e
moralistic efforts of men like Haguenin, Hyssop, and others, who were
content to preach morality and strive to win by the efforts of the unco
good, than he had with the cold political logic of a man like
Cowperwood himself. If Cowperwood could work through McKenty to such a
powerful end, he, Hand, could find some one else who could be made as
powerful as McKenty.

"Mr. Gilgan," said Hand, when the Irishman came in, medium tall, beefy,
with shrewd, twinkling gray eyes and hairy hands, "you don't know me--"

"I know of you well enough," smiled the Irishman, with a soft brogue.
"You don't need an introduction to talk to me."

"Very good," replied Hand, extending his hand. "I know of you, too.
Then we can talk. It's the political situation here in Chicago I'd
like to discuss with you. I'm not a politician myself, but I take some
interest in what's going on. I want to know what you think will be the
probable outcome of the present situation here in the city."

Gilgan, having no reason for laying his private political convictions
bare to any one whose motive he did not know, merely replied: "Oh, I
think the Republicans may have a pretty good show. They have all but
one or two of the papers with them, I see. I don't know much outside
of what I read and hear people talk."

Mr. Hand knew that Gilgan was sparring, and was glad to find his man
canny and calculating.

"I haven't asked you to come here just to be talking over politics in
general, as you may imagine, Mr. Gilgan. I want to put a particular
problem before you. Do you happen to know either Mr. McKenty or Mr.
Cowperwood?"

"I never met either of them to talk to," replied Gilgan. "I know Mr.
McKenty by sight, and I've seen Mr. Cowperwood once." He said no more.

"Well," said Mr. Hand, "suppose a group of influential men here in
Chicago were to get together and guarantee sufficient funds for a
city-wide campaign; now, if you had the complete support of the
newspapers and the Republican organization in the bargain, could you
organize the opposition here so that the Democratic party could be
beaten this fall? I'm not talking about the mayor merely and the
principal city officers, but the council, too--the aldermen. I want to
fix things so that the McKenty-Cowperwood crowd couldn't get an
alderman or a city official to sell out, once they are elected. I want
the Democratic party beaten so thoroughly that there won't be any
question in anybody's mind as