The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-10-07
Local Investigation Brings 10
Light Witness Who Exposes
Eastern SandhaggeTs.
WORSE THAN MISSOURI"
Doctor William Smith, Who Wis
tied Harrisburg Last Spring
Says Brides Are Solicited
and Paid.

''MT- Folk. you talk about Doodle ir
Missouri. but you should be in Pennsyl-
vania. Doodle is wide open there Legis-
lators demand money without thinking
much Of IT, Not only that but they are
/ cheap. Here, it takes a thousand-doIlal
bill TO do the work. There 500 will get
the vote OF nearly any legislator. Her,
a score OF railroads makes competition
and raises the price Of votes, There ans
railroad practically controls the situation,
so that the virtual trust forces down the
price"
Doctor William Smith. osteopathy. OF
| No SS4s Washington boulevard. made the
! aboTe statement TO Circuit Attorney
| Folk last week. Mr.. Folk had been look
/ had run across Doctor Smith in the course
! OF his investigation.
Doctor Smith made the remark to the
| circuit Attorney In his office and fol-
lowed # up with a detailed story that
| puts II up to Pennsylvania in a way
! which shows that Missouri has gone TO
| work and begun housecleanihg while
| PENNSYLVANIA protects itself by hiding its
| corruption.
At his residence last night Doctor Smith
/ told Of his experience in Pennsylvania. He
| is well known in Missouri and FOR five
/ years taught In the Kirksville School OF
| csteopathy. He was also graduated from
Il
| Scotland. He has practiced his profession
/ in New York City. Kansas City and St.
/ Louis He has been here about eighteen
months, living at the Washington avenue
7 know it was money that beat the So
! called osteopath bill in the Pennsylvania
| Legislature" said Doctor Smith. Il am
willing TO tell about it after my converse
| ton with Mr.. Folk. and I believe that u
the prosecuting officials Of that State viii
do their duty. we won't have 70 submit
wanted was law similar TO the Missouri
law, which gives Us representation on the
state Board OF Health. permits US 70
sign burial certificates and grants certain
other privileges.
ASKED FOR 1850
The Pennsylvania House Of Represen-
tatives kindly granted me the privilege OF
the floor one Wednesday night at the last
session, as I had been sent for by the
osteopaths OF Pennsylvania. After had
spoken, a small, elderly man, clerk OF
the House. who sat during the time was
speaking at the reporters table, came TO
me and said:
Doctor, there IS one thing want 10
say TO you. You fellows ought to get up
& purse. 1t will take Sl,60o for you TO get
eight votes here IN the House
Well. would IT be q sure thing II We
did put up the money? I inquired. in an
- 1t is a solid bunch: the men In = are
There is no use in talking 10 me about
It., l said I am from missouri and have
no particular interest in this bill. except
from an osteopathic standpoint You would
better see some OF the Pennsylvania peo-
Si then wen. To Doctor Harry Vastine
OF Harrisburg and said that Pennsylvania
Legislators were a cheap lot when you can
get them for 500 vote The upsh3t OF
the matter was this man and legislator
from Philadelphia told the osteopath ply
sicians that the $1.sO0 would have to be
put up.
'T am willing to go before any notary
or any Grand Jury and tell these facts
Il hope that Pennsylvania will also take
II up. and II they DO, the tolloWlng osteo-
path doctors will substantiate the story,
for nearly all OF them were approached
by these men:
''Doctor ]. Ivan Dufur of Philadelphia.
Doctor Harry Yastine Of Harrisburg. Doc
tors William Schlingman and Virgil Hook
OF Wilkesbarre. and Doctor Frank X.
He'Hs aELPED 70 PUSH BILL
About a week later l went to Harris
burg from Pitts5urg. as l understood tna{
a man named Harry Walter had secured
the privilege Of the House to oppose the
bill.
yer about IS years old. again told US that
they say II you fellows want special leg
islation you ought 20 pay for II. You
can't come around here and get services
rendered without paying for them
He had been working hard for US DOC
tor Vastine told me that he had paid him
amount 1t was. for his assistance as an
attorney and help in the Legislature.
saw Vastine in Cleveland afterwards and
he remarked that we were bribed out
Until / was talking to Mr.. Folk about
the matter I did not suppose that II was
wrong for the legislator, who was also
an attorney, TO be paid tor MS legislstiNSe ia I'VE
assistance, but find that II Is against the
law. He certainly did not do the right
thing by US. 1 don't know Of any other
time when any sort Of money was ever
paid by the osteopaths- They have always
won on their merits
when the bill came up for passage, we
were beaten by about twelve majority.
II we had paid the d,e0o for the eight
votes, I am sure our bill would have
Doctor smith has also had an interest
ing experience in Jefferson City. He
several times. and tells one story which
shows that the House Of 1888 had Its
crooked members.
7 went down to Jefferson City from
81 was accompanied by the late Judge
Andrew Ellison ! had not been there
more than a few hours before a member
OF the House came to me and asked II I
had any money to spend. told him that
had brought enough TO pay for my board
q Wen. what did you bring for the
membersT
Why. I brought enough to buy them
cigars and drinks and the like. but moth
ing more
ne replied And then he sat down and
wrote on a slip Of paper the names OF
eighteen Representatives whom he said
would vote against US Sure enough, on
the final vote every one OF the eighteen
''Afterwaris the man who had made the
demand and named the eighteen Repre-
sentatives so accurately became member
ka