The Washington herald., 1912-11-24
YOUNG EDITOR MANAGES FIGHT AGAINST
BOODLING ATLANTIC CITY COUNCILMEN
Frame Up" Deal to @Get the Goods" on Graft
ers-C Contractor Driven from Country.
By JAMES b. MORROW.


Atlantic City, N. J.. Nov. 2s.-A news
the bribe-takers of Atlantic City. Tit
story of their achievements and strata
gems, in many of its sensational details
is here to be told for the only time
William ]. Burns invented and carried
out the plot, but Harvey Thomas. editor
of the Morning Review, brought him in,
to the case and managed the finances Of
the hunt.
Back of them, unseen but not unsus.
pected, were the rich hotel-keepers slons
the Boardwalk-Quakers for the most
part. who had suffered extortions fol-
years and who, spending immense sums
OF money to advertise the. town as 9
safe and proper summer home fol-
women and children, saw blacklegs and
bunco-steerers welcomed and abetted by
grefters and politicians When they
complained, their taxes were increased.
Then one day, so runs local belief,
they bought the Morning Review. Any
way, the Oldest newspaper in the place
fell into strange hands. Harvey Thorn
as, nervous, tall, lean. long-faced and
large-nosed man came down from Tren-
ton as president and editor. He had
worked on the Newark News for T.
years and had been a correspondent
at the State capital 1t, was known that
he and ]. Franklin Fort, then Governor
OF New Jersey, were cousins. Also. in
time. 1t was learned that his father had
been q Baptist minister, which informa-
ton, no doubt, caused the grafters some
merriment-
The Review is run in Harvey Thomas
name. He has never said that the
Quaker hotel keepers are his hackers.
Loans at the banks, when he can get
EhaW1 a. -. Iwr
understands that I am poor" he said
to me. Il have associates in the pub
fishing business. Their identity, how
ever, is Of no consequence They have
never hesitated in supplying me with
money. Burns and his detectives were
paid $1,000 Three times that sum has
been spent already. But the results. we
think, have been worth the outlay"
Seemed Quiet and Harmless.
The grafters looked on young Mr..
Thomas-he is thirty-six years of age
with indifference or humorous curiosity.
They had ruled the town for a quarter
of a century and had beaten the hotel
keepers more than once in a battle for
supremacy. Likewise they had brought
repeaters from Philadelphia when they
were in doubt about an election or want
ed to emphasize a victory. Phantom"
voters-4,000 of them in one year-had
their names duly written in the books of
registry. Matters were tight and secure,
in the opinion of the boodlers.
Besides, Mr.. Thomas seemed to be
quiet and harmless personality. His
voice was low. his manner unobtrusive,
and no boast or threat ever foretold his
policy. The grafters did not know that
he is fearless, shrewd, tireless, and pug
nacious, Publicly, here in Atlantic City,
he has been the only local man conspicu-
ously known in the war against bribery
and other forms of municipal debauchery.
THE truth shall make you free" he
tells his readers every morning. Such is
his banner. and alone, seemingly, he has
borne II in among the tents and horses
of his adversaries. No man can scare
him; none hereabouts can match him in
energy, intelligence. and sagacity.
81 like Louis Kuehnle in some re-
spects," he said, speaking Of the boss
who has administered the politics of
Atlantic City for twenty years. and who
was indicted, tried, convicted. and SEN
fenced to pay a fine of 81, 200 and to
serve twelve months in the penitentiary
Il like him." Mr.. Thomas continued
because he speaks to me when he meets
me in the street and always sends me
word when he has ordered or caused
some merchant to stop advertising in
the Review It will be seen, there
fore, that Harvey Thomas respects per-
son who fights in the open and is manly
enough to salute his antagonist and that
he is something of a philosopher him
self.
Smoked Out by n Question.
'I had meant to print an independent
newspaper" he told me at the beginning
of his dramatic story. Readers with
questions I said, might send them in
and I would answer all inquiries candidly
and fairly A man asked me about con-
ditons in Atlantic City. My reply COM
mitted the Review politically. 1t was
hostile. showed, to Kuehnle and his
crew. So the struggle began. i had
purposed to delay it for a time. Sew
eral years previously an agitation to
prevent liquor selling on Sunday had
been started in various parts Of New
Jersey. Criticism was centered on At
lantic City, although the excise law
was being violated just as frequently
and openly in Jersey City Newark, and
elsewhere
when a man or a municipality is at
tackled for one delinquency other mis-
deeds are likely to be discovered and
exploited. Gov. Fort said that he would
send the militia here and shut the sa-
looms at the point of the bayonet il the
local officials refused to do their duty. |
were closed for two or three Sundays, |
after which liquor flowed as freely as
before. Men said that people came here
to have a good time, as they .phrased
it, and that If they were restrained as
to their appetites some other place |
would get their patronage and business
in Atlantic City would be seriously |
damaged.
Thus, as it happened, all New Jer-
sey began to look in this particular d. |
rection Old complaints, long unheeded, |
were dragged into the discussion over |
the excise question. The big hotel
keepers along the Boardwalk pay most /
of the taxes with which the city is sup
ported. Yet they were never permitted
to have any representation in the gov
eminent of the municipality. II they
nominated some one he would invariably /
fail to be elected and up would go their
taxes-the assessments on their property,
YOU understand-which meant, of course,
that the gang took that method of in
ficting punishment on those who med
died in matters that didn't concern
them.
One Hotel Pays $4,000 Taxes.
I'm 1909, for example, the hotelkeepers
ran Daniel s. White. one Of their own
number, for city councilman. Mr.. White
is a Quaker, and a man of means and
high character. The gang beat him.
Frauds, 1 think. were committed on
both sides. Indeed, that election was es-
specially scandalous. The following year
a assessments on all the best hotels were
advanced 20 per cent. In the meanwhile
the bonded debt had been increased ST.
900 o0O-which is rather large for place
- aaa IL. E.ax 1