Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-10-21
A PROSPECT AND SOME HISTORY.

Mabrays story of the processes
preparatory to establishing a big
store" in Council Bluffs is interesting
because it comes directly from a great
and successful organizer of crime and
criminals and as descriptive and ex-
planatory of how various crooked and
criminal schemes may be operated with
impunity over long periods. However
Mabrays expose is mainly of details
| Those who knew much OF circum-
that nothing but collision between
! wolves and watch dogs made 1t pos
sble for the Big Store gang to fleece
unnumbered Mikes after the fashion IN
which the Mabray outfit conducted
their business.
| Ben Marks, the gambler, who Ma
bray says collected a percentage for
police protection, has been reindicted
and appears to be in a fair way to go
TO prison for a considerable term But
Ben Marks indictment is only begin
IL
guilty suffer the consequences of eN-
ecutive suspension Of the statutes TO
permit a crowd of bunco men free OPP
Grafton. Back of Ben Marks and Ma
bray are the men higher up. the men
of powerful interest and strong influ-
ence who slyly take crooked profit
from the Marks and Mabrays but re-
fuse to share the open danger OF
crooked operation. Men like Ben
Marks and Mabray couldn't operate
day except thru collision Of allegedly
respectable and highly influential men
who secretly partner in their crooked
gain If Mabray is telling the truth
Marks should be sent TO prison but IL
simple justice is to be done his &C
completes in high station belong in ad-
joining cells.
The fact that George Cosson is be-
hind the prosecution affords hope that
the man higher up is not to escape. To
have a man like that in the attorney
generals office means a great deal to
the good name and cleanly repute Of
the state. Perhap s under the thumb
screws Marks may squeal as Mabray
scuealed. Ii so the prospects are all
for a cleaning up which will shake
Council Bluffs TO the center and jar
ether parts of the state
One of the negative services rem
dered Iowa by the standpat corpora
embarrass and defeat Cummins for
governor it pointed to lax liquor law
/ enforcement in Davenport and samb-
/ ling conditions in Council Bluffs ask
ing why reformers like Cummins and
Byers should not rightly enforce the
statutes. The governor and the attor-
! ney general accepted the challenge
( Tn result is history. out Of the
! prompt action of Cummins and Byers
/ came law enforc e-nent. The Cosson
! laws were written into the code as part
! Of the process of general enforcement
and no favor and Cosson succeeded his
chief in office on that platform and
by reason of those laws. The result of
/ the effort to put Cummins between the
deep sea of decency's disapproval and
the devil of an angry underworld was
/ TO give the state power and process to
clean up municipal plague spots from
! the middle of the Mississippi to the
middle of the Missouri. The Moon law
! came into existence earlier because Of
it. If ever political and personal malice
reacted that was the time. The engi-
neers went hosting skyward al the ex-
plosion Of their own petard
1t is time Council Bluffs underwent
a complete overha uling from the out
side. Conditions are such in that city
that she needs the aid of the attorney
general. And that official is George
On the Spot.