The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-12
Senator PIunkett
Wearied by Talk
About "Graftin

One view Of what IS sometimes called
grating is quoted below EresuInapis
I'D IS a view held By large number or
persons. though few Of them are as frank
about the matter as the more or less
eminent statesman whose testimony -
cited. His name Is George W. FlunHlA !.
He IS member ~ the rev YORK stats
senate. and be was excited 10 talk4ilVe-
ness by the criticism aimed at the iegis-
lature which recently adjourned az Al
baEz.
Plunkitt, Ito hear people talkln' about
the legislators beiu grafters, because we
voted for bills that some corporatlo
wanted They're even calm me 4
CRATER because I put through the bill
closin' up Spuyten DuyFd creek SO aS 70
make more room FOR the New fofh cen
Iral railroad tracks Iney say lnaJ Wheh
the bill becomes law 1 20 6oHl 10 Sg-
the contract FOR fIiiu' iu the creek Wen.
what Of it2 Amt there such "a thing as
honest friendship left On the or-dE sup
pOsin' j was friendly 10 the New YORK
Central which IS great public lqslllu-
zion, and supposin the New York Central
was friendly tO me ana gave me tliS JOB
why should there DE any kckin2 The
railroad needs more room. ] need an the
contracts + can SET. Nobody IS inquired
by the bin, and Fl She New York Central
benefits by il and I make am honest dol
lar or two. why should anybody talk
This graftin' talk is overdoue. Every
thing that any money IS made out OF IS
cool million IN politics but doD own q
dishonest dollar auu have never run up
against the penal code Is Dc graEun 70
take advantage OF your opportunities
For instance. if J happen TO find out thaJ
the city is gOiu' to build new bridge
across the East river, IS it any crime Tor
me to 90 ahead and buy up land tnaU i
know has TO bc taken for approaches
And then when the city comes along 20
buy that land, am I a criminal because i
ask. say 100 per cent more than paid
for it2 I've done IL more than once, and
/ consider il an honest business trans
How did get the tip that the bridge
was 10 be built2 What am I In politics
for, if its not to get just such tips? AS /
nave often said. politics IS business.
just like groceries. Pm i'm the game 20
make my pile. and so is every other poll
uciau ANY man who says he isn't Is q
fa1ir: and YOU had better keep your eyes
on him.
Suppose you are in Wall street Amt
YOU always on the lookout to hear what
this or that railroad is goin' 10 do2 So it
Is I'm politics When Tammany Is in I get
a pretty good idea in advance what the
city government is gOin to do, and am j
to be blamed for usin' my knowledge for
all IT is WOTths A few years ago 7 got the
tip that the city was gOiu' to lay out e.
park up on Washington Heights. 7 went
and bought land all around the site, and
when the city came into the market il
found that it had to do business with
George W. Plupkitt When the park was
laid ont, too. people who wanted TO live
near IL found that Plunkitt had all the
land 10 sell. If that's graftiu' I acknOwl-
/ edge that IN CRATER Tor fair, and all
politicians are grafteTs.
Every man who has got rich in poll
I tics plays this same game. Some people
think we steal from the city treasury. We
don't. We just take advantage of our
4 opportunities. Look at Richard Croker.
There isn't an hOnester man I'M the world.
tie made his pile and he never took a
! dollar from the gamblers or disOrderIy
1 houses OF such places. He was in q posi-
ton TO know just what was dom and
what was comm in the way OF public
Improvements, and he took advantage of
MS opportunities. That's the explanation
of all the Iammany fortunes that people
say were made out of biaclmau.
Say. do YOU think politicians are in
the game for the honor of the thing OF
for their health2 II YOU do. you're mis-
taken. 4 man who makes politics a busi-
ness can live on the salary Of some lit
tie office, He's got to make money on
the outside. He don't need to be dis
. honest. To be dishonest is foolish when
there's such grand opportunities in this
glorious city to make your fortune with
out buuun' against the penal code.
u mentioned some of the opportunities.
There's others, but I amt gOin' 10 tell
you what they are. for 7 don't want TO let
everybody in on the good things. There
wouldn't be enough to go round if j did
what I want TO do is to impress on YOUR
mind that nearly all this talk about pOli-
ticlans beln' dishonest is rot