ted for the door, swinging the pass-key on its
cord. "If it's just politics, sure you can go in. Many a buck I've let
in to listen to their old palaver down in that parlor."

Dodd bolted the door behind him.

He felt entirely safe, for he understood that the rightful tenants of
that room were locked into the parlor below. He climbed upon a chair in
the closet and put his ear to the grating of the ventilator.

He heard only one man's voice. He recognized its crisp tones--it was the
Honorable Archer Converse.

"I repeat, gentlemen, that this interest of yours would amaze me if I
had not been prepared by reports from our agents who have been so well
captained by Mr. Walker Farr. Remember that this is simply a conference,
prior to organization. Every man of you is a chief in it. Let us be
calm, discreet, sensible, and silent.

"I'm not going over the details of the unrest in this state. The fact
that so many of you are present here from all sections is sufficient
commentary on that unrest. We understand perfectly well that a certain
clique of self-seekers has arrogated to itself supreme control of the
party. A party must be controlled, I admit. If that control were in the
hands of honest and patriotic men we would not be here today.

"I'm not going to bother you with details of what has been going on in
departments in our State House. The employees are the tools of the ring
and they have misused their power. I'm afraid of what may be uncovered
there when the house-cleaning begins. But the honor of our party demands
such a house-cleaning."

Richard Dodd's hands trembled as he clung to the ventilator bars.

"However, we are faced by something in the way of an issue that's bigger
than graft."

Now his earnestness impressed more than ever the listener at the
grating.

"Gentlemen, to a certain extent graft is bound to be fostered and
protected by any party; but when a party is used to protect and
aggrandize those who monopolize the people's franchise rights it's time
for the honest men in that party to be _men_ instead of partisans. Don't
you allow those monopolists to hold you in line by whining about party
loyalty. And don't let them whip you into line by their threats, either.
I refuse, for one, as much as I love my party, to have its tag tied into
my ear if that tag isn't clean!"

The assemblage applauded that sentiment.

"I'm going to call names, gentlemen. Colonel Symonds Dodd has this state
by its throat. W