Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1919-07-26
Machine Collects From Police and
Firemen to Beat Marley and
Stonestreet.
Prisoners Don't Have To Stay in
Jail il They Care to Go
Elsewhere.
KEysTONER AND HIS UKELELE.

There was one class of citizens
not on the official welcoming COM
mittee who were glad to see our
near Mayor Smith come back from
his vacation this week, and this
class was none other than the Key
stone police, the chick" firemen and
the city employees in general. Their
| joy at Smiths homecoming was
with the expectation that he would
put stop to the heartless collectors
of political assessments. who are
holding uD the poor old KeystOners
for $50 each, the chick" firemen
$15, the higher officers and other
city employees in proportion. The
victims were hoping when the near
Mayor came back he would put a
stop to the political assessments, and
based their hope on the fact that
Immediately after his election he
went in person to the fire engine
house and told the firemen to please
stick to their jobs and not leave
the city in danger, and promised
that there never would be political
assessments under his reign.
Now here's chance for Smith
and the reformers of the Mems
Federation who are active for politi-
cal reform and stand sponsor for the
present administration. The local
Hert-Searcy machine is assessing the
police, firemen and city employees
for political purposes, and il Smith
wants to prove he is something more
than a near Mayor and If the Mems
Federation politicians want to prove
they are sincere i'm their reform let
them denounce the political assess
ments and holdups. Everyone knows
that the local Republican machine
collects a monthly payment for a
Republican League fund, but even
the poor old KeystOners and thick"
firemen were dumbfounded when
they were notified to kick in $40 in
lump. The collecting is done right
in the station and fire houses, and
when some of the boldest asked why
it was necessary to collect Re-
publican campaign fund If the party
had no contests, they were told the
money was to be used to beat that
niger Marley i'm the Tenth Ward
The collecting is sure causing gloom
among the Keystone police, especial
ly as they are now busy trying to
pay for their new uniforms. Many
of them say they wish they had kept
their jobs on the street cars, and
not fell for the allurement of being
a town constable .'by gum"
The machine leaders were also
anxious to have the near Mayor cut
his stay short with Big Boss Hert
and come home to whip some OF the
city employees in line who are taking
sides against the machine. In the
F, County Commissioners race the
machine is supporting Hunt and
Grinstead against G. G. Stonestreet
who is nephew of w. F. Woodruff,
former Democratic contributor to
the Republican machine. Now
| Woodruff wants a reward for his
services by the nomination of his
nephew, but the Hert-Searcy
machine said nothing doing. and
/ Woodruff Is lining up faction to
fight the bosses. In this he is as
sisted by Sheriff Will Ross. who is
on the black books of Chief Petty,
Paul Burlingame and others who
control the machine programme.
Ross has more Of following than
his enemies in the party and will
carry the fight to the machine In
every ward. Another disturbing ele-
ment is Representative Jack Thomas,
the barber i'm the Fifty-eight district,