The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1913-07-15
THE BRiBE TAKERS
How Clique Of Corrupt City Fathers
Was Brought TO Book


bribers and bribe-t8kcrs I'm various
towns throughout TIE country has
been so well exploited that Il is un-
necessary for me TO say anything
about it here. l am COINS to tell the
actual story of how the ring Of choice
crooks, In the council and out who
had for years looted the city of Spring
vale finally were run to earth. sent 10
prison, or otherwise rendered innocu-
GUS and the political life of the city
purged for 4 time, at least
Springvale is not the real name of
the town. The case is too recent, and
there are too many raw threads Of it
still hanging about, TO permit tho uso
of the actual name. But shrowd read
ers. who have kept track Of bribery
stories in the newspapers I'm the last
year, may be able TO guess which OF
our cities il is that l am telling about.
II is typical case of the exposure Of
municipal corruption by outside detec-
tives and has been duplicated In
half dozen instances in other cities to
my own knowledge
Springyale had for years been what
q magazine writer once called cor
rupted and content" il was q busy
manufacturing town. II was prosper
Gus. That is. there usually was plenty
of work to be had for the working poo-
pie, plenty of business for tho mer-
chants, and plenty of money to be
handled by the local banks Most Of
this prosperity was due to the pres
ence of the factories in the town
These factories were In the hands Of
clique Of men who placed money
above all things. They would go TO
any length to make more mouey-and
one of the easiest ways for them to
make It was to violate the law. usual
ly in the form OF ignoring city ordl-
nances
Thus, there were violations OF the
child labor law, violations of street
ordinances, water ordinances. building
ordinances-in fact, violations of most
Of the article in the municipal code
applying to the regulation of factories
were TO be found in these establish
ments
Naturally these violations could not
be committed and continued. year
after year without being disturbed
without the coDnivance OF tho local
authorities The mayor the council
man the chief Of police. the building
commission ers, in fact. all the active
heads Of the city government. must
have Winked at the lawlessness of the
factory owners or the IGwlessncss
would have been stopped
Naturally, these heads u the local
government. being human, and lnost
of them politicians did not agree ts
wink so accommodatnely solely for
the good Of their health. They did it
Ior what there was in IT. Thus the
factories became n fertile source Of
corruption OF the city government Of
Springvale when a factory needed
tho stub end of street in its busi-
ness, on ordinance would go through
the council without any trouble he
cause the ways had been we'll creased
by the lactory's owner IF factory
wanted to tap a city water main and
use city water without having it me-
tered, It did IL. because the water de.
partment was fixed II q street car
line felt that it needed q residence
got in spite of the protests of prop
erty owners The city hall machinery
ran smoothly for the benefit of these
factory barOns because they controlled
the oil that made the machinery go.
The whole town, naturally. i'm time
came TO take its moral tone from this
influence. The banks were I'm on tho
deal The bank that contributed most
to the prosperity of the politicians was
the one that got the deposits of city
money Several big merchants fell in
line Special privilege had the town
by the throat; and while tho town
was prosperous in money matters it
was poverty-stricken In good citizen
ship
A few sterling citizens began to get
tired of this state of affairs. They
were men who believed that a city
I should be something besides n mere
machine for the manufacturing OF
money They believed that a city gov.
eminent should think first of the well
fare q, its citizens. and of the future
of children growing mp within its
walls They placed civic spiilt above
dollars and to- them was due the
cleaning up of Springyale.
one of them was q judge on the lo-
cal bench who had waged uncomprom-
Using war against the special interests
and corruption He was tie only
Judge in town who was not the biz
interests bound servant Then there
were two lawyers who had resisted
the temptations oi big fees offered
them to turn crooked. one banker one
minister. two 0r three merchants. two
or three others of various occupations.
and one old retired capitalist This
man was th backbone end The founda-
ti0n of Che crusade when this group
of publicsp.rtcd men bad determined
ON their course he quietly deposited
100000 cash OF DIS own money o. bc
used iu fIr'herue .hc campaign
twas tine action of the city council
.n passing au ordinance That deprived
.He city of % square that had been set
as.do for Improvement into little
park that brought ON the war. Tho
council calmly gave u's tract TO
railroad company for usc as switch.
'nr yard Tfr steal was $50 raw chat
fhe mayor who hitherto had been on
The fence, vetoed The ordinance. THE
council laughed and passed The ord-
nce over his veto Obviously mrro
was only ono answer 20 this. The rar-
road rGmrnuv faI rrrt. sr.o.. ,,.tth