Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-10-26
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN THE SOUTH.
WEST

The city of st. Louis has municipal
hands, the circumstances of which have q
peculiarly Missouri flavor and could occur in
few other localities OF the country. 1t ap-
pears that the political control of the city
passed into the hands OF ring.of gamblers
class, by the way, whose social standing is
much more clearly defined In the easy. going
West than in the more rigid society OF the
East. The right bower Of the aforesaid
gamblers was His Excellency Governor
Crittenden, to whom they were friendly and
in whose political advancement they had
rendered valuable assistance. Strangely
enough, the respectable citizens OF st. Louis
objected to having the city run by gamblers,
and they procured the passage Of leglsla-
tive act making gambling . felony. Under
this law prominent gambler-one Pate
was tried and convicted, whereupon Cover
nor Crittenden promptly pardoned him. The
police board then resigned, in great indigna-
ton, and the Governor filled the vacancies
with friends Of tie gamblers, Great excite
ment was naturally created by this perfor.
nance Of the Governors, and as a result an
effort was made through which the grand
jury took great mass Of secret testimony,
involving many high names and revealing
conclus:yely the partnership between the
Governor and the gamblers.
AT this point that peculiar product of mod
ern journalism the 81. Louis press took a
hand in the fight The old theory Of jour
nalism was that newspaper was simply to
chronicle the news, with, Of course. able and
incisve comments upon it. But all that has
been changed The modern newspaper
makes news. The new theory was carried
to its furthest limits by the St. Louis Post
Despatch for il sent reporter-er possibly
professional burglar, for 1t may be that one
OF that enterprsing guild is member of the
regular staff OF the st. Louis papers-to steal
the recent testimony from the government
attorneys office. Reporter or burglar, he
succeed to a charm and fed with the docu.
ments to place of refuge in Illinois; from
which coign of vantage he is sending sensa-
tlonal disclosures to the Post Despatch aud
that paper is publishing them in install.
ments. The government attorney applied
Tor an injunction restraining the Post De-
spdtch frog, publishing any more of the testi-
mony taken by the grand jury, but the court
refused to grant it on the ground that it had
no right to abridge the liberty of the press.
The Post-Despdteh promptly followed up Its
victory by publishing the testimony of ex.
Police Commissioner Maxon, which was In
effect that Gov. Crittendcn had told him to
"let up on" the gamblers, because Lieut..
Gov. johnson, who secured the passage of
the law making gambling felony, was his
enemy. fight of the livelest kind is going
on, and the issue is doubtful. Aside from
the queer state of society the trouble dis.
closes, it is worth noting that Governor
Crl'tendeu, who cuts 50 contemplate fig.
ure In the disclosures, is the man who hired
Ford to shoot Jesse James in the back; ia a
Democrat who joins in the Suns cry of
Turn the rascals out" and is q candidate
for the Democratic nomination for the vice.
presidency.
The whole thing has q decided tendency
to make Yankee contented with the East.