The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-03-25

8AC RAFTING" might be called a
T municipal cancer. 1t is the per-
meating corruption which rots the
very core of a city's government. II
eats its evil way through every depart
ment and like the cancer carries on us
destructive work under the SURFACE.
The CRATER is to the boodler what the
sneak thief is to the h~lghWayman. IL
requires a certain kind Of moral cour-
age 10 be a boodler; to risk everything
on the word of a briber. On the other
hand the CRATER is satisfied with small
returns for the "hold-ups" he attempts.
He is willing to be merely tipped for
being rocked. Yet he is more dan
eerous to the community than he aid
erman who boldly sells MS vote 1or
thousands of dollars.
Grafters are so numerous and the
opDOrtunities for petty graft are SO
common that one years granting III d
citS hall debauches the civic morality
oghundreds, if not thousands, OF cltl-
zens. for graft is a bargain and 1t taxes
two to make a bargain.
I made something Of a study OF graft
and grafters during my term CT office,
and I found the most skillful gratters
took graft for doing their plain duty
as public servants. | discovered that
some Of the public positions which paid
the smallest salaries were regarded as
the best Jobs" because the illegal per-
uuisites attached to such positions
made them extremely attractive, and
these offices were Of such kind that the
incumbents could only be induced to
perform their proper, legal and pre-
scribed duties by being bribed.
Soon after l became mayor | took
up the matter Of graft in the city hall,
and after some energetic weeks be-
lieved | had cleaned out the grafters.
But after my tenn of office had expired
l learned that grating had fourished
on persecution and had been carried on
the more skillfully because more
adrOitness was required to graft with
out detection.
Grating reeked every department. OF
the city's government, and | take it
the CRATER is a busy man in every de-
partment of every city in this coun-
try to-day. This opinion is based on
the fact that a multitude of persons
want special privileges or immunities
which city ordinances prohibit, and it
1to III thV po"Si " AZ oAA>A@' "N
employees TO give such persons what
they want-provided the city's servants
are tipped with the brides called gratis
The whole miserable system is kept
alive by citizens of elastic morals. who
pass for respectable, honorable, law
abiding men in their neighborhoods.
Some of the grating methods dis
closed during my administration were
so ingenious as to excite my admira-
ton. An inspector in the building de-
partment who was rated as an exceed
inely efficient and faithful officer haC
enjoyed the monopoly Of a "privatt
graft" for some years before he cam
to grief near the wind-up of my term
He had accidentally discovered that tlt
wall of a large office building en-
,croached nearly a foot onto a public
alley. This find Melted him a neat an
nual ACKNOWLEDGMENT paid yearl,
by the owners of the building.
The inspectors story, which he toll
me. will serve to illuminate the sorr
fact that it is not always the city EN-
ploye who makes the first advances
Said ne:
The alley is wider than ordinary
The building was put up on the spac
occupied by the former building, who's
real wall was a full foot out into tn
alley. Apparently no one ever notice
tina the alley was originally wide
h other alleys, but the official chart
and surveys show it to be wider. l RAJ
across this fact by accident. and meas
urements from the street center Shove
me that the rear wall of the buildin
stood on public property. l could fin
no ordinance or permit authorizin
this, so | called on the owners for a
explanation. l had nj thought of graf
when | made the inquiry. for l coul
not believe anyone would be so boil
as to steal public property that way.
We'll, there was the devil to pa
when broke in, and the first throw {
the box was a flash Of money to sto
my mouth. They told me it would CO:
them a big lot of money to tear dow
that wall and set it in a foot; that tt
wall had been built on the inc of til
old foundation, and no one knew tt
wall was a foot out until the buildir
was finished. Then, before l even ha
been given a chance to hold them u
they came to me with a proposition
pay me so much a month il l o
Just forget what l knew. Well. l 70
got, and they put me on their payroll
1t is probable that the inspect
would have been On the payroll f
some years had he not developed
unseemly a~varice, n his demands f
a larger amount of hush money il
PEELED the owners of the building
suddenly discover the astoundil
fact that they had "unintentionall.
beer using public property without a
thority and to come forward with t
proposition to buy the foot strip a
pay a handsome rental for the yea
they had used that strip. The prop
- .:4;oa-nar aooontod and Il WaS duri