The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-05-08
MUNICIPAL CORRUprION.

MUNICIPAL CORRUPTION.
The wave of municipal reform that
has struck the city Of St. Louis is purg-
ing that city Of many a boodler and it
is said that were it. notfor the statute
OF limitations nearly 200 prominent
citizens of that city would be under in
dictment to-day, instead of eleven who
have been gathered in by the strong
arm of the law. The unearthing of
this big nestof st. Louis boodlers came
about through the efforts of Che St.
Louis & Suburban City Railway COM
pany to freeze out from entrance into
the grounds of the coming worlds fair
the St. Louis Transit Co., which had
by corrupt use of money secured a
blanket street railway franchise over
the veto of the mayor, and had con-
solidated all the. lines under the name
of the Transit company. The Transit
people had offered the Suburban peo-
pie the sum of So, 900, 900 for their road.
which was owned principally by the
brewery interests, but the Suburban
company tried to get bill through the
city council of St. Louis shutting out
the Transit road. The company gave
an agent plenary powers and he went
to work. The bill was hung up in COM
mittee by one Meysenburg. He was
liked" and is now fixed himself for
three years in the penitentiary for
accepting bride. The bill then got
into the assembly and in the process of
incubation of the deal, the agent of
the Suburban company he'd made ar
engagements with some of the mem bers
to deposit S65, 900 in one safety deposit
box and $4,000 in another, and he
made appointments with two members
of the assembly to be present after the
bill was passed when the boxes we're
to be opened and the money taken
therefrom. But "there is many slip
'twixt the cup and the lip.'' In the
meantime wave of reform swept over
the city and young lawyer by the
name OF Folk was elected circuit at
torney. He smelled corruption, and it
required only;a small article written
by one of the reporters on a St. Louis
daily to give him pointer. He worked
a big bluff on the members of the as
sembly and also on the officers of the
Suburban railway before the grand
jury and certain parties turned states
evidence, and then the ball started to
roll and has been rolling ever since.
Many of the men indicted are wealthy
and influential. A few are fugitives from
justice and dare not return. The legis-
lative body of St. Louis is made up of
the, assembly and the house of dele
gates,' and the grand jury said that
the present house of delegates con-
tanned men ''who were lacking in men.
tally and morality" It has been de-
cided by the members of the house of
delegates that their usefulness is at an
end and resolution has been intro
duced by one of the members to this
effect and submitting the proposition
to the voters, which if carried will
abolish this branch of the St. Louis
municipal council.
For many years St. Louis has been
cursed with a gang that has held up
all the important legislation in it's
city council until their price was paid.
The gang grew bold and Independent
and no doubt presumed that their
tracks were covered up, but the hidden
wealth in the safety deposit boxes was
too much of temptation. Some of
the members wanted dizzy and COM
menced to do little talking on the
side, and the result was that it did not
take long to get at the core of the
whole matter. For probity and hon
esty in office the\ city of St. Louis is
certainly at low ebb. But then there
are others.