The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-04-08

be done today. Up to three years ago
there were about thirty-four cases OF
bribery recorded in the books in all
the states of the Union. 1t was not
because bribery did not exist: The
confessions of the St. Louis boodlers
show that. 1t was because the EVIL
dence had not been procured. But in
the last three years there have been
more bribery cases tried in the courts
than in the hundred years preceding.
This shows general public awaken
ing: and APP glad to claim to my state
it's proper share of credit.
In the city of St. Louis for twenty
years, and up to three years ago, &C.
cording to the confession of the bood-
lers, there was not a law Of any i'm
portance passed by the local authori-
ties that was not procured by bribery.
The official boodlers formed combines
In the house Of delegates nineteen out
of twenty-eight were in such COM
bine. They held meetings and carried
on their business in parliamentary
form. The chairman of the meeting
would call up a bill in it's regular order
and ask what should be done about it.
Then some delegate would get up and
say that the boys ought to be paid
$4,000 for the franchise granted in
the bill. Another would declare that
to be too small a sum for such an inn
portant measure and propose a pay
ment of 100000. Still another would
suggest that 100000 would be little
too hard and would recommend COM
promise on $4,000. Then the majority
vote would adopt $4,000 as the price.
All this was done in regular form and
with careful deliberation.
Then the meeting would choose All
agent to represent the combine, get
the money and divide it. This was a
position greatly coveted. 1t was
post of trust and honor. The booders
liked to be considered honest among
themselves.
Speaking of that kind of honesty,
| remember the case of Mr.. Uthoff,
who, as member of the city council
received $4,000 for his vote for the
Central Traction bill Mr.. Snyder, of
New York, then paid him $4,000 to
vote against it. Mr.. Uthoff sent back
the $4,000 which he had received at
first, and on the witness stand he said
that he could not honestly keep the
$4,000. Being pressed for an eXplana-
tion he declared that it would be dis
honorable to take money from both
sides.
Bribery was the usual thing in St.
Louis. The people thought nothing of
it. 1t was generally known and gen.
orally defended on one ground or an
other. When l started after it as a
prosecuting officer three years ago l
was met with the argument that the
anti-bribery law was dead letter, and
that officials had as much right to sell
their votes as merchant had to sell
that! Men took that position over
their own signatures in the newspa-
pers. One man declared that l had
no more right to send public officials
to the penitentiary for accepting COM
pensation for their votes than | would
have to enforce the blue laws of New
England, which punished man for
kissing his wife.
"Of course, this did not represent
honest public opinion. l knew that
l was confident that the people would
support me if did my duty. 1 replied
that there could be no greater evil in
the community than official corrup-
ton; that the ordinary thief only stole
one mans property; that the ordinary
murderer only took one mans life;
but that the bribe-giver and the BRIDE
talxer destroyed the very foundation
of the law and placed the people at the
mercy of those who had wealth enough
to purchase official favors
II was told that it was bad politics
to do as I was doing. My reply was
that boodling was bad politics, and
that honesty was good politics. Day
after day 1 appealed to public senti-
ment, until finally popular opinion be-
came cyclonic. The people saw the
enormity of the offense. A lot of hood
lers were convicted.
'"The boodlers had enormous influ-
ence at their command. The ramif-
cations of their connections was aston
ishing. Behind them were men of
prominence who profited by corrup-
ton, but managed to maintain their
standing in the community. | believed
that the remedy for existing evils was
in the hearts of the people; that we
might fill the penitentiary with cor
ruptionists; but if the people did not
care about it corruption would go on
just the same; if the people would not
tolerate it it could be stopped by pub
lie sentiment
"The boodlers said that this was a
mistake; that the people were tired of
the question. But although boodlers
may not know good from bad, they
know good politics from bad politics