The term "honest politician" is sometimes bantered about --- today somewhat less frequently than half a century ago.
On the Monday (or was it the Tuesday) evening newscast on Channel 3, which used to be Channel 10, Kathy (sp. ?) Orr said, "Vote early, and vote often!" This prompted some witty comments by the other people sitting at the newsdesk...
In the 40s and 50s, the A. Paul King machine ran Ocean County; and I know, from speaking with some who are older than myself, that people who lived in Philly would make the trip to The Pines to vote... Of course, this was sometimes challenged, but inevitably the challenges were overruled by the court, and the "foreign" votes for A. Paul and his cronies were counted--in with the rest.
Kathy Orr's quote, "Vote early, and vote often!", was actually coined by one William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson, the Republican Mayor of Chicago 1915-1923, 1927-31.
Of only moderate intelligence, Thompson was easily corrupted and without much control. He was anti-Prohibition, friend of gangsters (especially "Scarface" Al Capone), and accepted payoffs. Capone's pay--off man was a "colorful" (and rather odiferous) character by the name of Jack "Greasy Thumb" Guzik (sp.?). "Greasy Thumb" was a "wizard" with an adding machine, and he ran the financial end of Al's multimillion dollar gangland empire. Guzik, who it is said, was never seen with a clean shirt (You could tell what he had to eat the past two weeks or so, just by looking at the spots on his shirt!), paid the "grease" --- the bribes --- to keep things "running smoothly." Since the dollars were peeled off the rolls by one's thumb, Guzik acquired the monicer "Greasy Thumb."
Thomspon's right-hand man, "Poor Swede" Lundin, virtually ran Chicago.
Thompson's 1927 election happened very much because of gangland assistance. Under Thompson, Chicago almost went bankrupt, due to misallocation and unexplained inconsistencies in the city's funds (I didn't know Haliburton was in business then!
). Thompson was ordered to pay back $2,245,000 ($22,245,000 today) to the city, and suffered a nervous breakdown...
Some maintain that the phrase he coined was "Vote often and vote early." I have only ever heard it the other way around...
Thompson died on March 19, 1944--his safe deposit boxes revealed over 2 million dollars in assets...
"Honest politicians"
--- Oxymoron(s)
ebsi
_____________________________________
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em; and then ATTACK from within!
On the Monday (or was it the Tuesday) evening newscast on Channel 3, which used to be Channel 10, Kathy (sp. ?) Orr said, "Vote early, and vote often!" This prompted some witty comments by the other people sitting at the newsdesk...
In the 40s and 50s, the A. Paul King machine ran Ocean County; and I know, from speaking with some who are older than myself, that people who lived in Philly would make the trip to The Pines to vote... Of course, this was sometimes challenged, but inevitably the challenges were overruled by the court, and the "foreign" votes for A. Paul and his cronies were counted--in with the rest.
Kathy Orr's quote, "Vote early, and vote often!", was actually coined by one William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson, the Republican Mayor of Chicago 1915-1923, 1927-31.
Of only moderate intelligence, Thompson was easily corrupted and without much control. He was anti-Prohibition, friend of gangsters (especially "Scarface" Al Capone), and accepted payoffs. Capone's pay--off man was a "colorful" (and rather odiferous) character by the name of Jack "Greasy Thumb" Guzik (sp.?). "Greasy Thumb" was a "wizard" with an adding machine, and he ran the financial end of Al's multimillion dollar gangland empire. Guzik, who it is said, was never seen with a clean shirt (You could tell what he had to eat the past two weeks or so, just by looking at the spots on his shirt!), paid the "grease" --- the bribes --- to keep things "running smoothly." Since the dollars were peeled off the rolls by one's thumb, Guzik acquired the monicer "Greasy Thumb."
Thomspon's right-hand man, "Poor Swede" Lundin, virtually ran Chicago.
Thompson's 1927 election happened very much because of gangland assistance. Under Thompson, Chicago almost went bankrupt, due to misallocation and unexplained inconsistencies in the city's funds (I didn't know Haliburton was in business then!
). Thompson was ordered to pay back $2,245,000 ($22,245,000 today) to the city, and suffered a nervous breakdown... Some maintain that the phrase he coined was "Vote often and vote early." I have only ever heard it the other way around...
Thompson died on March 19, 1944--his safe deposit boxes revealed over 2 million dollars in assets...
"Honest politicians"
--- Oxymoron(s)ebsi
_____________________________________
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em; and then ATTACK from within!
anon