The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-19
ALL SORTS OF MEN CONCERNED
: OFFICIALS ELSEWHERE PRACTICE
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF "HOLDUP."
As I'm All Cases Where Municipal
Crookedeness Goes on the Public
Pays the Bills.


mun1Clpal cOrrupuOn as TeVedieu Dy RECENT
exposures in various cities of the West and
South seems to be a crude handicraft there.
Here I'm New York it is a scientific game.
There is, of course, the brutal shake-down
by the ward man or other go-between OF
the police who collects blackmail for the
protection Of unlawful traffic. There is also
the boodler who sells his vote. These are
common grafters who exist almost every
where. But the superior grafters. some OF
them men Of high standing in society,
church and politics, many Of them also
potent factors in public affairs who have
practically lived on graft for score or
more OF years, seem to be Indigenous to
New York No less than fifty different
kinds OF graft evidently altogether un-
known outside OF New York and from
which the class in question make a profit
able income can be enumerated.
Good grating is i'm, or rather comes out
of, the courts. 1t consists of the appoint
ment of referees and receivers. and as far
as the receiverships are concerned the
graft extends also to the United States
courts. Receiverships pay all the way up
TO 100000. In one instance the Republican
boss of the State. United States Senator
Thomas c. Platt. got a receivership the
AtCo VI Which, WCIC
Mayor Hugh j. Grant. Miles M. O'Brien,
former president of the Board of Educa-
ton. Robert G. Morris. president of the
Republican county committee, and Joseph
Dickey. a close personal friend of Governor
Odell. are few of those who have been
taken care of In the recevership line. Still
another form OF graft for those higher up
are the appointments of commissioners of
proceedings and appraisers to fix the value
OF the land condemned by the commission
ers. 1t is the law that the commissioners
shall be appointed by the Supreme Court,
which makes them officers of the court
AS a matter of fact, when Tammany ruled
the lists of such commissioners were made
UP in Tammany Hall in the proportion of
two out OF every three. The judges named
the third, also a Tammany man usually
The pay OF commissioner is $40 day,
and the court often makes an extra allow
ance of from 500 to 5000 for each COM
missioner. In return the commissioners
devote fifteen minutes of their valuable
time each day they have sitting. The ex-
ira allowance some Of. them get may be for
the thinking they do. This is an easy graft,
but the richest of all CRAFTS under Tam
many Hall was in contracts for public
works or for furnishing supplies to public
institutions. The contract system of graft
has been the most impregnable as far as
attempts have been made to uncover col
fusion between the officials and their
friends. Each time an Investigation has
been made the books examined have shown
that all the conditions of the contract
specification had been complied with To
illustrate: If the dock department. ordered
a million feet OF lumber or a hundred thou
sand tons of coal were ordered for various
institutions the entries in the books showed
that every foot Of lumber and the coal,
each pound of il. had been promptly and
properly delivered. The books did not tell
that there was an understanding between
officials and the contractor, and that
su0ordinates Of those officials received the
lumber and the coal by direction of their
superiors without measuring or weighing
the same, so that there was no way to
prove by the records whether one thousand
or one million feet OF lumber or one thou
sand or one hundred thousand tons of coal
had actually been delivered. The fact re-
mains that the contractors grew immense
ly rich and the public officers who used to
live on moderate incomes in inexpensive
quarters suddenly branched out as the own
ers of racing and private stables and lived
IN palaces In the swell neighborhoods of
the town. Instances of this kind and names
are familiar to New Workers.
IN THE CHARITIES BOARD.
Investigation developed that there was an
understanding between the contractors and
heads Of city departments whereby the
specifications were so drawn that only
those contractors who had inside knowl-
edge could successfully bid. For instance
the department OF correction or the depart
ment OF charities. which feed many thou
sands OF prisoners and dependents. would
call for bids for a ridiculously small supply
OF meat in proportion to the quantity need
ed. The contractor would submit bid at
figures at which no honest man in the trade
could furnish the meat probably at or Z
cents a pound. The contract requirements
would be filled in a week, maybe. Then,
there being no contract In existence. the
commissioner would make purchases on
what Is called emergency orders. at regular
market prices; that is, the city would be
compelled TO pay Is to 20 cents pound,
sometimes more. but would continue to re-
ceive the 7-cent quality. the difference 60
ing into the pockets OF the grafters So
with all other kinds Of supplies. the city
being robbed continuously of millions of
dollars. AS TO public work contracts. the
specifications would contain ironcIad proyi-
sions for first-class paving, cementing, etc.
The department inspectors would report
that the work was being done according TO
contract At the same time inferior ma
terfal would be used Inspectors, contrac-
tors and the chief officials shared the graft.
In the dock department most work is under
water. a commissioner once significantly
remarked when asked what there was to
show for the millions expended for dock
work. The possibilities OF graft in this de-
partment In the past can well be imagined
as IL has control Of expenditures of about
100000 a year for improvements The
rake-or was not solely on contracts how
ever There was unlimited graft after the
piers were built and used for hafbor pur-
poses The privileges OF the river front
were sold for private gain In various ways
One would think that the owner of prop