The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-07
From the Baltimore Herald.

~ OUR years ago the word graft
R was the tarson of the under
world, of thieves and pickpockets
aries define 1T seriously as the misuse
of power, position and privilege In pub
lie affairs. particularly, and In all walks
of life generally, for the purpose of ex-
torting or otherwise acquiring wealth;
and everybody, cultured and uncultured,
has added the word to his vocabulary. 1t
has become one of the best known Words
one of the best known, peculiarly effective
words. in American parlance.
President Eliot might use the term to-
day and excite no protest from the
thinking public. nor even from the pre-
else English department of his own uni
versity Recently the editors of the Stand
ard Dictionary wrote to Governor Folk
of Missouri. requesting from him a care
full definition of the word. And yet only
four years ago this tremendously signifi-
cant little word was an associstee Of
"yeggman" and tsnitch,' and similar pa
tots of ragged gentlemen of law-breaking
prociivities.
Graft first came into prominence first
entered the popular literature of America.
in the year 1901. Josiah F1ynt, the prose
specialist of the underworld, the writer on
tramps and thieves, Princeton gradu-
ate, used the word in the title of hts book
on the underwor1ds of the large eastern
cities This designation read, THE World
of Graft" At that time the use and
the understanding of the word were so
limited that Flynt felt called upon to de-
fine 1t. So in his Introductory remarks
he wrote:
"In regard to the word graft which is
used freely In the text. desire to state
that 1t Is generic slang term for all
kinds of theft and Illegal practices gen.
orally. In some cases 1t also covers trans
actions which are within the letter Of
the written law, but wholly outside the
law, covering equitable treatment of ones
neighbor. II is used mainly by tramps.
thieves and the thief-catchers, but it is
not wholly tabooed In upperworld cir
cles.
"A CRATER Is one who makes his liv-
ing land sometimes his fortune) by graft
ing He may be political boss mayor.
chief Of police, warden of a peniten-
tiary, a municipal contractor, a member
Of a town council. representative in
the legislature, judge in the courts, and
the upper world may know him only
in his political capacity; but If the under
world has had occasion to approach him
for purposes of graft and found him
corrupt, he is Immediately classified as
an 'unmugged grafter'-one whose photo
graph is not In the rogues' gallery, but
ought to be. The professional thief Is the
'mugged CRATER his photograph and Ber-
tillon measurements are known and re-
corded.
"The world of graft Is wherever known
and unknown thieves. bribe-givers and
bribe-takers eongregate. In the United
States 1t is found mainly in the large
cities. but It's boundaries take in small
county seats and even villages. cor
rect map of it is impossible, because In
a great many places IT is represented by
an unknown, rather by a known, inhab-
liant, by a dishonest official or an UNI
scrupulous and wary politician, rather
than a confessed thief. and the geog-
rapher is helpless until he can collect
the facts, which may never come to light.
The most that one man can do is to
make voyages of discovery. md out
what he can, and report upon his expert
ences to the general public"
This comprehensive definition Of the
word by Flynt, from the world of PRO
fessional thieves" from the world of
classified thieves. seems to have proceed
ed other definitions by two years. But
it popularized the word, 1t gave 1t a
place In readable literature; and thence
its complete. popularizaton was remark
ably rapid.
In 1908 Lincoln Steffens and Ray STAN
nard Baker, of McClfre's Magazine, be-
gan to give the word extensive repeti-
ton in their uncoverings of corrupt prac-
tices in municipalities and common
wealths; Steffens in political circles and
Baker In the world of labor and business;
and other writer's on subjects commercial
and political accepted the words as eff
fective and unusually significant.
Then everybody began to employ the
word. 1t became synonym for corrupt
political practices. Within the last year
or two it has become practically syn
onym for q thief who filches public
moneys and moneys Of large enterprises
1t has been 20 largely used In the public
prints ana periodicals.. and more recent