defeat of the first bill, 104 to 49--was
introduced, by way of a very complicated path, through the judiciary
committee. It was passed; and Governor Archer, after heavy hours of
contemplation and self-examination, signed it. A little man mentally,
he failed to estimate an aroused popular fury at its true import to
him. At his elbow was Cowperwood in the clear light of day, snapping
his fingers in the face of his enemies, showing by the hard, cheerful
glint in his eye that he was still master of the situation, giving all
assurance that he would yet live to whip the Chicago papers into
submission. Besides, in the event of the passage of the bill,
Cowperwood had promised to make Archer independently rich--a cash
reward of five hundred thousand dollars.

Chapter LIX

Capital and Public Rights

Between the passage on June 5, 1897, of the Mears bill--so christened
after the doughty representative who had received a small fortune for
introducing it--and its presentation to the Chicago City Council in
December of the same year, what broodings, plottings, politickings, and
editorializings on the part of all and sundry! In spite of the intense
feeling of opposition to Cowperwood there was at the same time in local
public life one stratum of commercial and phlegmatic substance that
could not view him in an altogether unfavorable light. They were in
business themselves. His lines passed their doors and served them.
They could not see wherein his street-railway service differed so much
from that which others might give. Here was the type of materialist
who in Cowperwood's defiance saw a justification of his own material
point of view and was not afraid to say so. But as against these there
were the preachers--poor wind-blown sticks of unreason who saw only
what the current palaver seemed to indicate. Again there were the
anarchists, socialists, single-taxers, and public-ownership advocates.
There were the very poor who saw in Cowperwood's wealth and in the
fabulous stories of his New York home and of his art-collection a
heartless exploitation of their needs. At this time the feeling was
spreading broadcast in America that great political and economic
changes were at hand--that the tyranny of iron masters at the top was
to give way to a richer, freer, happier life for the rank and file. A
national eight-hour-day law was being advocated, and the public
ownership of public franchises. And here now was a great
s