The Washington herald., 1910-05-08

Recent and current revelations Of graft
brought out by legislative committees in
New York. Ohio and other states have
caused many TO think that graft is ex-
clusiveIy a product OF modern business
and conditions, says a writer I'm the New
York Evening Post That graft Is wide
spread has been evidenced by the dis
closures before numerous legislative in
vestigations and executive officials, but
1t is an error 10 believe that the bribery
Of public officials Is comparatively new IN
the history Of the United States, or for
that matter. in that OF almost every other
country. Nor. also, as a matter OF fact
lis undertaking" a modern development
Three centuries before Mr. Roosevelt. as
President. classified the art Of muckrak-
ing II was vigorously in practice by illus
triOus royal officials IN America
There Is appearing Just now a series Of
volumes by Gustavus Myers on The His
tory OF the Great American Fortunes &c
Two Of these have just been published.
and the third is 10 be issued next month.
Original research and present a vast Sc
ries Of facts from public documents.
When Mr.. Myers History Of Tammany
Hall" appeared some years ago general
Iastonishment was caused by the facts he
presented showing how the very founder
OF Tammany Hall. William Mooney. was
dismissed from Office FOR corruption. and
how Tammany leader after Tammany
leader stole or embezzled public money
There was. in particular the case OF
Samuel Swartwout. who, il came out in
llS3S, had robbed the government. in his
capacity Of collector Of the port Of New
York, OF the enormous sum OF 8, DO, 705 So
Began in Early Days.
But graft on a huge scale had begun
Hong before Tammany's foundation, and
long previous 70 the formation Of the re-
public. as Mr.. Myers shows in his His
tory Of the Great American Fortunes.
This work gives the fullest citations
from indisputable public documents.
The bribery OF public officials and con-
lsequent political and private graft began.
IL seems. with the very settlement OF the
country. In Volume I Mr. Myers tells
how. when the Earl OF Beuomont was ap-
pointed captain general OF Massachusetts
Bay New York. and other British prov
.inces. he found. upon his arrival at New
York, an elaborate system Of graft. On
June @. 100. he wrote 10 the Lords OF
Trade that Col Samuel Allen. who
claimed TO own the whole Of what is now
the State Of New Hampshire. had offered
him a bride OF $1,000 IN money II he
I(Bellomonu would confirm the claim.
But I thank Cod" Bellomont wrote I'm
his communication that I had no: the
least tempting thought to accept Of the
.offer, and 7 hope nothing in this world
win ever be able 20 tempt me 10 betray
England in the least degree"
Graft for Estates.
In his further communications 20 the
British government the Earl OF BeTo-
mont gave the facts as 10 how a number
Iof enterprising individuals had secured
vast estates 10y bribing his predecessor.
Gov. Fletcher. According TO Bellomont.
capt John r y Evans Of the royal
war ship Richmond had obtained for
bride Of 600 a grant Of land running
forty miles one way and thirty another
Ion the west bank Of the Hudson River.
Nicholas Rayard. who was accused Of
being Fleacher's Eo-betweeu i'm arranging
with the sea pirates the price that they
Should pay for Fletcher's protection. was
lanother favored parsonage. He received
a land grant forty miles long and thirty
broad on both sides Of Schoharie Creek.
Col William Smith obtained a grant or
nearly forty miles Of beach on Long Is
land. and made an income Of $500 a year.
the proceeds Of whales taken there Hen
~ Beekman secured q grant OF tract
sixteen miles IN length In Duchess Coun-
~, and also another estate running rvcn-
" miles along the Hudson and eight
miles inland. Fletcher also gave Peter
Schuyler and others a grant fifty miles
long in the romantic Mohawk Valley q
grant which, wrote Bellomont. the No
hawk Indians have often complained Of
These were some Of the big estates GRE
ated by what BeUomont described in his
communication Of November q. 100. 10
the Lords OF Trade as "Col. Fleacher's
Iintolerable corrupt selling away the lands
OF this province" Fletcher. Bellomont
wrote had prohted richly from these cor
rUpt grants. He got In brides II was
charged, at least e4O0o. which. consid-
ering the purchasing power Of money at
the time. was a considerable sum.
An EHrIy 'lIuCkrnker.1
! BeIlomont tried hard 10 conascate these
estates He was the great ''muckraker''
OF his time. on November o. 1900 he
wrote to the Lords Of the Treasury: II
can supply the King and all his donIn-
/ ions with naval stores. except fax and
hemp, from this province and New
Hampshire. but then your Iordships and
/ the rest Of the ministers must break
through Col. Fletcher's most corrupt
grants Of all the lands and woods Of this
province, which, think. is the most I'm
ipudent villany I ever heard or read Of
/ any man"
! But Bellomont had little success. When
he demanded OF the assembly OF New
York that it annul the corrupt land
grants he found that the most powerful
members OF the assembly were the very
men who had bribed Fletcher for huge
land grants. They thwarted Bellomont
al every turn. A few minor land grants
were annuled. but the largest were left
intact Despairing Of getting a self-inter-
IesteG assembly TO act. Bellomont wrote
10 the Lords Of Trade:
IF your lordships mean I shall go on
/ 20 break the rest Of the extravagant
grants Of land by Col. Fletcher or other
governors, by act Of assembly, I shall
stand in need Of a peremptory order from
the King so 10 do" \ month later he
insisted to his superiors at home that II
they intended that the corrupt and ex-
uavagant grants should be confiscated.