The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-11-17
AN AUTHORITY
ON GRATING
A. Leo We'll Addresses the
> American Municipal
League.
GAINED FAME IN PiTTSBURG
Ran Down Many Public
Thieves.
A Vigorous Campaign is
Needed.
The Man Who Opposes Prosecution
Should BE Watched-Civil Suits to
Recover Graft Money Are Better
Than Criminal Actions Where Pub.
lie sympathy Can be Aroused.
BY United Press Wire.


Cincinnati o., Nov. 17.-What
graft is. what makes graft possible,
and how to catch grafters, was cx.
planned Tuesday In n remarkable ar
raignment of graft and grafters read
at the meeting of the American
Municipal league by3A. Lee Well,
Pitsburg lawyer. who has sent eight
of the Pittsburg grafters to the peni-
Tertiary. AS president of the Pitts
burg Voters league, We'll dug up the
evidence, caused the arrest and final
conviction OF the Pittsburg municipal
thieves. He is the man who cleaned
up Pittsburg. When We'll and the
Voters league began the prosecution
OF the grafters big business cried.
You're knocking the CITY," etc.
In his paper read in Cincinnati
Tuesay, We'll answered this charge as
follows:
"Those who condemn graft prose-
cutions because of fear that 1t Will
harm the city and hurt business. will
bear watching. They place money
above morals, policy above purity
and complacency above citizenship"
Graft" said Well. "is the reward
obtained by corrupt agreements
with or among municipal authorities
or those controlling the same. The
longer grafters continue. the bolder
the grafters grow until they begin TO
criticise their critics and to resent az
impertinence' the murmurs OF dscon.
tent.
THE punishment of graft is the
public business. No one more than
another is called upon to act. 1t in
wolves the expenditure of much time,
effort and money. 1t brings upon
those in charge vltuperation, abuse
and attacks of all kinds.
"The crusade against graft meets
with opposition not only from those
directl yaffected and their friends
and sympathizers, but also from that
larger number who think such eX-
posures reflect upon the good name
of the city and injure business.
THE greatest of all returning and
deterrent elements, however, is the
difficulty of securing financial sup
port. The cost Of these crusades is
large. 1t is work in which the whole
community Is concerned and in which
no one citizen should have more in
terest than another. 1t should be
done by voluntary non-political.
organization, in which
the power Is vested in a small COM
mittee. The financial scheme must |
be comprehensive and the public |
spirited of large and small means |
alike invited TO contribute. but in |
special graft crusades the principal |
must come from few. |
who can be trusted for their secret
veness. ,,
IF in a community among the |
men of wealth a few can not be |
found willing 10 give out of their
abundance for their city's purihca-
ion then that community Is indeed
o be pltied, deserving the sneers and
he scorn of the world When the |
Investigation has been completed and
he proofs secured the movement
must not be allowed to drag The
must be pushed vigor-
'usly and expeditiously.
"To the leaden heel of justice may
,e traced more of the opposition TO
hese erusades than TO any other
ause.
zone of the most powerful weap-
ms against graft, seldom If ever
ised, Is a suit to recover the property
This Is perhaps
nore effective than criminal prose-
utions because it does not arouse
for the family of the ac-
used who. though innocent, suffers
isgrace when the head OF the family
J imprisoned.
'The community that wants no
raft can stop 1t. the community
hat tolerates graft wants graft, and
hereforc In the last analysis the in