The Republican journal., 1904-06-09
GRAFTERS AND MOSSBACKS.

GRAFTERS AND MosSBACKS.
Baltimore is having heap of trouble
with it's city council, judging from edi-
torials and correspondence in the Her
aid of that city. This is the more'sur-
prising as we believe that in the past
Baltimore was considered one of the
cleanest of American Cities SO far as
the municipal administration was con-
cerned. 1t had a handsome city build
ing of white marble that was built
within the appropriation and without
a faint or suspicion of jobbery, and
that alone was justly considered mark
of distinction of which any city might
we'll be proud. But conditions seem to
have changed since then. The task of
raising Baltimore from its ashes has
been made the more difficult by the ad-
vent in city affairs of ''grafters" and
|'mossbacks." A correspondent in CON-
mending the Herald for its clean and
manly fight against these enemies Of
the public good admits that a seeming
ly Sisyphean task confronts it, and con-
cludes:
Those festooned warts and embossed
carbuncleS who have proStituted public
office to private greed during the past
week must not go unwhipt of justice.
Indeed, these ''grafters'' are as callous
to public sentiment and as barren of
those ennobling traits that constitute
rugged manhood as is the Asiatic tree
whose drip is poison and whose shadow
is death. But everything comes to him
who waits. The Itching palmists" will
not need to wait long.
Gentlemen, the music to the Graf
terS' Waltz" has begun. On with the
dance
The Herald, i'll commenting on this
letter and others of like tenor, in which
those who stand in the way of needed
public improvements are charged with
having ''misled and frightened the
whole community by raising the cry of
enormous taxes" says:
As for the traitors, there is a Nemesis
more certain and more tragical than any
influence a newspaper can summon. In
close observations of nearly a quarter
of century in politics we have noticed
that wien a member of the Legislature,
or member of the city council sells
himself he comes to see the day when
death is welcome. The price of treach-
cry, however large, is never large enough
to last: the bankruptcy in honor always
leads to bankruptcy in everything else
The man who handled the most corrupt
money in Maryland died penniless Some
of those now living who fattened off
corruption have seen their fortunes
dwindle
God is merciful, but He never spares
traitor
\ later editorial in The Herald is de
voted to the city council, and the eff
forts made to curtail it's powers 1t
says: There are those who will cry
that we cannot have representative
government without the city council
We do not have it with the city council
1t is misrepresentation government.
We allow a lot of cheap ignoramuses
with itching palms to mutilate the
plans Of a great city, to sell their little
votes for pitiful prices and to spread
abroad feeling of smallness and con-
tempt" And further: "Frankly, we
do not expect the present city council
to do anything that it is not forced to
do, or to act for the city when it can be
bought by private interests. Is there
any American city free from this sort
of thing? Are there not lesser, per
haps in some instances greater, Tam
many's all over this country The dis
closures. made in McClure's Magazine
show that st Louis, Chicago and some
other large cities are ring ridden and
at the mercy of boodlers and grafters.
Tammany is no doubt quite as black as
1t IS painted, but there are other or
CARNATIONS upon which charcoal would.
make white mark.