Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-06-26
Does 1t Hurt a City to Prosecute Its
ROodlprSr

The Good Government league of San
Francisco has addressed the following
communication to the editors of metro
politan newspapers:
During the past three years San
Francisco has undertaken to punish
its criminals, high and low, rich and
poor, without prejudice. In doing so,
it has reached into the biggest circles,
ksocial and financial. Men high in the
business world have been indicted and
prosecuted with great vigor.
THE argument has been used that
these prosecutions are hurting bust
ness, and that therefore they should
be discontinued Here at close range
we possibly cannot obtain clear
view of the situation. We are there
fore DESTROYS of obtaining consensus
of national opinion, and are writing to
of the country for the plApose of ascer-
tanning the editorial attitude of their
respective papers on this vital subject
with particular reference to the fol
lowing:
"1-Does the prosecution of wealthy
persons charged with civic crimes in,
jure business; or does it improve the
financial standing of city in the eyes
of outside investors? Why?
"2-Would San Francisco profit fl
financially by abandoning the present
prosecution; or would it be to the per
iaJ nd Of he oft 4
to prosecute to final determination
the indicted 'higher-ups' sO-called
Why?"
| The bank clearings are the only
comprehensive evidence bearing or
the question The Philadelphia Record
replies by citing the cases of Boston
and Pittsburg, in both of which cities
vigorous prosecutions for graft have
been conducted against the men higher
up. as well as the men lower down
and with splendid results to the cause
of justice. philadelphia the Record
says, has attempted no recent prose
cution of it's boodlers, and it has no
| even resisted them at the polls serious
ly for nearly four years. The banl
clearings in this city last year wer,
fore. In Pittsburg they fell furthe
in arrears, being 24.S behind the pre-
vious year, but in Boston they wer,
only 9S per cent behind 1907. In tn,
shrinkage of bank clearings the cit.
that has had no housekeeping stand
1 hot hn ttxrO hi har,
been trying to punish. the boodler
For five months of this year the BAN
Clearings in this city were 1877 pc
tcent better than year ago; those il
lPittsburg were only Al better than
year ago, while those in Boston wer
20.2 per cent better. Again Philadel
phia ranks between Boston and Pitts
burg, and all we can say is that tn
iron business was badly hit by the re
cent depression"
To ask the questions is to sanswe
them. There never was a crusade il
behalf of justice and good morals blu
it was deprecated because of selfish in
tcrest. The men of Babylon Offered
their virgin sisters on the market place
once year as means of maxim.
Babylon great commercial center
And Babylon persisted from its owl
corruption. There never was crusade
in behalf of civic purity but some seller
of silks and ribbons, of powder ant
rouge, of wines and liquors, and some
landlord protested that to clean out the
bad resorts would hurt business. There
never was scourge Of contagious dis
ease but the newspapers were appeal
ed to to suppress reference to the