The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-22
Frederick Haskin's Letter
fsheca correapondene
THE HIGH GRADE CRATER
tsbecaAl Correspondents Of The


making money without working for
it and without giving anything real
for the money received. 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 go on and on
turning in rich harvests of gold to
the crooked promoters and manip-
ulators.
Washington, rather than New
York, probably furnishes the best
field for this kind of dishonest
work of a high grade-if that term
can be rightly applied to it. In the
unpublished history Of Washington
for the last 80 or 40 years, ii it
could be written, are some amaz-
ing 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 backwoods, but from
very close to Broadway and Forty
second street-was so guIlible that
he paid a good round sum to I'M
scrupulous men he met to buy
the influence and goodwill of GER
tain Washington newspapers. Need
less to say, the newspapers did not
know that their friendship was be-
ing sold on the streets of Washing
ton, and if they exhibited any good
will toward this particular man, it
was by saying nothing about him.
Another-and in this one mem
bers of congress figure as wells
to secure the introduction of some
resolution or bill proposing dras-
Then the alarm is sounded, and
money often rolls into the Golfers
of the originator of the scheme,
who organizes a society to fend off
the awful threat contained in the
piece of proposed legislation. 1t
can be assumed that the congress-
man is innocent of duplicity in this
matter. Memberships in the So
ciety are sold, probably at a dollar
apiece.
There is another case of a con-
siderable amount of money being
made out of a diplomatic appoint
ment When this occurred this
particular diplomatic post was go
ing begging. No one seemed to
want it. There was a general i'm
preston that because of the condi-
tions existing there, no one could
acquit himself with much credit
and glory in the position.
Sure Thing Gambling.
In this situation, the man who
ultimately made money out of the
deal suggested to the wife of GER
tain wealthy man that he seek the
appointment. Then the manipula-
tor gave careful directions how to
proceed Dinners must be given.
with a carefully selected guest list.
No mention must be made of the
vacant post in the diplomatic corps.
All of this was done In the mean
time, this manipulation, who really
did have certain standing and in
ffuence here, had ascertained be-
yond doubt that the post would go
to anyone who so much as intimat-
ed that he would accept it.
Naturally, the dinners meant
the thing look hard, and as if influ
ences were at work under the sur
face to obtain the job. At the prop
er time the appointment was made.
By prior arrangement-not with
the man appointed, but with his
wife-the manipulation of this thing
was paid a sum rumored to be no
less than $4,000.
All of these things-most of them
at any rate-are quite within the
law. No criminal statute is frac-
tured by the operations. 1t is just
slick" work.
There is the instance of a GER
tain event that was to occur in a
country in which
the American government has been
forced to take a sort of elder
brotherly interest Disorders were
feared. 1t was felt that only the
United States could guard against
this. One faction Of the politicians
in this country had private rep
resentative in Washington. He
sought out an obscure but sup
posedly influential man to help him
This man did have wide acquaint-
ance, and was able to ascertain
quickly that the American govern
ment had made up it's mind months
before to take the desired action.
This man had to make the job look
hard, of course, and made daily re-
ports of fancied developments to