The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-04-15

4 nave SHOWN now the good ciLlZen
and the reputable business man
sought to corrupt public officials an6
servants. l have related a few oc
%currences which demonstrated the fact
that much Of the grating, corruption
and laxity in the public service II
caused by the pernicious activity ano
influence of private citizens acting fol
themselves or their business associates
This unholy alliance of representative
and influential business and profes
sional men with the corrupted city Of
Gals and employees is at the bottom
of all that is corrupt and evil in q
city's government
While money kings, merchant
princes, railroad magnates. prominent
lawyers, captains Of industry, landed
proprietors, leaders of society, pillars
Of churches and retired capitalists
band themselves together to protect
low ~groggeries, guard disorderly
houses from police attack, shelter
gambling bells, balk municipal re-
forms, attack conscientious city Off
Gals, terrorize faithful police officers
and encourage income-producing vice,
: there is built up an influence which
! will defeat any mayor who attempts
Ito contend against it.
; The popular cry is that ma1-adminis-
; ~tration of public affairs is attributable
to the pernicious influence of politics.
But the man who has been a mayor
knows better. He knows that the
| grating politician, the boodling po-
litical boss and the corrupt political
leader could not exist were 1t not for
the cooperation of solid" business
men and the Indifference of the aver
age voter. l knew it before / had
served half my term, and n of the
latest of my mayoral experiences
served to drive the unpleasant truth
home and clinch it immovably in my
memory.
One of my last official acts was the
veto of a particularly vicious ordi-
nance. 1t was introduced in behalf Of
a public utility corporation and the
gangsters purposed rushing it through
before the new administration came
into power. The board of aldermen
passed it by such a substantial ma
jority that there seemed little doubt
the gangsters would be able to muster
enough votes to pass it over my veto
If l should return it with my dis
approval.
The ordinance was so clearly against
public policy and interest hat l de-
ciied to veto it as Dol as l had read
it through. When my decision became
known the gangsters and their hackers
began a boodling campaign to round
up sufficient votes to defeat my pur-
pose. 1t was my last fight, for the
newly elected mayor, my successor,
would assume the Office the following
week. l had my scouts out and their
almost hourly reports indicated that
the boodlers were winning all along
the line.
Late in the afternoon Of the day be-
fore the board meeting an alderman
came into my Office. He vas n Of
the inconspicuous aldermen, elected as
an independent and by accident. He
was a skilled mechanic and worked at
his trade; a man of decent habits,
somewhat timid. but voting always
with the honest minority. He was
elected, 1 said, by accident, because
his Independent candidacy gave a ma
jority of dissatisfied voters in his ward
an opportunity to punish the unpopu-
lar nominees Of both of the great par
ties, and there happened to be enough
"sore heads" to pull him through by
a scant plurality.
He was evidently much excited when
he came into my office. l CHANGED to
be alone. He shut the door and, walk
ing rapidly toward my desk, said:
Come in here. I want to see you"
/ followed him into my private office,
shut and locked the door, for his every
movement told me the man was trying
to suppress an intense mental agita-
ton. When he heard the lock click he
crouched on the lounge and burst into
tears. For some moments he was al
most hysterica1. l watched him 81
lently until he had partially recovered
his calmness.
LII a 1ulACo AIdA, AC OCSdH
ruined, any way you look at it."
Then he broke into sobs, which
seemed to shake every fiber of his
body, and, sobbing, he muttered:
They've got me, any way you look
at it."
"Look here, alderman" 1 said, what
is all this about?"
"Mr. Mayor" he replied, eff l vote
to pass that ordinance over your veto
l get 81, 800. If I vote to sustain your
veto I'm sold out of house and home.
That's what's the matter. If take the
money I'm ruined for eternity, and if
I don't take the money I'm ruined now,
for all I've got in the world is my lit
tie business and Rome. They've been
at me ever since the ordinance was
passed. They told me they had enough
votes to pass it over your head, but
that 1 was-a good fellow only 1 had
been training with the wrong crowd,
they would let me in on a good
thing if l would vote with them, so as
to make their majority larger. 1 told
| was with you and fatty refused