WHERE CORRUPTION IS KING.
The condition of municipal and state politics is set forth in the following editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle, of June 30. It shows also the small chance of justice being done where the political ring is in such well-nigh complete control. That Mr. Folk will ever be made governor is extremely unlikely. He would not have been made circuit attorney if the “boodle ring” had suspected he would take the stand he has. We quote:— The exposure and ruthless pursuit of the Missouri boodlers is disclosing the existence of a very grave condition of affairs in that commonwealth, and indicating the probability that conditions are equally bad in other places where they have not been brought to light. It is doing more than that. It is showing that honest service of the public by prosecuting officers, such as has been rendered by Circuit Attorney Folk, can only be given at the peril of the faithful official. Four years ago Joseph W. Folk was a young attorney of little prominence, who was nominated and elected prosecuting attorney for St. Louis on the regular boodle city ticket. He did not, we believe, seek the nomination, but was picked out as “available” by the machine and nominated on the general assumption that he would discharge the duties of his office in the usual perfunctory way. Long immunity had made the boodlers so bold that it did not occur to them that there would be any trouble in controlling any official. When elected he simply went ahead and did his duty for his client, as all attorneys ought to do it, and the world knows the rest. Money has not saved any man. Crimes were unearthed and proved, and the guilty convicted. Thus far, we believe, nearly all who have stood trial have been saved from the penitentiary by the courts, which many Missourians believe to be as corrupt as the St. Louis House of Delegates and the Missouri Legislature. As the result of all this Attorney Folk will be nominated for governor of Missouri and elected, a result absolutely forced by the people against every effort of the machine. He has even been spoken of as a presidential candidate, a position which he had the sense to absolutely refuse. Having thus become suddenly a large political factor, but without anything in the nature of a machine to support him, he has become the common target for the knocks, not only of the recognized boodlers, but for every man who calls himself a politician, and who therefore fights every man who will not in one form or another pay for support. It is said in St. Louis that the politicians of the state, even those assumed to be decent, are allied with the boodlers to belittle Mr. Folk in every possible way; to attack his faithful discharge of his duty as a political play to the mob, and to associate with him, on the state ticket, candidates who will be able to prevent him as governor from carrying on the work of purifying the state. Doubtless he has the people with him now, but the machine will be in action when the people have cooled off. Time will show whether he is strong enough to hold the people by the force of his own personality, and have his way regardless of a machine. It is unnecessary to say that the unabashed boodlers propose to have a successor to Mr. Folk in the office of Circuit Attorney, who will see that they have no further trouble.