Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1907-05-16

| wanted to break away from Schmitz
before his reelection. year ago last
November and said to him: L am
sick of the whole thing and / want to
get out. / can't stand for all these la
Dor union buns you have gathered
around YOU and will appoint. They
would eat the paint off a house. In
answer the mayor begged me to stay
with him and put up the argument
that these fellows must be allowed a
share or We could never hold the ma
chine together. There was too much
truth in that.
THE MACHINE GOT DIRTY.
Il stayed with Schmitz and with the
machine thatI at great labor and pains
had built up and assembled. / found
l had taken a step away from the high.
clean ideals with which l earnestly
assure you. originally entered the po-
litical field. / found in short, that to
hold the machine together i had to
permit and connive at corruption. In
the state of affairs existing. 1t was
necessary. But / myself never asked
a dollar of any man, never took a dis
honest dollar from the public. The
things / did were things that hurt no
one.
Before the Doodle board of super
visors was elected / warned them
against crookedness in office. Imme-
diately after the election I got them
together and l said to them: Now.
you-if any one of you takes a dollar.
I'll prosecute you myself and meant
it. was in earnest. But found I
could not carry out my threat and
keep the machine from going to pieces.
SchmitZ was right about that.
NEEDLESS CORRUPTION.
so much of the corruption was
needless. Needless. I mean from the
givers' end of the deal. Take for in
stance the trolley franchise. Every
body wanted street railways electri-
fled. There would have been no oppo-
sition If application had been merely
and customarily laid before the board.
1t would have been granted. But the
press Of San Francisco had taught the
public 90 believe that every office
holder was a crook; that the whole
city government was rotten from skin
to core and that no privilege could be
obtained until paid for. 1t is strange
that those systematic attacks, though
frequently founded on nothing more
tangible or truthful than personal sus-
picion in private quarters. should have
led corporations astray as to the real
situation Officers of corporations are
not bad men. They do not belong to
the criminal class. They no more de-
sire to commit the crime OF bribery
than the newspapers or public desire
it to be committed. But franchises
are necessary TO conduct their business
and when they are taught to believe
such privileges cannot be obtained
without the exercise OF dishonest in
fluences. they frequently do commit
the crime of bribery rather than fore
go the thing they need.
HOW IT WAS DONE.
And so it goes. Suppose the United
Railroads sent word that there was
$1,000 to $4,000 apiece for, the supervis-
ors if. the supervisors would call at the
United Railroads offices. Suppose these
trooped up there one by
one and took the dirty money. Such
an arrangement would mean instant
exposure and scandal and the absolute
defeat of the end sought. But suppose
the United Railroads came to me. a
lawyer and a political leader and ask
ed me to accept a fee to manage the
matter for them. Suppose 1 refused.
Suppose then, these supervisors got
wind that there was money to be had.
and I found that they meant to get
it. Would / still refuse to handle the
matter for them and see my machine
smashed. or would 1 accept the fee and
connive at the corruption?
II have not said to you that Patrick
Calhoun. or Thornwell Mutually or the
officials of the two telephone compan-
les or anybody has committed the
crimes charged against them. / have
not made any confession. But l repeat:
Some of the many upon whom has
fallen the SCOT of this newspaper con-
flagration We're innocent of evil intent
but became involved by compulsion;
and these men shall not be made to
suffer further shame and disgrace by
any confession Of mine. Others there
are who went into the smoke with eyes
Open knowing fun well what they
were about. As to these | shall speak