The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-04-04
GRAFT n ENGL AND.
Perhaps Net 50 Great IN Extent
as Here, but Yet Wen Started.
The Operation Of Public Utilities ~
Public ot7siaIs Has Placed Them
Under Such Temptations as They
Have Never Before known--sahy
They Are Not Exposed.

hNSI eANS iNoN @NPoAsns
There is nothing about the visiting
american In England more amusing "a
the natiye than the Americans convic.
tlop that there Is no graft in English
municipal politics. s
Frederick G. Howe, the inagazinist
who writes so much in praise OF nlInie.
lpal ownership. the British form OF
socialism admits that there is etaftsin
England, but says 1t is all prictlced
BY the lords aud mllllonalres. No
graft, he declares, has crept in through
the municipsl ownership ana operation
Of public utilities.
Graft In England may not be ofssuch
magnitude as In the United States, :
said an EpglIshman who Is well Known
in public life, butts neither a lord nor
a millionaire. 'but II exists here as
certainly as It does in America It Is
carried on along Submarines, and, fos.
tered BY the opportunities which the
rising tide OF municipal trading affords,
1t is rapidly growing In magnitude. 1t
I Is owing 20 our oyerstrict libel laws
and to the fact that immunity may not
be granted under English law 10 one
who confesses to accepting bride that
the corruption now so well known to
exist in our municipal governments has
not been effectively exposed long ago.
The newspapers know all about 1t,
and they know who are the grafters.
but they do not dare to expose the sit
uation. and until the proper statutes
are enacted 1t viii be almost impossi.
BILE to punish grafters through the
courts.
Not so very long ago a certain
speech was reported in one Of the
London newspapers. The speechmak.
err was indignant. fer neither the sub
ject Ratter Of the speech nor the cir
cumstancss ander which It was deliy-
cred were creditable 70, Kim, and he
brought suit fer damages en- the
ground that the libel laws had been
violated 1t was net claimed that the
speech was Incorrectly reported; In
deed, 1t was admitted thafathe report
was substantially without error, yet
nevertheless heavy damages were
awarded 10 the plaIntiff on The grounds
that the plaintiffs reputationlh had been
injured and that the publisher could
not show that the publication Of the
report was OF heneftit To- the public !.
"A little longer ago It was suspected
that members of the council of Lendon
borough of Poplar had been accepting
( brides from, contracto who were fur
nishing materials and supplies. Detec-
I tiEess were put non the CASE and The
facts were rum down. eertafn of the
contractors and councilmen, confront
ed with these facts. confessed and
-, ;.rea, togo upon the stand in court
p Pa .s.e;S,, TO the truth, In due time
e aaa - .,,s s,,n4.. men took the stand
one OF the guilty fold the story as
/ rs promised and ~0
Engreed
He was Immediately arrested as a
criminal under the law as Its stands
and tsIated forl anf eariy 3triahe EFbis
chilled The enthusiasm or tie others
vino had promised to confess, and they
changed ithefrgninis promptly and If.
revocably. AS the prosecution was
thus left without witnesses, the hives
'tIgatFon was Hronglit 60 an abrupt
close.
! 3S6m4 the instauafion aaa operation
Of ttamways. cltetttt light works, eas
works. etc, involves the letting of
many large, coplracts by men who hold
I places in the municipal councils, not
haeansa. fheE are fitted. by training aud
experience to. Lot such contracts. hut
because they have succeeded through
,netty .notitics y. getting elected They
| receive no pay for tlreIr services aud
in many cases are men without tinape;;
cial resources ofEahY Sionseduence.
There are contractors in England
as well as I'M America who are not
above getting contracts through brib-
cry. ana there. are ep1ncl e naempers'0f
the grade / have mentioned who are
no more able 10 resist the temptation
to be bribed in England than they
would be in America. If.itlwould not
sound unpatriotie. j mightlgo 80 far as
to say that stree municipal trading has
so Increased the magnitude Of munich
! pal contracts Rnglishnien In many cit
les have been. known to seek election
to the councils In order to-haye the
chance to be bribed
We could tOdax make exposures of
graft in London and more than one
other English city that would startle
American readers even accustomed as
they are "a, reading graft stories. ID we
could only gire immunity 10 whoever
might be eftherseared Of reasoned into
eonfessing the truth. IN other words.
municipal ownership and operation OF
public utilities IN England are rapidly
neyeomhlng AL eaIri municipal gov.
ernments with graft
s.The law makes ! reception win
regard 10 election bribery charges. and
immunity may lawfhlls pbes pt4Inised
to those whose Testimony Is needed to
convict the guilty. This has enabled
Us to unearth many election irregular
tiles. as the readers Of English news.
papers know very well. and eventually
I