First Floor Cleaned

Last week the civic muck of Kansas City, Mo., was stirred and roiled. How rich and black its muck could be, Kansas City had just learned from the indictment of Boss Tom Pendergast, charged with taking $315,000 in boodle and failing to pay U. S. income taxes thereon. What followed was more surprising: the boss's machine set out to prove to Kansas City that pure hearts can beat beneath mucky vests.

Bryce-Byram Smith, as Mayor, up to last week was a powerless dummy. Such authority as Boss Tom did not wield for himself was vested (since 1926) in rich, famed City Manager Henry F. McElroy and in the City Council. Last week Mayor Smith suddenly announced that for the good of Kansas City, he was taking unto himself the powers placed in Henry McElroy by the city charter.

Seventy-three-year-old Mr. McElroy, whose honesty had not been questioned up to last week, first balked, then glumly removed the official insignia and siren from his car and resigned. This shocked Kansas City as thoroughly as did the 1933 kidnapping of his daughter, Mary, for whom he had to pay $30,000 ransom. When he was renominated last year, he started to "accept" before the council had actually elected him, set Mary to laughing (see cut). Last week he tried to laugh off his unfunny predicament by telling an inquiring reporter how the McElroy lawn was doing. Boss Tom himself ordered his councilmen to fall in with Mayor Smith. Object: to convince the Missouri Legislature that Kansas City could disinfect itself without further aid from Governor Lloyd C. Stark, who favors a bill to give the State control of the Pendergast police department.

Among Kansas City's sundry vices has been the biggest dope trade in any U. S. city. U. S. Narcotics Commissioner Harry Jacob Anslinger suddenly appeared in Kansas City, where his men have been quietly tracking dope merchants for nearly two years, and last week they arrested a Pendergast policeman, a Pendergast ward heeler, five lesser characters.

Then the Narcotics division announced some facts: Tom Pendergast's town traded in $12,000,000 worth of narcotics a year, served a vast territory. Most surprising fact: that healthy, husky Texas is a dopey State. Rated next to Kansas City as consuming centres were Galveston, Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston. Nor is this because of the Mexican population. Texas has oil. Prostitutes follow oil workers. Dope goes with prostitutes. Most Texas addicts are Anglo-Saxons, some are children.

Last week Tom Pendergast's Police Director Otto Higgins resigned, wept at having to leave "the best police department in the country." While Kansas City wondered whether Tom Pendergast's machine was cracking up, Mayor Smith & Co. made a great to-do about closing gambling dens, putting clothes on dancers, etc. etc.

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