The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-16
"GRAFT !" AND "dRAFTER."

Not SO very long ago the words doodle
and .'boodler" came into general use as
descriptive OF that class OF public ser
wants who allow themselves to be swerved
from the strict line Of duty by oonslderR
tons of appealing to their cupidlty.
Precisely how tho term originated We
cannot now recall, but there Is, or was.
a Scottish copper coin called bodle, and
some ingenious persons have traced 4 re-
latlonship between It and the slang phrases
In question, which phrases. have had their
day, for graft" and CRATER" have been
mustered into the language as substitutes.
Their origin, too, Is obscure, and IN
what way they arc improvements upon
"boodle" or 'boodler'' is not obvious to
the average mind. However, contena-
porany takes the palms to explain that
when the purchasing agent Of Il corpora
ton or firm accepts fee or O commits
sion from the seller Of goods to that cor
poration or firm, he Is CRATER, ne
corporation may be municipality or
private corporation. 1t may be the Fed
eral government or State or city GOV
eminent. In every such case llng!timare
gains are considered MS graft"
We all know something about the pro-
cess Of grating frut trees, but how or
why that process should suggest the new
slang phrase is hard to sec. Nowadays
a CRATER Is not one whip engages In the
| honorable and sensible employment OF
improving the stock OF trees, but one who
seelss to gather tho Fruit Of his rascall:y
and Misunderstanding by taking brides t.
Influence his action as public officer or
private agent, or by giving brides In the
forms of commissions or "dvvles" to
corrupt the action of others. at least
that is what we understand to be the
definition OF the term as employed In
many newspapers. In other words, 1t Is
n euphemlsm for pobbery-robbery often
Of the public, and not infrequsntly OF the
public and a, contractor also. The
"boodlor' was thief and SO is tn
CRATER" No new or strange device o
language, no sugar-coated phrase car
change that plain and unvarnlshed fact.
1t is lamentahle that Bribery and COT
GuplloU sUuulu w 81 A'NS $500 N''S = =
, sources OF our language should even b!
! taxed to provide words to describe them
: to describe the without offending the dell
, cate sensib!litles OF corrupt men by calllnt
: them thieves and their acts robberles.
In the halycon days Of the republican,
! the early era Of railroad building espe
. cialy--the terms hog roller" and "og
: rolling" sulilced to describe the prevailing
y sin among legislators.
There Was time when man who pur
, posed building a new house gathered hi
S neighbors together and got them to hell
him roll the logs into place. This was
. favor he expected to reciprocate when
suitable occasion offered. At the end o
each og-rolllng feast was spread an
much merry-making INDUCED in
When steam railroads came into vogu'
! in this country, and State aid was vote
t railroad companies, as in Virginia, It be
I came great object with some legislator
I ia secure railroad charters. Each sucl
: member wished = railroad to mn throug
n his county, and accordingly he and hi
a frienls combined to promote the scheme
n They would log Ioll' with other mem