The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-11-28
MGNE IN ELECTIONS.

MONEY IN ELECTIONS.
Are the Offices intended to be filed
by the rich-is it possible for poor
man to be elected to a position of
trust or profit without mortgaging
himself body and soul! These are not
idle questions, but they are asked in
sober earnest. They so deep to some
matters that threatens American
freedom to-day. They cannot be
ignored without endangering the
we'll being of the State.
The Praetorian guards auctioned to
The highest bidder the imperial
purple of Rome, but they sometimes
had the decency to kill the wretch
who bartered in the liberties q his
country. Are there not now in
America Praetorian guards. called by
the name of political parties, who. if
not so directly, are indirectly and as
shamelessly offering for sale to the
highest bidder the political honors of
the land For our answer we need
not go outside the range Of every
mans observation. And that answer
must be in the affirmative. Not
that as an every day transaction
ambitious men actua lily buy up party
people or their leaders for votes.
But these matters of open corruption
are not unfrequent, and even in this
third resslonal district of Mime
sofa we have the best reason to say
that the evil genius Of corruption
has stalked in naked horror"
However. it is not So much to the
open, shameless and corrupt use of
money in election, which we wish to
call attention. According to the
present machinery Of party politics
it is almost an impossiblity for poor
man to be elected 10 an important
position. Look at the expenses called
legitimate. First. the ballots must he
printed-in all sorts of ways and com.
misunderstanding not Il little. Then
the free and Independent citizen who
boasts SO loudly OF his franchise
cannot walk two blocks to deposit his
ballot. He must be taken in state to
the polling place. in a coach and
four. And this costs money Then
there are the ticket peddlers, and the
booths. and the banners, and the
speakers, and the bands of music, all
of which are supposed 10 be essential
to working the average citizen up to
the proper pitch of patriotic ferver.
Aid these require more money.
Now these are said to be legitimate
expenditures. Then when we come
to Substituting the press, paving the
expenses of delegates to conven-
tions and even Of voters when they
come to the polling place. and
the thousand and one ways Of "in
fluencing" the election, it is clear
that poor men are not the material
fit for party purposes. The man
most needed nowadays. is he whose
bank account is long If his stock Of
brains be short. and who can pool in
heavily. Ii this is not putting up
the honors and Offices OF the country
to the highest bidder for cash. we do
not know what il is.
Now, we said that these questions.
go deep down to the foundations of
our liberty and threaten them. 1t is
an axiom that good government
comes not so much from the form of
the government or the substance of
the laws. but from their administra-
ton. Corrupt men in Office work
greater evils IL the mal-aGministra-
tion Of laws. harmless in themselves.
thar from any other cause. And
when man has been compelled to Sc
care his election to expend largely
more than the legitimate emoiuments
OF his Office yield. ne viii set about BY
the shortest route to make himself
whole. So that in the end the peo-
pie themselves bear these useless end