It mattered little that electricity had arrived finally as a perfected traction factor, and that all his lines would soon have to be done over to meet that condition, or that it was costing him thousands and thousands to stay the threatening aspect of things politically.

In addition he must now plunge into this new realm, gaining franchises by the roughest and subtlest forms of political bribery.

The most serious aspect of this was not political, but rather financial.

Elevated roads in Chicago, owing to the sparseness of the population over large areas, were a serious thing to contemplate.

The mere cost of iron, right of way, rolling-stock, and power-plants was immense.