The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-28
.I0F Folk THE DOODLE FIGHTER.
TALKS ABOUT PlJ &c co ED'FION
Missouri's Gubernatofial Cai,di--s
date 1alks1NNitl, Mr.. Parker.
Oh the Subject Of Graft.
FIGHT WITH BRIDE TAKERS
Courageous Democrat Relates
His Eixpcricnccs--Boo Issue
as a National Movement.
by Frank G. Carpenter.

~ ~ caiAAA
Especial Correspondent, Of The Times Times
ST. LOUIS, MO-: Aug. 27.--l came 70
st. Louis to see Joseph w. FOLK. q ,il, 4
young Tennessee hercules who Is trying
& 10 clean the Auguean Stables of this
boodling municipality and boodling State.
a Young man. d poor man thnd a stranger
for he came TO st. Louis but rev
wears ago--he has been fighting the
8,nillionaircs Of the city. many OF whom
belong TO the old families; he mas routed Eed
4hc boodcrs who are ready TO spe'au
millions TO down him and has already
score OF them in the penitentiary and
others awaiting trial. Mi. FOLK has
mad 6 boodling Il crime III the eyes OF
AIissourans He stands before the people
as the representative fighter against II
& md llns become cand idate for governor
anon that issue alone. Hefpron,iscs, II
elected, 10 purify the state i.eglslatarte#
and State politics and his TRENDS think
him the coming man for PRESIDENT o. ~, she
United States on d similar issue III ls T)s
NJ Ice Folk, the Doodle Fighter.
Before give you my talk with Mr:
FOLK let me show YOU the man. an. I IN nave .v.'
had d good chance to study him. or
III spent last Sunday evening with him at
Sl,is house on Dclmar avenue. lie lives
in n rented two story cottage. worth per-
l,aps $1,000, which stands out In strong
y contrast ID the great mansions OF the
3bocdlers farthersup town. II e5 received
me in his library OH the. second foo1'.
little8room Will, 4 store OF good BOOKS.
There was laughing and chatting !: IN !, t ,l
Surroundings were tilosc Of peace and
Eoodfeowship inther than OF "a man
hated by and. fighting against one Of the
i strongest parties Of both city and state.
II Mr. Folk imprcsses me as q man vi 9
4 keeps, himself well iii hand, lie.is not
nervous. He looks HEALTHY and ! dou , OF
whether he knows he has a s. oma 81 en-
lie is alforce and his whole capital
physical and mental. is ever at his com .
INA nd u. He has tho iron jaw Of fighter
reminding me at times of Napoleon, NJ C
Kin lev and Samuel j Randall Indeed,
lie looks much like Sam Randall. lie.
has a dark face, n big head. broad and
4fuIl over the eyes a big nose and Big
outstanding ears. His eyes are large
and FULL smiling al ordinary times, but
flashing fire when he discusses the on t.
RACES (which the boodlers have perpe-t
IRA ted upon Missouri and his det ermina-3
|ftion To down them. III Ele is clean cut
dresses we'll and look well. ~ sS IS
q Mr.. Folk is a young man, II g was 1
:born in Tennessee ttirty-four years go.
8anl graduated in 1890 'front.' the Wander
hilt University at5Nashvillc.s II g came
To- ST. Louis to pra cticc Law, and was
doing we'll when lie got into politics,
Folk the Politician.
III don't think Folk aimed a tn political
4 career. He wanted to be, "a lawyer, no
used politics as a sid g Issue. He was a.
Eso,1t erner however, and the southern err
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 lie became Interested
lii it's politics. and threw himself into the
fight for the love Of It.
5ssfS Then there was a street car fight. and
and the strikers asked lin TO act for
them. 4, He did SO. and a8little later he
was made the candidate for circuit or
district attorney. He was elected, and
Sit then became his duty to look Into the
4 administration Of the city and Its legis-
lElative enactments. lie had been chosen
@to prosecute thieves md criminals.
Others had been chosen before but they
% had Disseminated In such prosecutions.
Folk came into Office viii, a new pair Of
< eyeglasses. He could not see the differ
cnce between a Millionaire ard a6pauper,
between politician or n boodler and
II The ordinary citizen. Among the first
4 criminals arrested were some illegal
voters OF his own party
1t was announced that they would be
( prosecuted and the boodlers We're thunder
\! struck Colonel Ed. Butler, their chief,
n Ill man who had started life as a. horse
sheer and made millions as q ring poli-
tician. called upon. Folk for explanations
saying: WHY. Mr.. Folk, these men
voted for you; YOU don't mean you are
going to prosecute them.
II ST certainly do mean ,"arcpled Folk.
gs"Tnere liz no reason why should not
do SO because ] have been benefited by
their wrongdoing. ! had nothing to do
with their voting illegally. Suppose I
were Vice President of tho United States
and the President should be assasslnated
and / should thereby become President,
would you have me not prosecute the
assassin because his act made mo Presi-
3$ dent? certainly will prosecute them,
and prosecute them he did
That was the beginning. Folk ex-,
tended his prosecutions to the boodlers
themselves. and he has uncovered one
Of the greatest sinks Of municipal COR
r1lption known to the United States. He
says he believes that other cities are
equally bad and that the purllcati on
which is now going on in st, Louis will
4 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 numer-
Gus stories, describing how the city had
been robbed citing instance after instance
Of enormous boodliHg. Said he:
For twenty years past ST. Louis has
been in the hands OF a ring just large
enough to control the city Legislature and
override the mayors veto. and this ring
< has levied btckmail upon every license.
privilege and franchise granted by the
3 city. Laws have been nnblushingly sold
10 the highest bidder The ring has tried
TO sell the waterworks, the courthouse
and the Union market for its own en-
rlchment. Nothing has been safe from
It's ayarice. not even the sewer pipes in
& the ground. II has had its reel,iar