The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-21

AitNSSlIiiS84ta WI III
Fine Flat Buildings-Po popular
Belief in Official Dishonesty
Fight Against q Corrupt Ordi-'
nance Dilemma Of II onestl
Alder1na Bride or Ruin.
Bribcr Correred. n
BY an Ex-Mayor Of One Of the
Largest American Cities.
\ T~1 Mo s Of the cleverest Of the poli-
4 Is(Sy tictaris, who had r. good deal to
j kaNE-l do around the city hall during
4 6{BQV my administration, took me
(381aaU buggy riding toward T he end Of
eS-.-,-''-1' my term. We passed a hand
1 Ing, lie said :$ss3 VI Z. 81 838 e !.
Tfhat belongs q !, /! e mo built Y out e
acommissionsa \ replied. you mean
II mean just what say he broke In.
| .'That building was put W, with .fe
money paid me by the bushes pubic,
paid me for work done, and, IL ! e do say
/ it myself, well done. That's my business $.
l,broker to tho public, the business public
Preferred and for that work I get. my
commission. It's not doodle or briblng or
graft. It's a straight. middleman's p ~ s.
i mess. ''sg5 3s y l,34 7 i
a"of course, i said, s.'r have known
4 that some OF you fellows used your III
j fluence to get ordinances ttiroug ii 4, !: 9
4 board OF aldermen or to get q sconlmittee
to send in a favorab 10 report on some res.
olution or orders, but III didn't think sthere
Il o1r<n n
4 lord or capita list.. - 81
,;.,IE have never used my nfltiencoJ to put
through nm order, ord inanco or reso q on
4 which smelled OF al rty money SAID i the 9
politician speaking earnestly. But But y !
i have. lobbied for m easures which required
1 no lobbying and pulled for ordinances
I which would have gone throug f WI til'Gt
any pulling, and charged m y pr}ii y
good round com rpissi ons for oli
have been mayor OF his town g g 81. 9 :.
many months, and you We're no spring
4 chicken when you were elected, i yet you
4 could be gold -bricktd 4 In the city ~
as easy as the sof fest business man WI no
wants something out Of the city
i You have. the same idea Of me e way
j business has to DO done In the city de-
i partme1,ts as most business men have hay
4 You think nothing can be done OF, =, p 't :
i through without In fluenco or era IT. 3Ihat
Il Ideals the capital OF men In m line q
Il business. w o are regarded as men Of IN
\ fluence IN the public sdepar tments because
4 We are pollticians 8 moro or less strength.
4 So when Mr.. Business Man wants a ia
yor done, wants q permit, rder or certif "
4 cate. wants the street In front OF Il his
Il house repaired wal IS this or that---ail
Legitimate. proper wan ts-he hunts US Z up,
tells us what he We get the ~ shi n
done, and tho next ID ay get MS check$ ioE
] ..Ie believes We used our own personal
Influence or ca sh to get wllat he Want t
i That Isl he believes that avery man in
the city hall includ Ing Is 3ctooK,
ed. sofhe puts up no holler when we gen EN- y
Intimate that our little co namissl OF Is
4 due, h but pays up prom ~ ".
Now the fact Isl In nlnet y-nlne l, It's
4 out Of a, hundred cases tina Z same pus We
illness man could get for h himself /,
1tnaid me or some OF the other boys sew
eral hundred d ollars. Sometimes 81 Is marc :.
A work for me to keep from Laughing IN
4 the face OF some keen, brig business .
man who draws me into a rk COME ~
A give ne sos to get a permit for MIN. Whicn
Sa sco,ld get himself. by merely king Or
s|its1ts like taking candy from q ,oa py
lao easy9 yet that sort Of thing IS done
q every lay simply because the coIIl.iioi'
belief is tina anything OF PUBIC. mature -
associated " VIZ ,,,,b,c
ncssimisrn con tinues, Will build ana own ll
/ income income producing ,,s flat buildings.
iSI nave repeated these candid ana some
what cynical observations II ms pI ~
Il fessonal politician because the 8puo ,i
Il al r,isnl which gave him a. sood 8liv Y.
lis the most sdiscourag ng ton !" l w!
81 faces the chief executiy OF ny 1. ely
I One q ( the best mayors who ever iiilea
5that office, lden Rule ones 81 20 70
4 3iedo.& died but short time 4 ago z 1i ~
Il5death recalls o conversation he had WITH
u a friend OF mine In which he said :53jjti
a 8iR.It was extremely difficult for me g
d convince the business men of my city
\ that II wanted to give them an honest,
n itait land decent ndIa Hlistra on .ss Iliey'
seemed to take it for granted that , was as
Il expected to say those things and 70 az
& lust the opposite; to be "a $hypocr!te5 ~
use my office for the personal benefit Of
J myself and my friends
II "a" Golden Rule, j ones lived long enough
Il Ia knoW that the citizens of Toled do 5tM-
J, Splicitly believed him and In him, and
III IS sad fact that this mutual conf,
x Is SO rare that Mayor Jones OF Toledo
? was known the world over as q very
--sI.unlque character. \
4, AS II drew near the close Of my term
!, In began to count the days when II would
\, step down and out and become a $prlYate
i citizen again. My Impotence to transfer
!; the reirs Of government TO my successor
Increased as thu end drew nearer. n
s had said In the commencementof my
q administration that ! would not seek
q Denomination. My friends urged me to
I. rec consider that tatement, put had had
8 enough of the office. \ vi i5 NJ
i n felt that ano ther term would trans.
form me intoin confirmed cynic. i had
l. tried faithfully and earnestly to live up
!. |itu my Ideals, to give my city good adj
Z ministration.s No scandals OF any con-
! sequence had marred my record and I
5 had succeeded in carrying Forward to
!, successful realization some Of the re.
3 forms I had planned. 81 u
SBut a every turn n had encountered
s the antagonism OF men who stood higt,
! 5lnSth social and business worlds. Thels
' doctrine Of self first and good govern
I ment afterward if ltt doesn't interfere
! With sci caused me to lose faith in
D them, and having mo faith q nor conf
x 31ancn&in than T $c0uld nor a slr 4 ham "a