Great Falls tribune., 1922-04-24
The HQski,1 Letter
THE HIGH GRADE CRATER

Washington, April 21.-There are
great many ways Of making money
without working for it and without
giving anything real for the money re-
ceived. There are the time-worn gold
brick schemes and other hoary old
| tricks Of the past of which, however.
the public generally never appears to
become aware, because they 60 on and
| on turning in rich harvests Of gold to
| the crooked promoters and minapula-
tors.
Washington, rather than New York,
| probably furnishes the best field for
| this kind of dishonest work of a high
grade-n that term can be applied to
it. In the unpublished history of
Washington for the past 80 or 40
years, it it could be written, are some
amazing and often amusing incidents
of this sort.
One source of revenue has sprung
from the fact that often there come to
| congress men of wealth who have little
else to commend them. One of these
men-and he did not come from the
Broadway and Forty-second street
was SO gullible that he paid good
round sum to INSCRIPTIONS men he met
to buy the influence and good will
Of certain Washington newspapers
Needless to say, the newspapers did
not know that their friendship was
being sold on the streets Of Washing
ton, and it thev exhibited any good
will toward this particular man it was
by saying nothing about him.
.Another-and in this one members
of congress figure as Wells to secure
the introduction of some resolution or
bill proposing drastic actions or laws
of some kind. Then the alarm is
Golfers of the originator of the scheme,
who organizes O society to fend off
the awful threat contained in the piece
Of proposed legislation. It can be as
sumed that the congressman is lnno-
cent of dupGcity in this matter. Mem
berships in the society are sold, prob
ably at dollar apiece.
There is another case Of a consider
able amount of money being made out
Of diplomatic appointment: When
this occurred this particular dlplo-
matte post was going begging. No one
seemed to want it. There was a gen.
ditions existing then, no one could
glory in the position.
In this situation, the man who ulti-
| mately made money out Of the deal
suggested to the wife of a certain
wealthy man that he seek the appoint
! ment. Then the manipulation gave
careful directions how to proceed. Dim
ners must be given, with a carefully
selected guest list. No mention must
be made of the vacant post i'll the
diplomatic corps. All of this was
done. In the meantime, this manip
ulator, who really did have certain
standing and influence here, had
ascertained beyond doubt that the
post would go to anyone who so much
as intimated that he would accept it.
Naturally, the dinners meant moth
ing. That was just to make the thing
look hard. and as if influences were
at work under the surface to obtain
the job. At the proper time the ap-
pointment was made. BY prior ar
rangement-not with the man ap-
pointed. but with his wife-the manip
ulator Of this thing was paid a sum
rumored to be not less than $4,000.
All of these things-most Of them,
at any rate-are quite within the law.
the operations It is just slick" work.
event that was to occur in a Latin
American country in which the Ameri-
can government has been forced to take
a sort Of elder brotherly interest. Dis
orders were feared. 1t was felt that
only the United States could guard
against this One faction of the poll
ticians in this country had a private
representative in Washington. He
sought out an obscure but supposedly
influential man to help him. This man
did have a wide acquaintance, and was
able to ascertain quickly that the Amer
ican government had made up its mind
months before to take the desired ac-
ton This man had to make the job
look hard, of course, and made daily
reports of fancied developments to
the representative of the LatinAmeri-
can country. In the fullness Of time,
the thing for which he had been en-
gagged naturally transpired, and he col
lected his fee-that is, he got half of
it. Some hitch developed, and it was
his frenzied efforts to get the rest
that brought the transaction to the at
ention Of few people. at least.
There is we'll remembered case
of newspaper man in Washington
ileges which all of them enjoy. Nat
Washington often are tho possessors
Of information in confidence which
would be of great value to certain cor
porations if they could learn it in ad-
vance Of general publication. A con
gressional investigation brought out
corporations, at least in the samehra
this mans connections. He was draw
ing down. in retaining fees from big
corporations. sum in the neighbor-
hood Sf $4,000 a year. an excellent
income for any newspaper man.
Publicity Ruined His Job
Naturally, throwing the light of pub
licity on this mans efforts made him
of no further use to these corporations,
at least in the same capacity. and the
newspaper with which he had been con
nected soon let him go. But in the
meantime he had accumulated nice
little nest egg. enough to permit him
to start a perfectly honest business
in which he is reported to be doing
nicely.
To return to Latin-America. the in
cident related few paragraphs above
was trifling compared to the '.clean
up made by another man in Wash
~ A