Now. as to my private reason. Well, I'm a business man and go in
for any business that's profitable and honest. Real estate is one of
my specialties. I know the value of every foot of ground in my
district, and I calculated long ago that if them gashouses was
removed, surroundin' property would go up 100 per cent. When the
Remsen Bill, providin' for the removal of the gashouses to Queens
County came up. I said to myself: "George, hasn't your chance
come?" I answered: "Sure." Then I sized up the chances of the bill.
I found it was certain to pass the Senate and the Assembly, and I
got assurances straight from headquarters that Governor Odell
would sign it. Next I came down to the city to find out the mayor's
position. I got it straight that he would approve the bill, too.

Can't you guess what I did then? Like any sane man who had my
information, I went in and got options on a lot of the property
around the gashouses. Well, the bill went through the Senate and
the Assembly all right and the mayor signed it, but Odell
backslided at the last minute and the whole game fell through. If it
had succeeded, I guess I would have been accused of graftin'. What
I want to know is, what do you call it when I got left and lost a pot
of money?

I not only lost money, but I was abused for votin' for the bill.
Wasn't that outrageous? They said I was in with the Consolidated
Gas Company and all other kinds of rot, when I was really only
workin' for my district and tryin' to turn an honest penny on the
side. Anyhow I got a little fun out of the business. When the
Remsen Bill was up, I was tryin' to put through a bill of my own,
the Spuyten Duyvil Bill, which provided for fillin' in some land