Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-27

last Sunday evening with him at his house
on Delmar avenue. He lives N a rented
two-story cottage, worth perhaps 5000.
which stands out in strong contrast to
the great mansions of the 5oOIlsrS farther
up town He received me IN his library
on the second floor, little room with a
store of good books. There was Ching
and chatting in the parlor rs i entered the
house, and its surroundings were those
of peace and goodfellowship rather than of
a man hated by and fighting against one
of the strongest parties of both city and
state.
Mr.. Folk impresses me as a man who
keeps himself well in hand. He is not ner-
vous. He looks healthy, and 1 doubt
whether he knows he has a stomach. He
is all force. and his whole capital, physical
and mental, is ever at his command. He
has the iron jaw of a fighter. reminding me
at times of Napoleon, Mckinley and Samuel
]. Randall. Indeed. he looks much like
Sam Randall. He has dark face. big
head, broad and full over the eyes big
nose and big, outstanding ears. His eyes
are large and full, smiling at ordinary
times, but flashing fire when he discusses
the outrages which the boodlers have per-
petrated upon Missouri and his determina-
ton to down them. He is clean-cut, dresses
well and looks well.
Mr.. Folk is a young man. He was born
in Tennessee thirty-four years ago and
graduated in 1890 from the Vanderbilt Uni
versity al Nashville. He came to St. Louis
to practice law. and was doing well when
he got INTO politics.
Folk the Politician
l don't think Folk aimed at political
career. He wanted to be a LAWYER and
used politics as a side ISSUE He was a
southerner, however, and the southerner
sucks in politics with his mothers milk.
The boys discuss politics in the schools and
Folk took to the stump before he was out
of college AS soon as he settled in st.
Louis he became interested in it's politics.
and threw himself into the fight for the
love of it.
Then there was a street car fight. and tbe
strikers asked him to act for them He did
so, and little later he was made the can
dldate for circuit district attorney He
was eiected and 1t then became his duty
10 look into the admnistra ton of the city
and its legislative enactments. He had been
chosen to prosecute thieves and criminals
DINERS had been chosen before but they
mad Disseminated in such prosecutionS
FOLK came into office with a new Dair of
eyeglasses He could not see the difference
between millionaire and a pal1ner no
o"een pohtlcian or boodler and the
ordinary citizen. Among the first criminals
arrested were some Illegal voters of his
own party. ANS
1t was announced that they would he
prosecuted and the boodlers We're thunder
struck. Colonel Ed Butler their chief n
man WHO had started life as a horsesboer
and made millions as a ring paItfic,an
caneu upon FOLK for explanations saving:
ny Mr.. Folk, these men voted for Won.
you don't mean you are going to prosacute
them" NV
II certainly do mean it," replied Folk.
Inere IS no reason why 1 should not do so
because ! have been benefited nv Ibalr
Wrongdoing. | had nothing to do with their
voting Illegally. Suppose l were Vice Presi-
dent of the United States and the President
shoulu De assassinated and l should thereby
become President. would you have me not
prosecute the assassin because his act made
me President? l certainly Will prosecute
them and prosecute them he did
That was the beginning. Folk extended
his prosecutions to the boodlers themselves
and he has uncovered one of the greatest
sinks of municipal corruption known to the
United States. He says he believes that
other cities are equally bad and that the
publication which is now going on in st.
Louis will be gradually extended to other
parts of the country.
Millions for Votes
In these Investigations Mr. Folk found
that millions had been spent for votes In
our talk Sunday night he told numerous
stories. describing how the city had been
robbed. citing instance after instance OF
enormous boodling. Said he:
For twenty years past St Louis has been
in the hands of ring just large enough to
control the city legislature and override
the mayors veto, and this ring has levied
blackmail upon every license, privilege and
franchise granted by the city. Laws have
been unblushingly sold to the highest bid
der. The ring has tried to sell the water
works, the court house and the Union mar
ket for its own enrichment. Nothing has
been safe from its avarice,- not even the
sewer pipes In the ground. 1t has had It's
regular schedules of bride prices. based
upon what each bus ness would stand, rang
ing from a few hundred dollars for a switch
bill to thousands of dollars for a franchise.
Indeed. believe al much as Sl00UUUU0 has