The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-05
is one of the~fruits of being soverneo through and by Republican admini,- tration.
wHEr rHrryrs rALL bun.

Under the heading The shame of St Louis The Advertiser printed on yes- terday morning a brief resume of con ditions which have made Missouri a spectacle in the eyes of the world, and in connection with equally shameful conditions in Kansas City the facts which are coming to light are enough to make honest citizens of that great State hang their heads in utter humil- iation. The boodling in the latter city was principally connected with muni- cipal affairs, and for that reason does not reflect so directly on the State as is done by the exposures at St. Louis.
 The confessions of ex-speaker Kelly are about as shameress an exhibit of official infamy as anything we have seen since the exposure of the Tweed operations in New York. They only surpassed the St. Louis operations be- cause they were on a larger scale. The proceedings were practically the same and for the same purposes. It was ap organized and systematic era of steal ing, and It's members appear to have embraced all grades of officials.
 There~are one or two sentences in this confession which are specially significant, as when Kelly says: we did not fear exposure and punishment for the reason we believed no one would dare do it. This belief in their immunity was founded on the fact that so many prominent individuals and offi- cials belonged to the. combination of thieves and boodlers that they felt se- cure because they knew that any ex- posture or betrayal by one of their number would be so far-reaching that they thought no one would dare touch a match which would cause an explo- sion throughout the Srase. Where so many were implicated. and where the exposure of one would uncover all the notifications of rascality it was thought and believed that no one of them would endanger himself by in- forming on the others.
 Again. we find Kelly using this ian guage: Among ourselves. understand. we had a high code of morals, and it was considered extremely dishonest for member of the combine to accept bribe money without dividing it among his fellows" It Is a trite old saying that there is honor among thieves" and the house-breakers and highway men are supposed to keep faith with each other. So this organization of boodlers in St. Louis looked on 1t as a dishonest thing for one of their num- ber to accept a bribe without dividinr with his fellows.
 Not since Tilden began and success fully conducted his campaign against the Tweed ring has any man had task more herculean than Folk did and no man has gone at the work of cleaning out thieves with more zeal and pertinacity than he did. For this he is hated by every dlsreputable poli- ticlan and boodler in Missouri and for this and this only they are trying to beat him for Governor. We are nor sure that 1t would not have been better for Missouri if he had retained his po- sition as prosecuting attorney. though we may feel assured that as Governor he will not relax his efforts to clean out the gang. The fact that they are betraying each other is a hopeful sign that the gang will be broken up and Missouri cleansed from foul stench.