The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-06
ERADICATING GRAFT.

Hardly too much could be said in the light o.
recent Developments commendatory of the reall!
| important results achieved in reforming the cit,
institutions. On evidence supplied by Health Com
missioner Simon the Grand Jury has returned in
dictments against former city employees for bribery
and obtaining money under false pretcnscS. Stimuli
taneously the Commissioner announces the dis
covery of apparently wholesale graft i'll the Poor
house. and reports are made showing that vigilance
and good management have caused Il reduction OF
about $1,000 per month for five months In the cur
rent expenses of this one institution.
The charges made by the Health Commissioner
are startling. He accuses former steward of the
City Hospital n former meat inspector, former
cook and former storckecper with having con
spired to cheat the city by short weight and In
fcriOrity in the quality of supplies He AYERS tina,
the conspiracy operative for years, at the in,
tiative Of the citys employees, and that the loss to
the city aggregates many thousands of dollars
These allegations the basis for the indictments
returned by the October Grand Jury last week.
1t is said that the current expenses of the elee-
mosynary institutions show 4 decrease in the five
months just ended of more than $4,000 below the
expenses during the corresponding period in 1902
The aggregate expenditures for the period in 1908
are SlSc,GG'.I2, as compared to S22,oS1 10 for the
period in 1902 The expenses of the Poorhouse de-
note decrease of $'125.4, of the Insane Asylum
$1O,G0L4O of the City Hospital S9TG4.09, of the
Female Hospital S4,G4I.09 and of the Quarantine
and Smallpox Hospital $l1 S1S6. The principal pro-
portion of the loss is assigned TO grating.
Supplemental Investigations have exposed Il pc
cuiary suspicious state of affairs in the Poorlousc.
\ census is being made under the direction of Su-
pcrintcndcnt 1iart. Although ii is unfinished, there
is plausible reason for the belief that at least eighty
names which on the books have representa-
ton among the inmates. 1t is surmised that there
are between so and $50 names of straw men, in
the official directory of Poorhousc inmates.
Conclusion of the investigation will indicate the
Commissioner thinks, that the clothing and supplies
furnished for fictitious inmates were seized by GER
tain employees of the Poorhouse and disposed of Cor
private gain. If the city has been furnishing food
and clothing for $50 or 80 fictitious inmates,
through several years. there scarcely be doubt
that large amount of money has been dishonesty
made either by city employees or with the connivancc
Of city employees 1t means n gain to somebody or
to clique Of more than $1,000 year, at the mini
mum, and possibly as much as $4,000; at any rate
it means that much In loss to the city. Since the
cost of maintaining the eleemosynary institutions is
$4,000 less in the five months just ending of this
than In the period of last year, it is pre-
sumable that graft has obtained generous revenue
for grafters from the city treasury year after year
for several years.
The next Grand Jury will take up the graft In
QUESTION where its predecessor stopped and IN all
probability, Health Commissioner Simon viii re
able to produce additional evidence Of grating But
the evidence in hand, with that procured in the
Poorhouse investigation is sufficient for making an
example in behalf of honesty in the public service.
1t is almost impossible to credit sworn servants
of the public with such fragrant violations of duty
as the charges submitted by Health Commissioner
Simon strongly imply. 1t is not pleasant to suspect
that city employees would barter clothing and sup
plies bought and intended for the infirm patients in
the City Hospital and the insane and pauper wards
in the Poorhousc But that is exactly what the
disclosures emphaticaly intimate. Doctor Simon
should make the investigation thorough and show
no mercy. Grating must be entirely eradcateG,
and the only method for eradcating it is that pur-
sued by the Commissioner, his assistants and the
Grand Jury.