The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-03-30

|
Louis churches, who have been working
rpon an appeal to the people of Missouri
as was announced in The Republic last
week. yesterday issued the following:
To the Christian People OF Missouri: A com.
rany OF preachers would address You in behalf
| OF law and order. We are not 50 much inter
ested in any partisan any party In the re
| establishment OF good government Oul
city and Commonwealth. We say re-establish
| ment of good government because there has
been an obvious suspension OF 1t in the city OF
! st. Louis for which the city is not wholly tt
blame. The evils Of the city unQues-
| t;onably great before the State increased them
| tS misdes.gned legislation. but the increase
has rendered them monstrous and insufferable
| New York. Philadelphia, Chicago and Pitts
| burg have their plug-uglies ami repeaters, but
| aoe organized into a provost marshaiship OF an
| archy that turns ballot boxes and city treas
| urles to their rule, and commands their
| assault upon honest citizenship that will no,
| brook thelr reign OF political terror 1t is nc
| eSaggerstion to say that elections in st. Louis
| do not Indicate the will OF the people. The
citizen is either frightened from the polls OF
goes to them with the certainty that his vote
| will not count against the purpose Of the ter
| ro7-rsign to keep itself in power and to its
| power for tho robbery of the city's wealth.
| No department Of the city government is bet
| ter supported than the Police Department.
! The people, therefore, entitled to protection.
| The citys Institutions OF charity, however, re-
sernbls novels more than homes. Cramped and
lnakeshift hospitals, insane asylums that are
themselves half insane for want OF proper room
| and service. alnshouses that minge the poor
| with the mad, II TO make the poor ulnd and
| The mad nladder with neglect attest the extent
| Of the robbery that rewards the chartered bood-
| Ter and thug.
or course. SO bitter curse could not have
/ come upon our city without some deep invet-
| crate guilt of its own. For twenty years and
| more It had been careless OF its franchises.
| They had been bought and sold in regular mar
| ket. The market was at first secret. but grew
| open with the courage OF custom until little or
| pains were taken to conceal its traffic.
| POLITICAL BUYERS WEALTHY.
The buyers were citizehs Of wealth-presidents
| and directors Of corporations-whose prominence
| lent respectability TO the corruption they en-
| gagged In: and the corruption became more and
more respectable with the greater prominence
| its additions OF il-got wealth gave to the cor
poration presidents and directors who abetted
| 1t. The brigapdage thus gradually formed was
not partisan. 1t used both parties for Its plum
! der ends 1t organized bipartisan party Of
its own that gained sufficient strength to hold
| the balance Of power and bring other parties to
terms Its terms were always trade and its
trade always secured 10 its band their privilege
OF Doodle. But for the completely OF certain Of
our richest men and the mercantile coteries they
control. these professional boodlers. who were
| mostly barkeepers could never have intrenched
| themselves in offices whose niggard pay they
would not have thought worth their trouble to
earn or seek. Their candidacy WAS candidacy
! for Doodle. and the benehciaries of Doodle sup
piled the money and Endorsement that elected
| them. And still 1t Is these benefciartes
who stand between them and the Jail doors
while they scor at the threats of justice that
cannot irnprison their felony without exposing
the felony OF palaces where civic honor is sup
posed to have its throne.
TIME TO GUST BRIGANDS
After twenty years Of occupancy it could not
oe pastime to oust these political and CONNER
Gial brigands from their official intrenchment
Twenty years Of dead-letter law. Twenty years
of dying and well-nigh dead civic honor Twen-
ty years OF political vice. go commonly ac-
ceoted to lose the memory hope OF virtue
Twenty years in which generation OF young
| men have grown UP under lofty examples Of
corruption to low and mean ideals OF citizen
ship. Many persons have been indicted, but
the policy has seemingly been to delay prose
cutions to hamper them and thwart them. The
plan has been TO get continuances. and de-
rnurTers and aiibi Witnesses: to fix juries to
hang. If they will not acluit. Else appeal in
order that years may go by before decisions
reverse and remand sentences for new trials
that can drag their slow course until the
new machine prosecutor comes TO set the CAP
tlves free Capital plan, and so far 1t has
been carried out without slip. Seventeen
booders convicted and not in stripes. Five
decisions from the Supreme Court and every
decision a remandinE. or reversing with DIS
m,ssai.
Nor have your criminals. good people of
Missouri, been less sure OF escape than ours.
Ycu. too have had brgands They held the
highest Offices in your gift next to the gov
eruorship Their arms have gore to the elbows
bartered your legislation. For ten years or
more they have waylaid and sand-basged all
bills that had hope OF profit Their sales In
open assembly wero loud enough for cattle
auctions. They have been exposed and tried,
but no trial has reached conviction. They are
Senators stIll-Senators of the Commonwealth
of Missouri. II they do not hold etill loftier
places You are Indignant at their betrayal OF
your trust, but your Indignation cannot
clap them in jail, to await the sentence they
ceserye They as free your honest selves
as free and proud II you had already
elected them for demonstrated and illustrious
honesty.
1t is a common cause, therefore. yours and
oure-a common injury. with a common in
ALL In so far as our guilt may seem greater.
1t is because of the greater injury we suffer
thruL gh laws you have bound US with with
chains Of iron. These are your excise and cleo
tiol laws.
CONTROLLED BY ONE MAN.
Your excise law put the licensing of all ga
looms and winerooms into the hands of one
man. The Excise Commissioner has almost ar
bitrary power In the Issuing or Withholding OF
NJ c,11 tn,
our city. No nool; Of social life is safe from
their peril They laugh at ell laws enacted
for their restraint. They not only entrap tho
youth who enter them. but lure reluctant
trance with song and dance. Girls no Less than
boys are their victims. and when passion is
hot and reason reckless with wine there are
in many Of them secret rooms ready for tho
contamination OF the ruin the w!necup begins
Their victims count by the thousand every
year.
Every saloon in the city must do partisan
work In exchange for the privilege Of corrup-
ton It enjoys. The saloenkeaper, as . rule
must himself be party boss OF some degree
and get about him gang OF bunnners for elec-
ton uses. The so-called Indians are simply
saloon gangs. 1t was group Of such gangs
led by boss saloon gangster that throttled
the citizenship of the Twenty eighth Ward two
weeks ago. What they did IN the Twenty
eighth Ward they have been doing IN the othsf
wards Of the city for many years.
with 2ooo ward and precinct Bosses ready to
do the bidding however criminal Of those above
them. you can see what array Of brute
might threatens the order and liberty Of the
city Brute-rniEht without curb Of fea-l Brute
might assured OF iupunity! So far the essur-
ancs has proved good. Frauds Of registration,
frauds of balioting. frauds In the 5udges' re-
turns. frauds IN the ultimate count, when they
can be concealed In ne eshsr way, can R,6
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