The Tucson citizen., 1902-09-19
THE ST. LOUIS SCANDALS.

The city of St. Louis has evidently
reached crisis in its municipal exist
ence. The corruption revealed in it's
public life indicates a lower and more
sordid level of official morals than has
perhaps ever been revealed in any
American city.
It is sad commentary on the morals
of any community at any time or under
any circumstances when it becomes
necessary to secure armed protection
for the officials engaged in enforcing
the criminal law This condition is
now realized in the city of st. Louis.
The home and the person of the dis
trict attorney are surrounded by armed
guards, maintained. at the public ex-
pense, to protect both against the
assaults of those who are identified
with the shocking acts of moral de-
pravity revealed among the members
of the st. Louis city council In
community less sunken in political
degradation enlightened citizenship
would resent such a state of affairs.
and would organize itself to see to the
effective enforcement of the law
against public marauders, if necessary,
without the Intervention of public au-
thority.
While the state of things thus re-
vealed is shocking to the moral sense
the circumstances attending the sue
cessful levying of official blackmail
by the members of the st. Louis coun-
Gil denote that the knife of municipal
surgery must be driven deep to reach
the roots of the evil. One of the
rogues, who has turned States evi-
dence for his own protection, reveals
the character of the combination
formed among public officials to con-
troll the grants of franchises by the
city. He says:
The sole purpose of the combine was
to control and sell legislation. Con-
trolling the supply, we made a COM
modify of legislation and sold it out
right. Shortly before the passage of
the suburban bill the combination
sold their votes on the lighting bills
for $4,000. This money was han
died by Kelly and was paid to the
members of the combine at meeting
arranged for that purpose at Julius
Lehman's house. Each member of
the combine received $4,000. was
present and saw the money paid to the
various men present.
Here is a combination which may
safely be designated as a bribery
trust. 1t was formed and maintained
in cold blood, and the rights of the cit
izens in accordance with it were sold
as might be any other merchantable
commodity. 1t. is doubtful whether
any such purely mercenary undertake
ing of extensive scope has been re-
vealed among the members of any one
single official body. The Tweed and
Jake Sharp revelations in New York
C1Iy SIOWSu CUdC 1DulVlQuaI aldermen
were willing to sell themselves and
could control high price for their
votes in bestowing valuable public
privilege. The robbery of the street
car franchises of Philadelphia within
the past few months showed corre-
spending state of affairs, but in each
of these infamous cases each individ-
ual corruptionist appears to have been
acting upon his own responsibility.
The st. Louis undertaking was an eff
fort to apply the naked principle of
bargain and sale to official privileges
and official obligations.
The manner in which the city of St.
Louis handles this situation will de-
termine much for the honor, not only
of that community, but of the entire
country According to the state
ments of the informer, he at least had
grown impervious to any moral scru-
pies whatever, and HE describes his
confederates as being of the same