Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-05-19
zntorcd at tho Newport News Va Postoflce
~ ueoond.clnuI matter.
SUNDAY. MAY 10. 1907.
RRyF's DOWNFALL is COMPLETE


Before the storm of public indignu-
tion that swept over San Francisco
MS II result OF the scandalous disclos-
uros OF graft In public administration
Abraham Reuf, who built up the cor
rupt machine that plundered tho
people, broke down and pleaded
guilty to the charge of eXtortion. In
his confession Reuf claims that he
started out with high ideals and as
sisted in the construction Of II poliu-
cal machine whereby he hoped to put
his ideals into practical execution,
Int the machine became too powerful
and 'grasping for him and he fell
While there may be good deal in
what the San Francisco boss says
concerning the conditions which
brought about his downfall the cir.
climstances do not seem to bear out
his assertion relative to the high
ideals which he claims to have started
out with. On the contrary, no seems
to have been an Unfortunately ambl-
tions politician possessed of cray
ing for power, and tho means lie en-
ployed to obtain that power were
characterized by fragrant disregard
OF correct principles and Il total ab-
sence of MI moral scruples.
True, mt the outset of his career he
may not have intended to depart so
far from the path of rectitude as be-
came necessary to maintain his power
later on; but the path of evil is ever
Il downward path and the further one
travels along It the greater and the
more irresistible the momentum be-
comes. Like Frankeinstein, In the
old story. he constructed fearful au-
tomaton and set If agoing, only to
find TO his dismay that he was pow
erless either to control Its actions or
to escape its frenzied fury. But Ruer
was not the innocent victim of n
mere mistake. The machine that he
had so laboriously constructed was
horn of his lust of power ana was
deliberately planned to Increase his
power and prestige, to make him the
political arpiter OF the destinies OF q
great city.
1t was SO ingenious!y constructed
as 10 enable him to marshall in solid
battalions all of the evil forces and
the under strata Of society in n great
metropolis and to hurl them, whenever
1t suited his purpose to do so, en-
masse against the forces of decency
and public virtue. To keep together
such conflicting forces as he had as
sembled under his command, 1t was
necessary that their appetites for
graft and lawlessness of every de-
soription should be gratified; hence
that system, as disgraceful as 1t was
remarkable and unique, had MS It's
logical reason for existence no other
Incentive than the plunderlng of the
people. Whenever the opportunity
for graft and plumber should cease.
1t would no longer be possible to hold
the machine together, and the result
was wild carnival of official de.
bauchery and political corruption, a
parallel to which the modern world
has not seen.
II was upon that foundation that
this Twentieth Century political
Frankenstein constructed his ma.
chine, and from the beginning there
has never been any possibility of the
~
!. result being other than the eventual
destruction OF the creator by the crea.
tnre. Hence Reuf's pathetic appeal to
the court for clemency deserves no