Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1907-09-20
AN HONEST CRATER
a Glimpse Into the Future of Mu-
nicipal Ownership.

A Thumb Nail Sketch Of practical I
Politieian"-The Profits Of an All
Around Servant OF the People, Who
Seen His Opportunities and Took
EN-"
Honest graft viii reach its highest
level when. rs predicted by the en-
thusiasts. the principles OF municipal
ownership are accepted 10y New York
and the city controls the trolley lines.
the electric light and gas works and
oil the ferries as well 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.. Plunkitt's honest graft" schemes.
He told about them himself In a book
published last year. which was intro
duced by a paragraph indorslng him as
a veteran leader cf the organization"
nlbuNU by us kkthNcSt
Plunkitt 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
blers. saloon keepers. disOrdcrly peo-
pie. etc." he admitted 10 he wrong.
That was dishonest graft"
"But." ne added. there's an honest
graft, and I'm an example OF how It
works. l seen my opportunities and
took 'em."
Mr.. Plunkltt's explanation OF how he
did these things will illuminate the
possibilities of future municipal owners
ship days. IL they ever come.
After calculating the ways he wad
clipped or at various times 10y mem.
bers OF his party-the party In power
when new bridges, new parks, new
streets were 20 be opened. so that ho
might invest I'm real estate likely to
rise In price from the improvements
contemplated. no adds: 81 haven't con
fined myself TO land. Anything that
pays is in my line" Then he gives n
specific instance:
Learning that the city was about TO
repave certain street and so would
have several hundred thousand old
| paving blocks to sell, he was ION hand
to buy" and he knew Just what they
were worth" hut newspaper tried
to do him" and got some outside men
from Brooklyn and New Jersey TO bid
against him. Mr.. Plunkltt's own words
tell the story best:
"Was | done? Not much. went
30 each OF the men and said. How
many of those 100000 stones do you
wantT One said 10000, and another
| wanted $4,000. and another wanted TO-
900. l said. AN right; let me bid for
the lot, and III give each OF you all
you want for nothin'
"Thcy agreed, OF course Then the
auctioneer yelled, How much am bid
for these fine PAWN stonesr
1.-TWO dollars and fifty cents says
1.-TWO dollars and flfty cents!
screamed the auctloneer. oh, that's 4
Joke. Give me n real bid
"He found the bid was real enough
My rivals stood silent. / got the lot FOL
$3.50 and gave them their share. That'i
how the attempt TO do Plunldtt ended
and that's how all such attempts end"
1t Is hardly necessary, In the light Of
this authentic statement OF "hones
CRAFTS" workings, TO enlarge upon The
extended opportunities that would
come TO the men OF the Plunkitt staml
were the dream OF municipal owner
ship to come true. Plunlkltt says mos
politicians who are accused OF robbin
the city get rich the same way" he did
"They didn't steal IA dollar from TIT
city. They just seen their opportunltie
and took them"
While I'm the legislature Plunkitt In
troduced the bills that provided for tn
outlying parks Of New York. the Har
lem river speedway, The Washington
bridge. the one Hundred and Fifty
feth street viaduct. additions to th
Museum OF Natural History and man,
other important public improvements
He Is now "A millionaire. Under tn
proposed order OF things. with city con
troll Of everything. he might become
Millionaire.
Under municipal ov nershlp OF a
public utilities In New Yorlk-and 4
. most other cities In fact-politiclan
: Ike Plunkitt. who mt different time
! has been elected state senator. Assem-
blyman. c,Ia:y supcrV igor and alder
man Ly his fellow citizens. beside
serving 10 police magistrate for on
term. and who boasts of his record !
nnlng four public OH ,cs In one yea
and drawing salaries from three {
them at the same tins, would fouris
like a whole grove OF green bay trees
Go Slow on City Ownership.