The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-09-15

Il ask any honest man to 70 down
and look at the highways IN Long Is
land. And they are but a sample OF
the highways from here to Buffalo.
State heads Of departments, and dis
honest engineers, found drunk in every
tavern throughout the state while the
work al going on, passed all kinds OF
fraudulent work.
"I have myself seen within a year
| roads put down on Long Island at the
| highest price, which were perfect
wrecks at the end Of three months.
They We're mere crusts. They were
done by these favored contractors,
who had their favored engineers ap-
| pointed to pass upon the work.
tThis is now rifle throughout the
whole state. But Governor Sulzer
broke all Of these rascally contracts
where the work vas to, have begun
| last spring. That is probably their
biggest spite against him. The state
roads are i'm a frightful condition.
"The people Of this city will have to
decide whether that condition Of
things shall be resorted here in this
city. I have absolutely freed the de-
partments here from all such graft.
"The enmity now being displayed
by these so-called leaders has been
growing during all this time against
me. If the people of the city want to
restore all this villany, let them do it.
At all events, I I'M able to go out OF
Office with it known Of all men that
I did not turn the city yer to the
spoil Of these scoundrels who have no
honest means Of making a living. They
live by swindling their neighbors out
of the hard-earned taxes they pay. p
"And then I took the police outhof
their hands. It was customary for
fhano fo ho7ra fhair ia NOrpH "a T1faipS+
and even inspectors, and also police
men to do their bidding. They had
the police captains and policemen
transferred to suit them.
'It was customary for a pompons
district leader to sit in the rear room
of some saloon, where his head
quarters were, and give orders to his
police captain, and his wardman, and
even to the inspector of his district.
: Took Away Police.
ct took thai all away from them.
And / proceeded against the gambling
houses and worse houses that thrived
under their protection and influence
And the result was that they made
their enmity toward me public by
means of the corrupt press Of the
city.
II did the same with the fire depart
nlent. No politician in this city can
get a, fireman or a policeman trans
ferred under any condition whatever.
l took these two departments abso-
lutely out of the hands of these COR
rupt scamps. 1t brought their enmity
and abuse upon me, and SO powerful
are they, with their press agents n
their news writer's, that they were
able to attack me through the corrupt
press of the city and embarrass me in
my work
81 also, at the very beginning of my
administration, laid down the rule that
appointments and promotions in the
police department and the fire depart
ment should be only by taking the
highest man on the list every time.
"The old way was to certify at least
three to the appointing officer, and
then these miserable scamps would
get all three to pay them on the repre-
sentation that they would be able to
get the appointment. Only one would
be appointed, but they kept his money
and restored the money to the other
two.
at was a dirty game they could not
lose at. The captains were paying as
high as $4,000 for appointment. The
same thing was On in the fire departs
ment! / took all this graft away from
these corrupt so-called, leaders. No
wonder they attack me.
mo wonder they are ferocious
against me. They have. had four lean
and hungry years. Yes, the McCooeys
and the Foleys and the Murphys and
the Donohues and the whole bunch
have had four lean and hungry years.
II have entered into no quarrels
with them. I had no time to. quarrel
with them. I simply went on and did
my work from day to day, AND / kept
their heads out of the public treasury
and out of the contracts by which they
reached the public treasury. it,
ut is only a few years ago thai you
could not get a claim or contract
through the controllers Office for pay
ment unless you went to your district
leader and begged him to help
and paid him a percentage. Your
claim would be tiled up there from day
to day, from week to week, and from
month to month. Some fellow in the
corridor would accidentally say to you,
Why don't you go to your district
leader?' He would seem to be so dis
interested about it that you would
hardly suspect the sort Of rascal he
was. Iii. .'..3. -, 3D.
g.. The Leaders Graft.
"And finally you would go to your
district leader in desperation and give
illHl D per cSIlL OF ulOIG,. anu lie WOulu
have it through the controllers office
for you and a check in your hands, in
a trice. That grating has all been
done away with.
But I cannot now go into these
things thoroughly, nor into more
things. I shall have much to say aabout
these things before election day, how
ever, and if the rentpayers and tax
payers of this Town want that sort OF
looting government restored, let them
just walk up to the polls and do it.
II am ready to quit. The Murphy
Gaffney city contracts were a scandal
before I became mayor. Whether I
remain in the mayors Office for four
years more of dreadfully hard work,
and continued moral assassination
day by day, concerns the rentpayers
and taxpayers of the city more than it
concerns me"
The Mayors Departure.
The utmost secrecy was cast about
the mayors intentinos. Eight detec-
tives, including the mayors police
aide, Lieut.. William Kennel; head
quarters men, special agents of the
International Mercantile marine, and
dock department employees guarded
him closely, SO that non but those
in his Immediate party could approach
within speaking distance of him. 1t
was evident that no chances were to
be taken OF a repetition of the scene
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