Omaha daily bee., 1911-03-05
MOVE AGAINST The SCALPERS
Funkhouser Says if Comptroller Does
Not Act the Council Will
VoLUME on BUsMEss nDIENsE
~ said 20 BE Even Greater &c the
Court House Than at the city
HAN - Treasurer Furny
Hooks the Game.


Unless city Comptroller Fred Cosgrove
issues an order TO his employees prohibit
ing them from handling assignments Of
warrants, a resolution to this effect VIII
be introduced into the city council.
Councilman Funkhouser declared satur-
day morning he would introduce the reso-
luton II Cosgrove refused and he would
give the members OF the council chance
to go on record as to whether they favored
paying FOR an employe whose duty II is
to protect loan sharks in the practice Of
loaning money TO city employees at usrriuus
rates OF interest.
The business has reached such a volume
that more than one-half the time Of Clerk
Crlckmore Is required to attend TO the
details of the assignments, such as filing
them and then protecting the warrants
when they come through. Comptroller
Cosgrove stated Saturday morning mat
more than half of Crickmore's time Is
taken up in this way, though Crickmore
denies this, saying that he can do the work
in a day or two at the most
In his determination to rid the city hall
OF loan sharks Funkhouser has the back
ing of Councilman Lee Bridges, who states
that he will support Funkhouser's resolu-
! ton to the last ditch.
]
practice of handling assignments, has pre-
vailed in the office for years, stated Satur-
day morning that he would take no inn
mediate action toward the elimination of
! the practice
| When / get my office i'm shape. I will
take up this matter along with others
which have come to my notice said Cos
grove. But for the present l will not
do anything other than to make a state
ment that the practice will be taken care
of in time"
win you issue an order for the office
force to quit handling these assignments
at the present time? You admit the prac-
tice prevails" Cosgrove was asked.
May Act Later.
Not at the present time, replied the
comptroller. Il will take some actor
later"
They say there is no solution for tn,
evil" said Councilman Funkhouser. 9TH,
solution is so simple that l am surprised
that it has never been done. All the comp
troller would have to do would be to issue
an order prohibiting his department from
the handling of these assignments. If ht
does not do this on his own initiative,
! will put 1t up to the council in the form
of the resolution. II the city fathers wan
to sanction the maintaining Of a depart
ment for the aid of the loan sharks at tn
expense of the people they can do it. But
will never be done with my vote.
THE practice has grown to such an eX
tent that the different departments con
cerned are bothered to death by thes
pests who infest the city hall. 1t ha
not been so very long ago that Treasure
Furay literally kicked one loan shark GU
of his office for insisting that Furay Civ
the time of his employees to further tn
sharks in their business.
but once the sharks find that they ar
not going to get the aid and protection
of the city, they will quit the business
They won't take the chances If they know
they have no protection, other than thei
own efforts" h#t|
Z Furry solves Problem.
I Treasurer Furay has solved the problem
as far as his office is concerned. For