"We ought to be able to smoke them out.

A little publicity will do it." He appealed to his father, the editor of the Inquirer, but the latter refused to act for the time being, seeing that his son was interested.
MacDonald, enraged at the do-nothing attitude of the council, invaded that body and demanded of Alderman Dowling, still leader, why this matter of the Chicago general ordinances was still lying unconsidered.
Mr.Dowling, a large, mushy, placid man with blue eyes, an iron frame, and a beefy smile, vouchsafed the information that, although he was chairman of the committee on streets and alleys, he knew nothing about it.

"I haven't been payin' much attention to things lately," he replied.
Mr.MacDonald went to see the remaining members of this same committee.
They were non-committal.

They would have to look into the matter.
Somebody claimed that there was a flaw in the petitions.
Evidently there was crooked work here somewhere.

Cowperwood was to blame, no doubt.