The Grand Rapids Arrests

Seventeen of the men accused by ex-City Attorney Lant K. Salsbury, of Grand Rapids, have been put under arrest and two of them have confessed. At the head of this list stands Geo. R. Perry, who was mayor at the time of the scheme for building a water plant for Grand Rapids bringing the water from Lake Michigan. The list of arrested persons includes also State Senator David Burns and a number of aldermen and ex-aldermen. The list includes democrats as well as republicans and the bribes taken range from a few hundred dollars up to several thousand. There are said to be various others who will be arrested later. Among those already arrested are some men hitherto known as men of much piety as well as general high standing in the community. But it is said Salsbury connects still more prominent men with the water scheme crookedness and also with a crooked street car franchise matter. Of course all the men Salsbury has connected with these scandalous matters may not be convicted and probably will not be, but salsbury was in a position during the progress of these deals to have knowledge of what he says. At any rate enough is already known to be true to satisfy any honest man that the Grand Rapids municipal government at the time was thoroughly rotten. It seems, too, that the man Grand Rapids sent to the state senate, if Salsbury's charges are true, was not out of place among the boodlers of that body. But in al this it is not to be supposed that Grand rapids officialdom is exceptionally unclean-the bribe takers have simply been unfortunate in being found out. nor would they have been found out probably, but for the fact that Salsbury, one of the worst of the lot, after having served one term in prison, told on his pals probably for the purpose of getting a lighter sentence, or no sentence at all, on other counts standing against him.

This scandal is perhaps not quite as rank as the scandal of the state military board, including its long list of perjurers, an echo of which in the Holbrook case is still before the people, but it is a pretty close second or bids fair to be before the end is reached. Similar conditions are also nauseating the public in Detroit and various other places. In fact commercialism appears to be the most important factor which leads very many men to accept public positions. The public is considered easy and it is considered almost legitimate to plunder the dear people. The plundering is an offense scarcely worth having any care about, but it is still somewhat against those concerned to be found out. They thus lose their reputations for thrift, shrewdness and sharpness.