The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-13
CORRUPTION in OFFICE.

CORRUPTION in OFFICE.
The story sent out from St Louis Win
regard to corruption among the city OF
ticiais is both disgusting and distressing.
There was evidence before the grand jury
Cd show that an officer of the. city gov
er,,mcnt had Boosted that he had made
e25oao a year out of his Office, whose leGi-
tiu1atc salary was only 5000 year. 1t
was further in evidence that member
OF the Municipal Assembly received for
his vote on a certain measure the sum OF
$4,000 and that certain members OF the
Council had actually established a scale
OF prices" for passing various ordinances
in favor Of this corporation and that IN
conclusion. the jury said that there was
evidence 10 show that in the city of st.
Louis there were men OF seeming sreat
responsibility, directors IN large corpora
1ions. men prominent in business and So
cisl circles, who had not hesitated to put
up money for the purpose OF bribing.
through tho Assembly. measures IN
which they were interested.
That is q terrible arraignment OF ST.
louis officials and citizens. yet we nave
no doubt That TO more or less extent TINS
abuse exists in almost every city IN tho
land. We hardly know which Is tho
more dcspicable, tho official who accepts
e. bribe or the man who gives 1t. Some
times the bribe-taker is verse, because
lie is so low down III the scale that 1T IS
hard Tor any outsider, who associates
with decent people to got down TO that
level Again the bribe-takcr is more 10
be despised and more to be blamed, be-
cause he is often SO sly as almost 10
blind the receiver TO the fact that he is
talsins a bible. It is not usual for one
OF these bribe-givcrs to come down nat.
IL with an offer of SO MUCH cash for the
influence or vote of public officer. Few
men in public Office are SO lost to all
sense of shame as to barter away their
vetes for SO much cash III hand. But
the bribe- giver has many cunning and
afftful ways of employing" the Council
man or Legislator or other public Of
fcer whose vote or influence he would
purchase.
Several years ago,a lawyer in the Viz
sinia Legislature informed Il friend that
st was worth his while to serve in that
BODY, because he made sinorc than his
per diem and mileage. He explained that
],e was. employed every now and then
by some NAH or corporation to watch
oyer a certain measure and use his IN
hi,ence to get it through he said that
lie would not work for a measure that he
did not believe in, but it seemed entirely
proper for him: to work for a measure
that he did believe in and 10 receive pay
from persons Interested for his service.
The man was absolutely blinded by the
fec which he. received and could not be
persuaded that he was accepting "a bride.
1t is largely this sort of thing that has
rrejudiced the public mind against cor
porations We have frequently remark
ca in discussing, the subject that, in our
opinion. the great danger in the large
corporations Of the country is in their
snfuence upon legislation. SO long as
the people have honest representatives. in
the City Council, in the State Legislature.
IN the National Congress and in other
Offices with which corporations have to
deal we need not fear that corporations
Will ride over the people. 1t is not so
much antitrust laws that are needed;
what we need most of all in our iesis-
lativc bodies are honest and faithful men,
who will not barter away their influence
nor rights or the people to corporations.
or adopt measures that are peculiarly Ia
Sorable to this interest or that
But there is something for the people
10 do Officials who receive brides and
men who give them should be, severely
dealt with when apprchcnded. There
should be no place in decent society for
men Of either class There is but one
lit place for bribc-givers and bribe-takers,
and that is the penitentiarS. When that
sentiment becomes dominant in this coun-
try, SUCH corruption as is reported from
ST. Louis Will be unknown.