The Red Cloud chief., 1908-07-10
"KNFT5 TE COI5UTUIIOW
RE/hE<W ERIEVDS.'" u

manipulated SO that the ugly word mon
ey" can be eliminated in case OF an ex'
posure. Cash is a hard commodity to %"jugele,'
but shares and stocks can be better explained
to a jury. So only the ignorant or most brazen
of the big "grafters' go after the money In the
form of u. S. bank bills. Records are telltales;
and money taken wrongfully and unaccounted for
often returns to plague the hypothecator with a
penitentiary sentence.
Another thing that seems to be overlooked is
that legislation will not cure grating True,
1t can and does punish the individual; but moth.
ing but an aroused spirit of higher citizenship will
effect a general cure Of the evil. II you want to
know how many people IN your city and county
are out after something for nothing get into a
political position which either actually gives you
chances for bestowing favors. or apparently offers
the opportunity. Ninety-fve per cent. of the peo-
pie who call on you come for the purpose of hav-
ing you do them some favor, either for them
selves or others: and they are not at all particu-
lar about how the favor is done. SO that it be
done. For myself. l know | was bombarded day
and night after | got into Office with requests that
ranged all the way from the impudent to the ig'
norant. Requests to aid in the way Of evading
or ignoring city ordinances were matters of daily
occurrence. And the charmin thing about It
was that the parties assumed that this was a mat
ter of course in the routine business of the city
hall. 1t was not merely what's the constitution
between friends?" but what's honesty between
acquaintances?'
Skate" No. | would introduce skate No. 2,
and the latter would unfold a scheme to pull
on something In some other department of the
city hall, which was not only against all canons
OF decency as regarded common honesty, but so
ridiculously apparent that no one but an ignoram-
us would concoct such a plan. Now these things
happened SO often that II you got mad at each
occurrence you would be in a state of semi-apo-
plexy half the time. The only thing to do was to
cut the interview short by saying II haven't any
thing to do with that department: II you have
any business with that end of the city go there
yourself"
But when you come to pin down any great
amount of graft" in most of the city administra-
lions offices you failed, from the simple reason
that there was comparatively little of It. Was 1t
because greater publicity and greater vigilance
was being had through a hostile press and a
watchful opposite party? Or was II because an
Improvement was being pade in the character OF
the men elected and appointed? Or was ii both?
AT any rate, there was a steady advance for the
better during the cycle OF at least eight years of
my experience in politics. Given an able and
vigilant man at the head Of "A city's affairs, and
graft will be reduced to "A minimum during his
term OF Office. Given any other kind of a man,
and once more graft will lift its hydra head.
Ii is a curious thing about manifestation, that the
tendency to make "a little on tie side seems to
he apparent In all administrations, but Is either
dormant or active as the man at the helm is
either alert or inattentive. Like yellow fever in
Cuba. II Is always present, even IL only one case
OF il.
The cheap CRATER" when found out, never had