The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-03-23
Of greed, and IL 1t is gone about right
ly 1t can be done without the shedding
OF a drop OF blood.-Morgan's Buzz
Saw.
Corruption in High Places

gress from New York, is a democrat,
but that is all right. Democrats some
times do commendable things in poll
tics and in the economics of the coun-
trys affairs. Mr.. Sulzer has just been
showing up some republican rascality
and thereby forcing even some of the
republicans and all the democrats in
the lower house of congress to help
him save the country lot of money,
and he has interested the president in
the good work of stopping steal that
was conceived by a republican official
and carried into effect by the solid re-
publican officials and republican con-
crosses for the past seven years.
When Lyman Gage was secretary of
the treasury under President McKin-
ley, in 1897, he sold the old United
States custom house in New York
to the National City bank of that city
for So, 265,0 00-on credit, and they Sc
cured lease for 100000 per year on
the building for the United States un-
til the new custom house should be
completed. This National City
bank of New York is the Standard
Oil bank and is owned by Rockefeller
and his pals. For seven years the
United States has paid annually $780,
600 rental for the property which it
sold on credit to the Rockefeller bank.
Besides this, during all these years
the government has paid $4,000 in
terest on bonds held by this same
bank. AS full payment has never been
madn hv tho PcoLafo11or hopL fo,. fhio
property, no deed has ever passed:
hence the bank has paid no taxes, city
or state on this property, and there
by has defrauded the city out of some
thing over $525,000 honest taxes it
should have paid, if fair deal had
been made. The bank has withheld
$4,000 even of the amount it agreed
to give for the property, for the sole
purpose Of evading the taxes. The
total of these items amounts to ST.
$4,000. This Standard Oil bank,
through the favoritism of a United
States treasurer and United States
congress, has been enabled to cover
into it's plethoric Golfers.
When the bill carrying this rental
item was before the house some two
weeks ago, Congressman Sulzer Of
New York made such a vigorous war
on it that with the aid of some re-
publicans he succeeded in having the
items stricken out by narrow margin
of II votes, the vote being SO to n.
Mr.. Sherman of New York was in the
chair and on a viva voce vote declared
Mr.. Suffers amendment to strike out,
lost. A division being called, he count
ed "a on each side. Ignoring the eff
forts of members to vote affirmatively,
and voting nay himself he again de-
clared the amendment lost. Tellers
were then demanded, the vote when
honestly counted, resulting as above
given. Thus the first successful blow
has been struck at the Standard Oil
bank steal. Five years ago, Congress
man Sulzer, democrat, and Senator
Allen, a populist, tried to head off this
public, open-handed plumber of the
public treasury, but in vain. The pur-
chase money for the old customs
house, $3,265,000 has never been paid
into the national treasury, yet the
banks books show the transfer. Can
anybody but statesman of the latter
day school, one of the gentlemen who
believe in doing business according
to modern up-to-date methods, explain
why this is so? Why the government
should lay out $3.265.000 for seven
years that the Standard Oil bank may
loan it at interest, and not having a
deed to the property save seven years
of taxes? The banks books show the
transfer of this immense sum of
money to the government, but the
point is the government has never re-
ceived it. Will the government ever
receive it? If payment is demanded,
can not the bank say, "our books show
the money has been transferred to
the government treasury" Should suit
be brought, can the books Of the bank,
with the testimony of the bookkeepers
to back them up, be refuted? Has
the Standard Oil concern ever been de-
feated in the courts, ever been headed
off from it's purposes, ever lacked for
congressional, senatorial or official
help of any kind anywhere, Texas not
r.