The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-01
SATURDAY, OCTOBER l. 1904.
The Need Of a Revival.

The Need of a Revival.
Buffalo is tho latest city to discover
that lis Council is infected with the dis
ease called graft" District Attorney
d coatsworth has been investigating
charges gainst city officials and as g
result three present aldermen and four
former aldermen have been indicted. Al
dermen u Thomas Harp and Henry
Moest are charged with having asked
for and received $3.50 for their vote and
Influence in connection with an appli-
catia;l to connect a plant outside the city
with a city sewer.
orrin Z. Pierce Is charged with asking 's'S
# for and agreeing to receive 50 cents a
load from a contractor for clnders, which
Y ere to be used for street purposes.
u Edward G. Beiser is charged with hav-s
Ing asked for and "a agreed 10 receive the
sum of 2,225 for his Influence and vote
in connection With the purchase OF q
z site for q school house.
Louis G.. Roedel and John 6. Busch
Z are charged with having asked for and
4 greed to receive from n contra ctor 5000
each for their vote and Influence In con- on.
nection with sewer contract
Henry 6. Schneider is charged with
having asked for and agreed to receive
a bribe Of s25 for his vote and influence
II. connection with a contract for coal for
!: the water works. AZ
fssT4 old ct o
y has swept bver the entire country, 1t
would SEEM. and has become a national
Infection. If such a prevalent disease
OF the flesh had visited the country.
medical science would institute invest-
cations to discover dts, cause and SOURCE,
~ proper for the political scientists to-
pursue similar course with reference
5 to the disease called "graft!'. Upon a
superficial view 1t might be said that this
is nothing but ordinary dishonesty, but
we shall have to look below the sur
face and deeper down to discover the
real source Of the disease. Many public
officials seem to- think and. strangely
enough, some Of their supporters seem
to think, that graft is 1ustifiable; that
the govsdmens, is legitimate prey for
those Who hold the Offices It Is IN a
degree revival of the old-time belief
In the divine right Of kings There
was time when the world conceded
that kings and princes and all men Of
noble birth, so-called, had some sort of
st,y rio "a "a, jo1yS nd
at the, expense OF the common people.
t7 1t Is this false doctrine, this infamous
doctrine. that Democracy has antagonized
: from the beginning, and tho American
republic was conceived and established
in that spirit of antagonism. It was de-
men are by nature equal, free and inde-
pendent;' that government is, or ought
Ia be. instituted for the common bene-
fit. protection and security of the peo-
ple;" that mo man, or set OF men, Is en-
Z titled to exclusive or separate emolu-
ments or privileges from the community.
but In consideration of public services;
which not being descendible, neither ought
the offices OF magistrate, legislator Or
judge to be hereditary" Democracy con-
cedes no such thing as the "divine right
of kings or OF any human being. Dem
ocracy claims that the government is
for the benefit of the people who con-
st!tute 1t; that public Officers are pub
lic servants and are entitled to no emolu-
nents save such as are sanctioned and
specifically provided by law. least Of all
that public official has any right to
prey upon the people.
. It is clear from this that graft" is
not only immoral. but that 1t is undem-
I, ocratic and proceeds from ar undemo-
cratic spirit After all, 1t is public senti-
n,ent that largely determines questions
OF public morals. II public sentiment
Winks at graft" It will be no sur
prise II public officials induce themselves
to believe thatT"graft" is legitimate, and,
therefore. not immoral Circuit Attorney
Folk, OF ST. Louis, recently asserted In
our presence that one Of the arguments
brought 10 bear upon him when he was
prosecuting the grafters Of that city
was that the SYSTEM had become "A re-
Il cognized custom. and that IL was, there
IN fore unfair at that late day to prosecute
n officials who had fallen into the Gus
ton, and make public examples OF them
when long line OF their predecessors
had escaped 4 is to be feared that
chad ata n Df gthihPs IL ,,ot an,