable and politically advantageous for the new mayor
not to proceed, "I've said all I can say. Now I want to tell you that
you are going up against a combination that will be your ruin. You're
not dealing with this town now; you're dealing with the State, the whole
nation. These corporations can't afford to let you win, and they won't.
You're not the one to do it; you're not big enough."

The mayor smiled and replied that of course he could not say as to that.

The lawyer went away, and that next day the mayor had his legal counsel
look up the annual reports of the company for the consecutive years of
its existence, as well as a bulletin issued by a firm of brokers, into
whose hands the matter of selling a vast amount of watered stock it
proposed to issue had been placed. He also sent for a gas expert and set
him to figuring out a case for the people.

It was found by this gentleman that since the company was first
organized it had paid dividends on its capital stock at the rate of ten
per cent per annum, for the first thirty years; had made vast
improv