The Van Buren press., 1903-01-31
B)ODUNG BY WHOLESALE.
Schemes Which the Present Doodle
Crusade in St. Louis Nipped
in Their Incipiency.
THE BIG COMBINE WAS BAD AND BOLD,
Had They Been Permitted to Pro-
coed Unmolcste0 the worlds Fair
city Wight, In n short Time. Rave
Found Itself without Amy Tnngi-
bIe Assets.

St. Louis, Jan. 27-The ST. Louis
Republic, in the course of a sensation
al article, published Tuesday morn.
ing, says;
"In downtown office yesterday af-
ternoop Republic reporter heard the
detailed story of how the Doodle com
bine plotted to rob the city of mil
lions of dollars worth of assets.
Included in the proposed deal were
the waterworks, insane asylum. court
house, union market and the city hos
pital.
at was learned that negotiations
were actually pending for the purpose
of effectually disposing of every
property mentioned and that an in
ventory was made and placed upon
each piece.
Article vii of the city charter,
passed at the election of 1901, is CON
fined to provisions concerning the
waterworks. Section 10 provides
that the city waterworks shall never
be sold, leased or otherwise disposed
of.
"The waterworks, considered worth
s40,000,00o, were scheduled to be sold
for $4,000, 900 plus the boodlers' fee,
which was said TO have been 81, 90C,OOO
or 100000 each for the nineteen
members of the combine.
THE courthouse block, between
Fourth and Broadway and Chestnut
and Market streets, was to net the
boodlers 100000. The individual
TO whom this asset" was to be dcliv-
cred, proposed TO erect 20-story
building to cover the block. For
compensation the city was to have
the use OF the four top floors, for
courtroom and office purposes, and
was to receive an annual rental
wholly incommensurate with the
property's real value. This deal was
pushed almost to completion. Plans
for the building were prepared and
exhibited at n meeting of the house OF
delegates. The title was investigated,
and the scheme was abandoned only
because of clause OF reyersion in the
deed which prevented use of the
property for other than strict court
house purposes.
Upon union market the boodlers
placed sale valuation of approx
mately 100000. Their fee, however
was placed at large sum, not at all
in keeping with the sale value. While
the bill for the markets sale was I'M
der consideration by the municipal
assembly, the boodlers encountered
such strong political opposition that
they were finally induced to lay
down as one OF them puts it, and
TO kill the bill for a pittance of &c.
900.
"The insane asylum was 10 be sold
70 certain individuals for use ms fac.
tory A ridiculously cheap valuation
was placed upon this, but the fee
amounted into high figures. This
was abandoned as too daring, II did
not advance to the form of bill ne
tually introduced
"Otbcr institutions were scheduled
at comparatively cheap figures, the
fees in each case being placed above
the sale valuation.
"When the matter was first formal
ly discussed in the parliamentary
meeting of the combine fear was gen
orally expressed that the city would
not stand for an attempt at such au
enormous steal.
zone member remarked They viii
surely hang Ms il we do it,
Ellis objection was met with tn,
suggestion that the boodlers coulc
board trains for foreign parts just rs
soon as the vote should he east &c
legaize the sale, And with SlOO,OO'
apiece, continued the speaker, we
can afford to leave town and begin
life anew somewhere else