MONTAGUE. Part of it does, I have no doubt. But it would be a very
small part of his income.

LAURA. What then?

MONTAGUE. The vice graft serves for the police and the district
leaders and the little men; what really pays nowadays is what has come
to be called "honest graft."

LAURA. What is that?

MONTAGUE. The business deals that are trade with the public service
corporations.

LAURA. Ah! That is what I wish to know about!

MONTAGUE. For instance, I am running a street railway . . .

LAURA. [Quickly.] My father is running them all!

MONTAGUE. Very well. Your father is in alliance with the organization;
he is given franchises and public privileges for practically nothing;
and in return he gives the contracts for constructing the subways and
street-car lines to companies organized by the politicians. These
companies are simply paper companies . . . they farm out the contracts
to the real builders, skimming off a profit of twenty or thirty per
cent. One of these companies received contracts last year to the value
of thirty million dollars.