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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 1904)
Joe Folk, the Boodle Fighter & l:''t s ....... .iSi n- 4 ' - . -, , , . . . . j':-jAz 3L: , :.fk.:- -; I , -; ; '- " . ' .-. '''.- rtiVj i . I I H :,?- : ..'jiS- ''p' .- i .hit, . v;-; -'V''w.'' v'-- ' sr L - 55r . - fci'ii imM -ivTMi iiiii ! 1 1 mi f iiiii ill ml ll in n l iilii i 111 i imi 1 1 nu ll nl i iimhiiiii i m il mi 1 1 ir JOSEPH W. POLK. Photo by Strauss, St. Louis; Copyright, 1908. fCoprightrd, 1504, -y Frank O. CBrpfntpr.) S, "IT. I.oriS, Auk. 2D (Spidal Cor rnrondprro of The Hee.)-I rsma to Ht. Iul3 to ?e Jcsi-iti W. ',"". yunK Tennfsee hcrcu- los who Is trjln to cin Ihi AuRrun nt;ilili' of tl.ls buodling inimicl pnllty and tmodllriR xtalc. A youiiK ninn, a poor man nnd a stranKT for he rntup to Bt. I.ouIb but a fnv yearn bro he has been flKhtlnjc the millionaire of the elty, many Cf whom belong Id this old famillefl; he ba roulpd the. boodlers who are ready to spend millions to down him and has already a corn of them In the penitentiary nnd o'h crs awaiting trial. Mr. Folk has mad4 boodlltiK a crime In the eyes of Mhwouil-tns. He stands before the people as the repre sentative lighter BKal'iHt It and has ! c mi candidate for governor upon that Issue lone, lln promlsea, If elected, to purify th state lelHluture and state politli H and his friends think him the coming man for president of the United States on a similar Issue In 1908. Kefore I give you my talk with Mr. Fi lk let me show you the man. I have hud a good chance to study him, for I spent last Bunday evening with him at his huse on Jelmar avenue. He lives In a rented two story cottage, worth perhaps $5,000, which stands nut In strong contrast to the great mansions of tho boodlers farther up town, lie received mo In his library on the sec ond floor, a little room with a storo of good books. There wns luugliing and rhatllrg In the parlor as I entered the hou.-o, and Its surroundings were thoso of peace and. ffondfcllowshlp rather than of a r-.. n hated by nnd fighting agninst one of '.i8 s trongest parties of both city and Btte. Mr. Folk Impresses me is a ir.an who keeps himself well In hand. He is not nervous. He looks healthy, and I doubt whether he knows he has a stomnch. He Is all force, nnd bis wholo capital, physical nd menial, Is ever at his command, lie has tho Iron Jaw of a fighter, reminding me at times of Napoleon, McKinlcy and Bamunl J. Randall. Indeed, he looks much like Bum Ilandnll. He has a dark face, a big head, broad and full over the eyes, a big nose nnd big, outstanding ears. His eyes are large and full, smiling at ordinary times, but Hashing fire when ho discusses the outrages which the boodlers have per petrated upon Missouri nnd his determina tion to down them. He Is clean-cut, drcsse Well and looks well. Mr. Folk Is a young man. He was born In Tennessee thirty-four years ago and graduated In 1S90 from the Vanderb It uni versity at Nushvllle. Ho came to St. Iouls to practice law. and was doing well when be got Into politics. I don't thing Folk aimed at a political career. He wanted to be a lawyer, and used polities as a side Issue. He was a outherner, however, and the southerner ucks In politics with his mother's milk. The bpys discuss polities In tho schools and Folk took to the stump before he was out of colli go. As soon ns he settled In Bt. I,ouls ho became Interested In Its poli tics and threw himself Into tho fight for the love of It. Then there was a street car fight, and the strikers nuked him to net for them. He did so, nnd a little later he wns made the candidate for circuit or district at torney. He was elected, and It then be came his duty to look Into tho administra tion of the city and Its legislative enact ments. Ho had been chosen to prosecute thieves nnd criminal. Others nnd been choren before, but they hnd discriminated In such prosecutions. Folk enme Into ofllet with a new pair of eyeglasses. He could Sot see tho difference between a million aire and a pauper, between a pulltlilun or a boodler and the ordinary citizen. Among tho first criminals nrrested were some Il legal voters of his own party. It K03 announced that they would be prosecutiil nnd the boodlers were thunder struck. Colonel Fd Hutler, their chief, a man who had started life as n horseshoir and mail'- millions ns a ring politician, called upon Folk for explanations, saying: "Why, Mr. Folk, these men voted for you; you don't mean you are going to prosecute them7" "I certainly do mean It," replied Folk. "There I no reason why I should not do so lircnuse I have been benefited by tin Ir wrongdoing. I had nothing to do with their voting illegally. Suppose I were vice presi dent of the I'nlted Slates and the presi dent should be nssasslnated, nnd 1 should thereby become president, would you have me not prosecute the assassin because tho act made me president? I certulnly will prosecute them," and prosecute them he did. That was tho beginning. Folk extended bis prosecutions to the boodlers themselves, and he has uncovered one of the greatest sinks of municipal corruption ever known to the United States. He says he beljsvej that other cities sre eoually bud and that the purification which Is now going on In Bt. I.nuts will be grndunlly extended to other parts of the country. In these Investigations Vr. Folk found that millions had been spent for votes. In our talk Sunday night he told numerous torles, describing how the city had been robbed, citing Instance after Instance of normous boodllug. Said he: Tor twenty years past 8t Louis has been In the hands of a ring just large enough to control the city legislature and override the mayor's veto, and this ring bus levied blackmail upon every license, privilege and franchise granted by the city. Laws have been unblushlngly sold to the highest bidder. The ring has tried to sell the waterworks, the courthouse and the union market for Its own enrichment. Nothing has been safe from Its avarice, not even the newer pipes In the ground. It hus had Its regular schedules of bribe prices, based upon what each business would stand, ranging from a few hundred dollars for a switch bill to thousands of dollars for a franchise. Indeed, I believe as much ns $10,000, COO has been paid out in blackmail on such accounts. "The business has been done by a con tinuous gang of nineteen and their sub ordinates," continued Mr. Folk. "It took nineteen votes to control the city council, and these nineteen men passed upon what legislation should be enacted and how much they should be paid for each act or franchise. At one time the combine re ceived $47,500 for an ordinance to light tha city. The bargain was made on the floor of the bouse of delegates and tho money was handed over to one of the combine. After voting the nineteen met at the house of one of their numler, nnd the host sat at the piano and played 'Home, Sweet Home,' while the money was distributed In $2,300 lots." I nwked Mr. Folk about tho Central Trac tion deal of ll!)x, out of which a New York promoter mado almost' $1,000,000. He re plied: "That was for a franchise which covered nearly all the street railways of the city. JThe promoter, a man named Snyder, gave $J50,W0 in bribes to tho municipal assembly to get It. Ho paid twenty-five out of the twenty-eight memlters of the bouse of del egates $a,0U) each and the seven members of tho council from $10,000 to $17,000 each. Ono councilman took J-lfvlOO from other parties to vote ngaiiwt the franchise, but returned it when ho found that he could get $.Vi,Ouo from tho promoter to vote in Its favor. He gave back the first amount, Baying ho did not think he could honestly eiirn It. That franchise was sold by the promoter for $1 ,C5o,Ooi, so that ho made, a rlean million out of tho transaction. The pity did not receive ono cent, fur all tha streets given away." "That was the case In which Uthoff fig ured, was It not?" "Yes," wns the reply. "I'thoff wns the man who got $r0,noo for his vote nnd gave back the $-'5,000 which the opposing parties had given him to vote for them. The pro moter, however, hod promised UthofT $100,000 upon his saying that $50,000 was not enough, and with this understanding Uthoff gave him back the $50,000, expecting to get $100,000 the next morning. "That night the promoter left for New York, taking all the money with him. Uthoff had voted for the bill and had nothing. Ho took a pistol and followed the promoter to New York. They met at the Waldorf hotel, and there, under the Influence of a bottle of champagne. Uthoff was made to compromise his claim of $100.- 000 for $5,000 cash. At the same time he signed a statement that he knew the pro moter was not corrupt, and that he be lieved he would bo as far from offering a brile as ho (Uthoff) would be from accept ing one If offered." One of the queer cases described by Mr. Folk during our conversation was the at tempted bribery of a man named Meier In the central traction bill. The promoters thought they could carry the franchise without Meier, but thoy wanted his vote In caso one of the other boodlers failed them. Thoy went to his son and handed him $."i0,0iX, saying: "My boy, we are nut sure of our majority, and if we need your father's vole we are willing to pay for it. Give this money to him and tell him that ho is to vote for the bill If his vote Is re quired to pass it. In that ease he Is to keep the money, but if it Is not needed he can vote against the bill and you can re turn the money to us. The boy took the money. The vote was taken and his father's vote was not required. Thereupon the promoters asked young Meier for the $"0,000, but were refused In language some what like the following: "I don't Intend to give that money bnck. 1 did not give It to father, for that would be trying to bribe him, and I don't think you ought to have It for you have tried to i iso it to corrupt us. I think I will just keep It for myself." He did keep It, using It for a start in business. The conversation here turned to tho rulKMiintorial campaign, and I asked Mr. Folk what he would do if ha were elected. Ho replied: "If I become governor I shall see to It that bribery is exterminated In our state legislature. The first time a legislator takes a bribo I will send a message to the gen eral assembly asking for his Impeachment. I will not allow a corrupt lobby to exist at the legislature, and the day of the sand bagging legislator will be at an end. I shall use all my power to put corrupt men out of the party organization, and will do what I can to purify party politics. I shall recommend laws forfeiting franchises ob tained by bribery nnd protecting witnesses who testify in bribery cases. In short, I Intend to do all I can to wipe out brilxry and corruption in the state of Missouri." "Do you expect to Bee the anti-boodle Is sue extend to other states?" "I think It Is already doing so. rubllo sentiment In regard to such matters is changing, rot only Jn this state, bat throughout the union. Bribery Is becom ing a crime In the eyes of the people, and nearly every state Is now waging war against such corruption. Until our ex posures here a bribery caso was practically unheard of. Indeed, there Is hardly a score of cases in the court reports of the United States. We have had more prosecutions for bribery within the last ten years than within tho century back of them. The movement Is spreading to other countries and we are now negotiating with the gov ernments of Europe to close their terri tories against bribe-givers and bribe tak ers. Our treaty with Mexico has already been bo amended that that country will no longer be a haven of boodlers." "Will boodllug ever become a national Is sue?" "I do not know," replied Mr. Folk. "It certainly ought to be a national Issue. Its uppresslon means good government, and unless we can have that the country will go to ruin." "Give me, Mr. Folk," said I. "your Idea as to how bribery could be driven from the United States?" "It Is only by the creation of a healthy, honest public opinion," said Mr. Folk. "You may put the boodlers In prison, but as long as the people are not down upon them and their acts the business will continue to thrive. The boodlers must bo taught that boodling is bad politics ns well as bad morals; and the voters are tho only ones who can teach them this thing. In my work I expect everything of the people of Missouri. If they will help me I feel that X can do much to wipe out official corrup tion. But It Is the people who will have to do It." "Will you get the support of the demo cratic party In your fight?" "We shall have the Bupport of the better clement of it and we don't want that of tho corrupt clement. We hope 'to drive the boodlers from the democratic party and to make that party an example which will give aid and strength to democracy in every state of tho union. No party can be hurt by getting rid of bad men, nor by cutting off its rotten limbs. I am naturally a domocrat; my ancestors were democrats and I have never voted for a republican, except where one has been put upon the democratic ticket In St Louis by party bosses. I believe In the teachings of my party, and I believe above everything in the enforcement of the laws. I know there are democratic rascals, and in the enforce ment of the law I shall known no party." "Then you will not expect to have the Support of the machine ringleaders?" "We don't want the support of the St. Louis machine. I should hate to think I could carry certain wards here which are controlled by that machine. It is in the party for revenue only, and we do not want that kind of a support. If I cannot be come governor without promises to any one I prefer not to be governor. If I can not be free to do my duty as I see it to my party and to the people I would much pre fer to retire to private life. I have no fa vors to ask of the corruptlonists and no quarter to givo. I defy them. I have been fighting them for two years and will fight them to the end, and I believe that the democratic party and tho people will help me." "How can the public protect itself from the boodlers?" "They can do so by taking an Interest in politics, denouncing bribery and in voting to wipe It out. Every good citizen ehould go to the primaries. He should attend the precinct, ward and township meetings and see that honest men are nominated. Ninety-nine per cent of our people are honest, but the other 1 per cent of dishonesty is perniciously acting and working while tho other 99 Bleep. Wake up the S9, and there Is no fear of results. "And then the citizen should urge the enforcement of tho laws," continued Mr. Folk. "He should denounce bribery and assist in its detection. There should be a constant search for corruption, and this should be prosecuted without regard to the feelings of individuals. No honest man cam be hurt by Investigation, and no dishonest ono has any right to object because hLs misdeeds are made public. Publicity and enforcement of the law are the chief anti dotes for corruption. Boodlers can be pun ished by ballot ss well as by prisons. The first duty of every citizen Is to put an end to bribery In our public life. He ehould vote ngalnst It, talk against It nnd work against it. When tho people look upon boodling as they do upon ordinary stealing, and when the boodler Is punished like the ordinary thief, we shall be much further along on the road to purity In polities and to an honest city, state and national gov ernment." Fit A NIC. G. CAHPKNTER. lilopc liy Trolley Ralph Smelzer, a Lancaster (Pa.) busi ness man, returned from New York with his briilo, who was Miss Anna Mohn of Heading. Thoy were married In New York by Kcv. 8. L. Sanford. Miss Mohn's parents objected to their marrying becauaa of her youth, and friends watched the rail road stations at Heading to prevent her going away with Smelzor. The couple eluded the watchers by taking a trolley car out of Reading,