m as he went to and fro between his office
and his home, and reached the general conclusion after the first
excitement had died down that he did not amount to much.

When introduced into his office in the small but pleasant city hall, he
came into contact with a "ring," and a fixed condition, which nobody
imagined a lone young mayor could change. Old-time politicians sat there
giving out contracts for street-cleaning, lighting, improvements and
supplies of all kinds, and a bond of mutual profit bound them closely
together.

"I don't think he can do much to hurt us," these individuals said one to
another. "He don't amount to much."

The mayor was not of a talkative or confiding turn. Neither was he cold
or wanting in good and natural manners. He was, however, of a
preoccupied turn of mind, "up in the air," some called it, and smoked a
good many cigars.

"I think we ought to get together and have some sort of a conference
about the letting of contracts," said the president of the city council
to him one morning shortly after he had been installed. "You will find
these gentlemen ready to meet you half-way in these matters."

"I'm very glad to hear that," he replied. "I've something to say in my
message to the council, which I'll send over in the morning."

The old-time politician eyed him curiously, and he eyed the old-time
politician in turn, not aggressively, but as if they might come to a
very pleasant understanding if they wanted to, and then went back to his
office.

The next day his message was made public, and this was its key-note:

"All contract work for the city should be let with a proviso, that the
workmen employed receive not less than two dollars a day."

The dissatisfied roar that followed was not long in making itself heard
all over the city.

"Stuff and nonsense," yelled the office jobbers in a chorus.
"Socialism!" "Anarchy!" "This thing must be put down!" "The city would
be bankrupt in a year." "No contractor could afford to pay his ordinary
day laborers two a day. The city could not afford to pay any contractor
enough to do it."

"The prosperity of the city is not greater than the prosperity of the
largest number of its component individuals," replied the mayor, in a
somewhat altruistic and economically abstruse argument on the floor of
the council hall. "We must find contractors."

"We'll see about that," said the members of the opposition. "Why, the
man's crazy. If he thinks he can run t