Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1907-01-26
AN HONEST GRAF TER
A Glimpse Into the Future of Mu-
nicipaI Ownership.

Thumb Nail Sketch of "Practcal
PoIitician'-The Profits of an All
Around Servant of the People, Who
Seen His Opportunities and Took
EN-"
Honest graft" will reach its highest
level when, as predicted by the en-
thusiaStS, the principles of municipal
ownership are accepted by New York
and the city controls the trolley lines.
the electric light and gas works and
all the ferries as we'll as the water
works and the police, the fire and the
street departments.
Then such patriots as George Wash.
ington Plunkitt for many years or
ganiZation leader of the Fifteenth dis
trict in New York. will reap rewards of
greater magnitude than they have ever
been able to gather under the present
order of things.
Perhaps YOU have never heard about
Mr.. llunkiu's honest graft schemes
He told about them himself in a book
published last year. which was intro
duccd by paragraph indorSing him rs
"Ncteran tradcr Of the organization"
signed by its greatest chief
Ilunkitt was sore because there were
some objections to graft being made
out of the city by men like him, and in
the first chapter of his book he uttered
vigorous protest. "Blackmailin' gam
blcrs, saloon keepers, diSorderly pco-
pie, etc. he admitted to be wrong
That was ''diShoncSt graft"
But" he added. ''thcrcS an honest
graft, and I'm an example of how it
works. | seen my opportunities and l
took EN-"
MIR Ilunkitt's explanation of low he
did these things will illuminate the
possibilities of future municipal owner
ship days if they ever come.
After calculating the ways he was
tipped OFF, at various times by mem
bcrs of his party the party in power
when new. bridges, new parks, new
streets We're to he opened. so that he
might invest in real estate likely to
rise in price from the improvements
contemplated, he adds Il haven't con
fined myself to land. Anything that
pays is in my line" TEen he gives
specific instance:
Learning tEat the city was about to
| rcpave certain street and so would
have several hundred thousand Old
paving blocks to sell. he was "on hand
to buy and he "kncw Just what they
were worth" But a newspaper tried
to do him" and got somr outside men
|, 4 10, ii; I
against him. Mr. Plunkitt's own words
tell the story best:
"WaS | done? Not much. went
to each of the men and said. How
many of those 100000 stones do YOU
wantT one said 2oOOO. and another
wanted 10000, and another wanted 1O.-
coo | said, An right; let me bid for
the lot, and I'll give each Of you all
you want for nothin'.'
"Thcy agreed, of course Then the
auctionecr yelled. How much am bid
for these fine PAWN stones"
""Two dollars and fifty cents says l.
"'Two dollars ami fifty cents"
screamed the Huctionerr oh, that's 4
joke Give me a real bid
"IIc found the bid was real enough
My rivals stood silent. | got the lot for
$3.50 and gave them their share. That's
how the attempt to do Phnk.tt ended,
and that's how all such attempts end"
1t Is hardly necessary, in the light of
this authentic statement of honest
CRAFTS" workings, to enlarge upon the
extended opportunities that would
come to the men of TIE Tluukitt stamp
were the dream of municipal owner
| ship to come true. Plunkitt says most
| politicians who are accused of rObbn'
the city get rich the same way" he did.
They didn't steal II dollar from the
city. They just seen their opportunities
and took them"
While in the Legislature Pluukitt in
troduceG the bills that provided for the
outlying parks of New York. the IIar-
| lem river speedway, the Washington
/ bridge, the one Hundred and Fifty
fifth street viaduct, additions to the
Museum of Natural History and many
other important public Improvements.
He is now a millionaire. Under the
proposed order Of things, with city con
troll of everything, he might become Il
Millionaire.
Under municipal ownership of all
public utilities in Now York and in
most other cities in fact politicians
like Plunkitt, who at different times
has been elected state senator. assem-
blyman, county supervisor and alder
man by his fellow citizens. besides
ferving rs police magistrate for one
term, and who boasts of his record in
filling four public offices In one year
and drawing salaries from three of
them at the same time, would flourish
like q whole grove of green bay trees.